Designing for Dignity: A Convening of Possibilities

Saturday, Mar 4 – 5, 2023

220 E. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Purchase Tickets Here

Deem—a global platform focused on design as social practice—will host a symposium called "Designing for Dignity: A Convening of Possibilities" in partnership with Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA Chicago). The symposium, which builds on the themes covered in the first four issues of Deem Journal; Dignity, Pedagogy, Equity, and Place, will explore how design can create systems that foster large-scale social impact. The event will feature presentations and discussions from industry leaders in fields such as design thinking, urban planning, education, art, and culture. In addition, Deem will host the second edition of The Reference Room at MCA Chicago from March 3 to 5.

The day will begin with introductory remarks by Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and two of Deem’s three co-founders, Alice Grandoit-Šutka and Nu Goteh.

●  Architect and artist Amanda Williams, whose practice employs color theory to probe anti-Black racism, will begin the day with an exploration of the notion of design as a social practice.

●  Pulling from his award winning research and design practice connecting architecture and identity, Germane Barnes will be in conversation with Toni L. Griffin, Professor in Practice of Urban Planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, to discuss place and placemaking.

●  Focusing on pedagogy, designer and educator Ramon Tejada will speak from his hybrid design/teaching practice which centers collaboration, inclusion, unearthing, and the responsible expansion of design, a practice he has named “puncturing.”

●  Annika Hansteen-Izora who explores ways we can create kinder, more fluid generative online worlds in Deem’s Issue Four will explore dignity.

●  The symposium will close with a conversation on equitable community design in Chicago, moderated by Otez Gary alongside Paola D. Aguirre, Maya Bird-Murphy, and Tonika Lewis Johnson.

Fittingly following the launch of Issue Four: A Sense of Place, "Designing for Dignity: A Convening of Possibilities" offers a highly anticipated in-person gathering for the design community. In Issue Four, Theaster Gates states, “Place. It’s the ability to locate oneself where one belongs. Place is the manifestation of care. With location alone, you’ve got space. With location and familiarity, intention and love, you’ve got place. I think that the work that I’m involved in is constantly trying to bring intention, beauty, and love back to location.” This is the ethos Deem will bring to the MCA Chicago this spring.

“Part of the MCA’s mission is to provide a place to contemplate and discuss contemporary art, culture, and the issues of today,” said Pritzker Director Madeleine Grynsztejn. “This collaboration with Deem will allow audiences from within and around Chicago to gather, learn, and find inspiration in exploring means to a true sense of place.”

The LA-based Deem has always admired Chicago for its legacy of social justice movement builders, its pioneering approach to modern design and its historical status in the print industry–especially as the home of Ebony and Jet Magazine’s Johnson Publishing. These characteristics make the city a fitting home for the inaugural conference. As America’s third largest city, Chicago has historically undergone many changes to its built environment, fittingly, Deem explores how the diverse nature of design can draw more equitable outcomes for communities and futures. Chicago can offer mindful approaches to promote a world with greater solutions for all.

“We’re excited to partner with MCA Chicago on this occasion. The institution has always been a point of inspiration for us at different points in our creative practice, always giving essential space for the most prominent artists of our time, from hosting Kerry James Marshall’s first retrospective in 2016, to organizing Virgil Abloh’s ‘Figures of Speech’,” say Deem co-founders Nu Goteh & Alice Grandiot-Šutka.

Deem’s three-day Reference Room will be a public gathering space for visitors to experience reading materials that have inspired their four issues. The Reference Room will feature a curated selection of publications, ranging from best-sellers to rare gems from various scholars, organizers, poets, visual artists, and more. These materials will provide context and access to educational tools around the publications processes and beliefs, as well as serve as a haven for reflection and repose. First held in LA to coincide with Issue Three: Envisioning Equity, this will be the second edition of The Reference Room. Held in the MCA’s Commons, community members will find a place for artistic and civic exchange; they will be encouraged to engage in formal and informal dialogue among themselves, other visitors, and communities. ABOUT DEEM JOURNAL

Deem Journal is a Los Angeles-based biannual print publication and online platform which positions design as social practice. Deem is a bi-annual journal exploring the world through the value of design. Born out of the belief that design is a constant part of our daily lives, founders Nu Goteh, Alice Grandoit-Šutka, and Marquise Stillwell, along with their collaborators, realized a disconnect in the way people talk and think about design. The founders share the perception that humans are often preoccupied with aesthetics and the tangible output of design as opposed to the diverse, process-oriented practice that it is. In response, they established Deem to reimagine design as the process of adding value as well as a fundamental, shared experience. The journal provides an in-depth look into the function of design within communities through careful consideration of their histories, exploring futures where design forges inclusive dialogue and intersectional dignity.

Centering design as a social practice allows for non-traditional designers to identify with the field, expanding the consciousness of design as a complex lived experience, accessible to an array of audiences across disciplines. Deem is available worldwide in select locations such as Reparations Club and Skylight Books in Los Angeles; Museum of African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco; Flower Press in Detroit; magCulture in London; Do You Read Me in Berlin. The publications can also be purchased online alongside its digital companion, at deemjournal.com which will also house archives of Deem Forum.

ABOUT MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART CHICAGO

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The MCA interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs while providing a place for audiences to contemplate and discuss contemporary art in pursuit of a creative and diverse future. The MCA believes in the values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) as a platform to enact structural change. The museum is generously supported by its Board of Trustees; individual and corporate members; private and corporate foundations, including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and government agencies. Museum capital improvements are supported by a Public Museum Capital Grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The MCA is a proud member of Museums in the Park and receives major support from the Chicago Park District.

The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Avenue and is open 10 am to 5 pm Wednesday to Sunday and Tuesdays (free for IL residents) from 10 am to 9 pm. The museum is closed on Mondays. Suggested general admission of $15 for adults and $8 for seniors. Admission is free for all youth 18 and under, members of the military and veterans, and MCA members. Find more information about MCA's exhibitions, programs, and special events at mcachicago.org or at (312) 280-2660.