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August 11, 6:30 – 8:30pm Hosted By Ghosts of Seattle Past With Seattle City Council Member Lisa Herbold Seattle residents will testify about the places they want preserved, while city officials, landlords, real estate developers, policy makers and other community members are invited to come together to listen and learn from these voices across our...

The AIA Seattle Happy Hour Series is a monthly gathering presented by the Young Architects Forum and Women in Design committees to encourage connections within the Seattle design community. This year’s happy hours will highlight design partnerships that have led to successful projects. The Happy Hour will be co-hosted by AIA Seattle & Seattle Architecture...

Urban Air Market is a curated marketplace for sustainable design. We connect independent artists and designers with their ideal customers through a unique shopping experience that builds community and supports the local economy. Founded in 2005, Urban Air Market is the largest outdoor design festival in the country and the only independent fashion marketplace focused on sustainable...

Pumping Gasoline is a mobile performance art piece which illuminates gasoline's pervasive role in our daily lives, and challenges our use of gasoline, a dirty, toxic fuel which accounts for more than 60% of our carbon emissions. The gas nozzle will never feel the same in your hand. 

Create an Experiential Map of Pioneer Square With AIA Seattle Young Architects Forum Pioneer Square is the longest-standing urban core in Seattle. What has pioneer square meant through the history of Seattle? What does it mean now and how can it lead us into the future? Not only are their historical patterns, social impacts and...

MORPHOS invites festival goers to contribute their creative agency toward an evolving sculpture. Two cornerstones set within the exhibition space evoke the histories and traditions we inherit and are called to mediate and build upon. Through the materials of straws and marshmallows, attendees of all ages and abilities add to the sculpture, symbolically testifying to their own...

A cross-disciplinary team of students and faculty from the University of Washington in collaboration with Tellous Consulting are exploring creating a mobile participatory design lab to allow more access to policy making in Seattle. Currently the need to interact directly with city hall can present logistical and other barrier issues for many people - the...

A floating inflatable forest and interactive mural created by the Seattle Design Nerds.

Will you be ready when the next earthquake strikes Seattle? According to “The Really Big One” published in The New Yorker in July 2015, the Cascadia Subduction Zone, spanning from Northern California to Southern Canada, has a 1 in 3 chance of a big earthquake (8.6 magnitude) and a 1 in 10 chance of a...

Cause-and-effect: a phrase noting a relationship between actions or events such that one is the result of the other. Our changing built environment is sculpted by design decisions. Decisions which embody choices made in economy, function and time; choices that crystallize in our collective culture and politics. Cause I Effect is a poetic construction, meant...

The IMVISIBLE installation will showcase contest entries and invite the public to keep collaborating and hacking the donation system. For more information, visit Imvisible.us.

The house of CHANGE is a place for Seattleites to react on community issues by reflecting and rediscovering a common ground where everyone can connect and begin to break social barriers. Our intention is to broaden the social dialogue by finding a common thread.

REVELution is an interactive experience combining geometry, sound and visual stimuli to prompt a conversation about how we participate in change. Six simple triangles form a unique structural frame. The geometry of the frame allows participants the opportunity to enter at several points, each offering a unique perspective of the exhibit. Woven to the frame...

Adapt is a system that invites its user to tell it what its purpose is. Its user can build it for their space and their purpose. At the block party it will offer festival goers a space that will conform to their needs for enjoyment as they take part in the festival.

ICE CUBE, a temporary installation designed by Olson Kundig, showcases the stages of the natural water cycle as the ice shifts from opaque to translucent. As the 10-ton ice cube melts, it offers a cool respite to visitors and scatters ambient sunlight and colors throughout the park. The pure form of the cube will gradually...

Often times, we can feel like passive players in our world; temporary observers in an environment designed despite us. Appropriations of space or voice are looked at as something to be silenced, and responsive environments left highly controlled. But what if we challenged the norm and let users be fully in control? This installation empowers...

Metal Over Wood is an interactive, mixed media installation confronting the tensions between ‘development’ and displacement in Seattle’s past, present and future. Echoing the form of the traditional Native plankhouses which once stood in Pioneer Square, the project integrates construction materials with natural elements using traditional Native weaving techniques to maneuver through a grid of wires representing the...

Seattle has and always will be a boomtown. It is in our DNA. From the Yukon gold rush to the current tech boom, Seattle changes in dynamic fashion. In order to gain perspective on the current state of change in the Emerald City, we must look to the future and the lessons that can be...

This is "Design for Good" in action. The Changemaker installation is designed to be a learning experience that addresses Housing & Homelessness in Seattle, including the causes, the barriers, the people it effects, and the organizations that are dedicated to tackling these complex issues head on.

We inhabit two worlds – the physical infrastructure that surrounds us and the virtual platforms that engage us. CON aims to bring these worlds together through design. The Instagrammer, the Texter, the Tweeter, the Snapchatter. All these people will be present at this year’s SDF Block Party. Let’s plan for this distraction and embrace it....

