San Diego /Design Week
San Diego Design Week is an annual five-day series of events that celebrates interdisciplinary design in our region through talks, studio tours, workshops, and self-guided tours. In 2020 we’re exploring the theme of Design+.
There are a ton of free events that look super interesting. Here is my short list:
Ephemera as Evidence is an ongoing investigation into San Diego midcentury print culture. This video conversation with Dave Hampton and Bill Perrine examines two printed objects from the early 1960s: Guy Williams’ artists’ book “Poems for Painters,” and a complete deck of illustrated “Space Cards” made by the Art Department at Convair Astronautics Division of General Dynamics. These artworks come out of vibrant and distinct creative subcultures, one being a community of bookstores, independent publishing, poets and painters, and the other a world of scientific research, military-industrial contracts and space exploration, where many top illustrators, graphic designers and art directors were employed.
This feature will be released on this event page September 9th and available all week.
Join local architectural photographer, author and historian Darren Bradley for a live Zoom event where he will share a sampling of his vast image library and stories. Topics covered will range from the unknown nuances of the region to the history of specific structures and the architects and developers behind them. There will be a Q&A included, and any questions not addressed during the program will be addressed afterward.
Sep 12th, 3 – 4pm PST
Also check out the accompanying self-guided tour and explore on your own.
Join Barbara Hanson Forsyth of Mingei International Museum for the story of Ellamarie (1913-1976) and Jackson (1910-1992) Woolley, one of San Diego’s preeminent and prolific designing couples who are most remembered for their enameled metal work but worked in a variety of media. Their collective and individual artistic journeys resulted in an incredible body of work ranging from small-scale decorative items such as plates and pendants to monumental architectural commissions.
This talk will explore their artistic practice and significant contributions to the mid-century San Diego design and architecture scene, including the story behind Variations on a Gold Theme. This masterful mural from 1965 is part of Mingei’s permanent collection and is slated to be a centerpiece of their courtyard garden in the renovated museum, opening in 2021.
This feature will be released on this event page September 9th and available all week.
In this archived Creative Mornings talk from October 2019, Keith York shares his passion for San Diego's rich mid-century history and aesthetic changes in the years following World War II. This talk offers a glimpse into the joy of being completely immersed in your personal and professional pursuits and the beauty of matching your passions and skills with others.
View & listen to the design talk here.
If you were born after 1984, the year the Macintosh was introduced, chances are that you missed traditional graphic design and print production processes by a decade or so, like Briar Levit, an assistant professor of graphic design at Portland State University. Levit worked almost exclusively on a computer throughout her education and graphic design practice, but her fascination with the design and production methods that preceded the digital era led to collecting books and manuals and eventually to making Graphic Means. The documentary explores graphic design production of the 1950s through the 1990s when hands of industrious workers and various ingenious machines and tools brought type and image together on meticulously prepared paste-up boards before they were sent to the printer. Enjoy a free screening of Graphic Means during San Diego Design Week, September 9–13, 2020.
Join for a free film screening of Rams by New York based filmmaker Gary Hustwit. Rams is a 2018 documentary portrait of Dieter Rams, one of the most influential designers alive, and a rumination on consumerism, sustainability, and the future of design. The film features original music by pioneering musician and producer Brian Eno.
The 74-minute film screening will be available for viewing online (on Vimeo) and free to an audience of 200 at San Diego Design Week. Guests who register may watch the film at a time of their choosing on Friday, September 11th.
Rams includes in-depth conversations with Dieter, and deep dives into his philosophy, his process, and his inspirations. But one of the most interesting parts of Dieter's story is that he now looks back on his career with some regret. "If I had to do it over again, I would not want to be a designer," he's said. "There are too many unnecessary products in this world." Dieter has long been an advocate for the ideas of environmental consciousness and long-lasting products. He's dismayed by today's unsustainable world of over-consumption, where "design" has been reduced to a meaningless marketing buzzword.
Grab your mimosa or favorite cocktail and host a virtual brunch with your friends, as you shop some of our favorite pieces from San Diego artists and designers! The virtual event will take place in our Instagram stories @shopmingei. Featured San Diego artists and galleries will include Arline Fisch, Ashley Kim, Cara Golden, Entoten, Folk Project, Housgoods Jewelry, Jack Boyd Studio, Joanie Laib, Jyumoku, Maru Lopez, Michele Linback, Miki Iwasaki, Mr. Blueskye, Nan Coffin, and The Slipped Studio. Items begin posting for sale at 10am, so tune in early for first dibs!
Sep 13th, 10am – 2pm PST