Research:

DRS (Design Research Society) 2022 ~ With Lesley-Ann Noel, North Carolina State University. Karin Jager, University of the Fraser Valley, Canada. Johnathon Strube, East Tennessee State University. Anne Galperin, State University of New York at New Paltz.

Five design educators apply a reflective framework to discuss the who, what, when, where, and why of the Design Studio, how it has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the future of design education at North American universities. The educators are dispersed geographically across Canada and the United States and teach in... more

Bourdieu’s theories on “cultural capital” explain how individuals gain social assets through upbringing. Many students attending State Universities have had little to no formal exposure to the Modernist design canon and little to no training in art or design in their high school education. However, they do have incredible life-experiences and personal histories that they bring to the classroom. Designer Anoushka Khandwala explains “the authority of the canon has undermined the work produced by non-Western cultures.” By leveraging the diverse cultural capital of students, Modernist design... more

Design as Common Good / Framing Design through Pluralism and Social Values, Swiss Design Network Symposium 2021, Conference Proceedings. Edited by Massimo Botta and Sabine Junginger. pp. 748-762. ISBN 978-88-7595-108-5. ~ With Cheryl Giraudy

A placemaking study in Toronto, Canada is highlighting the need for Ethical Design curricula that will serve the larger context of Design for Social Good. In reviewing diverse theories for socially informed design practice, it is apparent that Ethical Design, specifically socially-engaged design, as a core value is largely absent in pedagogy,... more

Cumulus Conference Proceedings, Roma 2021. Edited by Mariana Amatullo. Cumulus (the Global Association of Art and Design Education and Research) Conference Proceedings Series, Number 7 ~ With Cheryl Giraudy.

Toronto, Canada experiences both the benefits and challenges that come with rapid urban growth. Challenges include increased racial and economic inequities; lack of affordable housing; loss of community space in redevelopment, and marginalization of citizen voices across planning processes. There is a zeitgeist of Toronto as an emerging world class city based on economic,... more

Athens Journal of Architecture - Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 9-36 ~ written with Cheryl Giraudy

Design ManifesT.O. 2020 is a Participatory Action Research project currently underway in Toronto, Canada and is working with communities to uncover stories of grassroots placemaking and community building done through creative practice. An unexpected discovery during data collection highlighted how communities are still being left out of decision-making processes that directly affect their collective values and living... more

The Creative Practice as Protest Workshop was a youth workshop held in January 2020 and is part of the larger research project Design ManifesT.O. 2020. The workshop aimed to gather youth, community mentors, and placemaking leaders into a space where they could work and learn together. We partnered with design... more

Image: Kick-off panel discussion as part of DesignTO 2019 with political activist Dave Meslin, Chair of Thorncliffe Park Women’s Committee Sabina Ali, City Councillor for Ward 13 Kristyn Wong-Tam, public art critic Sarah Ratzlaff, and Manager of Policy and Community Connections at the Centre for Connected Communities Adjeeve Bhatia.

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Abstract
First-year design studio courses should be process driven in order to promote multiple idea development, risk taking, and exploration. However, in order to demonstrate the importance of process, feedback, and iteration this process needs to be documented and marked throughout the duration of an assignment. Therefore, I have designed my assignments to include a progress book format in which students are asked to record everything they have undergone weekly—including observational, and theoretical research, trials and errors, feedback, exploration, etc. The... more

Abstract
Tacit knowledge, intuitive responses, empirical research—how can design elevate itself as a discipline when its main forms of knowledge gathering and generation are still believed to be less valuable than those in traditional academia? Beginning design students must learn to put words to their actions, to understand their processes, and to be critical and reflective throughout all stages of a project. By guiding students into developing rigorous iterative processes that combine theoretical research, empirical research, questioning, and reflection students... more

Abstract
Curriculum which focusses on Western fundamentals and precedents of graphic design may limit the beginning design student to a finite, predictable, and culturally limited view of what design is. Such restricted curriculum also risks the erasure of what the students bring to the classroom—diverse perspectives and years of unique experiences. Fundamentals and precedents should be seen as part of an education that sees students and faculty questioning, pushing against, and possibly even rejecting the past. This approach to design education will stimulate a rich... more

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