As designers, we change the world every day. We want to encourage people of every background to imagine themselves as Architects and designers of their community. Our profession needs a diversity of experiences and imaginations to grow and continue to be relevant. We strive to break the stereotype of the Architect that persists even today....

This interactive installation aims to provide insightful data about how change in Seattle has disproportionately impacted its unhoused population. By inviting visitors to navigate various layers of data, an abstract problem and its impacts become visible.

A look through rose-colored glasses and other devices at what is and what could be.

Rain. A song written in the sky, a silent force acting upon an infinity of instruments. pitter-patter--plip-plip-ploop-plip-ploop, flick a flack-fleck, dibble-dibble-dopp-dopp, tluck.......tlock……….tluck. A transformative experience, it delights with its gentle syncopation and allow us to re-see shapes, colors, shadows and textures with empty ears. When just the trees were listening, rain was the accompaniment to...

Imagine a Disco Kelp Forest -with the continual making and unmaking of a new dancing aquatecture.  

Tipping Point: Where do you want to put change into action? is a dynamic game to comment about making change. Mock coins are flipped by participants into segments of a large circular board depicting 6 areas of change in Seattle. Balancing at the center, the board tips when played, demonstrating a live balance (or cascade)...

Tinker Tank at Pacific Science Center and Seattle Design Nerds are teaming up to build a gravity maze machine. Explore gravity, build pathways, and work collaboratively to make amazing tracks for balls to traverse their way down. See how elaborate and complex you can make it!

Ongoing throughout the Festival. Design and change in Seattle retains a gritty realism and modernist refrain that makes the city's evolution engaging. An honest look into the tension between the emerging and hidden spaces of the city. Photography and design capturing the cultural shift encountered throughout this evolving city. Vibrant interaction between architecture, spaces, design,...

Opening Reception: Room for Change: A Mural by Carolina Silva For this year's Seattle Design Festival, Space.City and Urban ArtWorks are collaborating with Carolina Silva to create a mural at the Pike Street Hill Climb along Western Avenue. The transformation will take place over the first week of the festival, with support from Downtown Seattle...

GGLO presents a series of temporary interactive public art installations engaging the public at Harbor Steps, one of one of Seattle’s premiere urban gathering spots. The installations connect the public with new ideas and design changes that are set to change the Harbor Steps. This public program is part of a 30th-anniversary celebration of GGLO’s...

Brainfreeze is a pop up gallery featuring new, emerging artists and a retail concept shop installation. In the exhibition space there will be a month long installation by installation artist Amanda James Parker. Ghosts of Flesh Ave is a portal where viewers may dance with specters of Seattle’s salacious history before they're dissolved into the...

Design and change in Seattle retains a gritty realism and modernist refrain that makes the city's evolution engaging. An honest look into the tension between the emerging and hidden spaces of the city. Photography and design capturing the cultural shift encountered throughout this evolving city. Vibrant interaction between architecture, spaces, design, community and the way...

What is a neighborhood? How does architecture and urban development converge with social and cultural life to create a dynamic environment for communities to live, work, and play? This panel explores the evolving geography of Seattle’s First Hill Neighborhood, highlighting the projected impact of current architectural expansion and redevelopment projects on the community. Pairing architects...

MG2 presents a temporary, micro-luxury lodging solution that can be used in a variety of ways: from shelter at a music festival to hoteliers needing additional rooms for major events or for camping at Big Sur. For the last few years, the hospitality industry has seen many disruptions: Airbnb, further integration of technology and an...

The City of Seattle is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. What’s missing? A clear direction for physical development in our downtown. A policy framework is insufficient to achieve the urban outcomes we all desire; we also need specific, physical recommendations for urban form and shape, to guide investment. How can we visualize,...

MG2 presents a temporary, micro-luxury lodging solution that can be used in a variety of ways: from shelter at a music festival to hoteliers needing additional rooms for major events or for camping at Big Sur. For the last few years, the hospitality industry has seen many disruptions: Airbnb, further integration of technology and an...

Tour Seattle's innovative Beacon Food Forest, a project in permaculture design that uses nature-focused structures and collaborative community-designed methods. Participants will get to try out their collaborative design skills and dream up their ideal public space, designed for community and sustainability. The Beacon Food Forest was founded in 2009 when a group of permaculture students...

Architectural Walk Through of the Frye Art Museum with Alan Maskin, principal of Olson Kundig How does architecture support the mission and vision of cultural institutions? Join architect Alan Maskin, owner and principal of Olson Kundig, on a walk through of the Frye Art Museum to explore the ways that comprehensive remodels and expansions bring...

GGLO presents Step It Up! a series of temporary interactive public art installations engaging the public at Harbor Steps, one of one of Seattle’s premiere urban gathering spots. The installations connect the public with new ideas and design changes that are set to change the Harbor Steps. This public program is part of a 30th-anniversary...

Dunts are breaks that occur in ceramic forms when atmosphere induces stress. The resident artists of Seward Park Clay Studio will create a collectivized sculpture in ceramic and wood. The public is invited to participate in this unfolding work by adding fired clay components to a sculptural superstructure. Individual fired clay objects will be offered...

Join ARCADE to celebrate the release of the Fall 2016 edition, ARCADE Issue 34.2. A $20 suggested donation at the door brings beverages, light fare, musical entertainment, your copy of ARCADE and a warm philanthropic rush—it supports the creation of the magazine and programs. This event is a "thank you!" to our creative contributors, designers...

Cities are back. The yen for urban living is swelling downtowns and walkable neighborhoods. With little vacant land, Seattle grows vertically to add places to live and work. But what about space to romp, relax or refresh? Be inspired by stories of innovative open space solutions, and join a lively conversation about future open space...

Pecha Kucha Seattle, KUOW Public Radio, Town Hall Seattle & the Seattle Design Festival are proud to present PKN SEA vol. 68: Region of Boom on September 15th at Town Hall. Based on a KUOW Public Radio series on growth in our region, Region of Boom brings together a wide array of speakers from across...

This conversation engages questions about how a city - and the institutions within it - creates community histories, and how memories affect personal and collective identities. The discussion is presented in conjunction with the exhibition MOTHA and Chris E. Vargas present: Trans Hirstory in 99 Objects. This panel discussion is moderated by Chris E. Vargas...

CreativeMornings is a breakfast lecture series for the creative community with chapters in over 148 cities around the globe. Our free, monthly events feature a short talk and breakfast. Founded in 2011, CreativeMorning Seattle has hosted speakers from a range of backgrounds to speak about design and creativity. Lucia Neare is a 21st-century pioneer of...

Visit our four pop-up locations, all focused on removing the grey and bringing back the green. Share your vision for Seattle streets in any of the following locations: Capitol Hill: 12 Ave Arts Pike/Pine: Summit Ave (between Howell and Olive) Chinatown/ID: S. King Street under 1-5 Little Saigon: 12th and Jackson Looking to get more...

PLAIN AIR Opening Reception/ September 16, 2016, 5–8pm Exhibition Dates/ September 17 and 18, 2016 Hours/ noon to 6 pm both days Address/ 1716 Warren Avenue North - Seattle, WA 98109Participating Artists: Julie Alexander Maikoiyo Alley-Barnes Nancy Brooks Brody Matt Browning Dawn Cerny Neal Fryett David Horvitz Francesca Lohmann Rob Rhee This exhibition is organized...

Is Seattle’s current zoning code preventing or encouraging positive growth in Seattle? What actions can developers, architects, planners, politicians, taxpayers do to create positive change in Seattle’s growth – urbanistically, demopraphically, culturally, and spatially? Where are there areas of potential innovative ways of growth and change, pertaining to housing and zoning? Join us at b9...

Join graphic designer, illustrator and activist Emory Douglas for a free lecture at the Seattle Public Library - Central Branch, followed by a discussion facilitated by Marissa Jenae Johnson of #blacklivesmatter. Emory Douglas has created decades of graphic work that activated communities, inspired change and came to represent black American struggles in the 60’s and...

Take a trip through history in one of Seattle’s most treasured urban neighborhoods. From Queen Anne Style homes to Modern, this vibrant hilltop neighborhood has it all, and is in a constant state of evolution as new residents call this community home. On this tour you’ll visit Queen Anne’s Landmark residences, apartments and repurposed buildings....

The School of Visual Concepts has been Seattle's leading center for professional development training for the design, marketing communications, and copywriting fields since 1971. SVC offers a long list of five- and 10-week evening classes for those putting their portfolios together, as well as full- and half-day workshops on creativity, brainstorming, marketing, and the best...

This event has been cancelled.  

As Seattle's landscape shifts behind a curtain of construction scaffolding and cranes it is often hard to imagine the reality that will emerge on the other side. This piece creates a playful means of giving those walking through Seattle a small glimpse into their future and into their past. Reminding us to consider what will...

Join Hello Velocity, with Natasha Marin and Josephine Devanbu, for a panel discussion of work revolving around economic inequity. Hello Velocity will present Gradient: An ecommerce plugin that implements sliding scale product pricing based on consumer income. Natasha Marin will discuss Reparations.me: a social experiment designed to kinesthetically engage people across demographic boundaries in the...

Access to Technology: Design Through User Empowerment The Taskar Center for Accessible Technology is working to help more people with disabilities gain access to the technology they need by empowering non-engineers to “Do-It-Yourself” (DIY) and create, modify, or build. This is a big paradigm shift in the acquisition of 'assistive technology' in the U.S., where...

Funktioning Full Force With Nothing but "Funktional Design" is a Health, Wellbeing and Material Cultural Revival featuring the Industrialization and Commercialization of African American "Funktional" Design that derives from the domestic African-American visual aesthetic of Funk (recycling & sustainable living skills). The aesthetic of Funk evolved from the creative, but financially deprived African-American Homemaker, Caregiver...