BEND DESIGN 2020, presented by Scalehouse in Bend, takes over virtually October 19-22, 2020. Creatives who register can look forward to three plus days of meaningful presentations, discussions, music and film, plus much more, all from the comfort of their own device. BEND DESIGN is for artists and designers, explorers, thinkers, scientists, engineers, civic and business leaders. This offering welcomes anyone and everyone curious in volatile times about how creative design can shape humanity’s collective future.
BEND DESIGN features talks with innovators from a variety of disciplines and is designed to energize and encourage all of us to improve the quality of life in our communities through creative thinking and action. This is NOT a conference solely for designers. BEND DESIGN’s diversified agenda reflects its mission to explore design in a variety of arenas. Scalehouse is committed to enhancing cultural equity, removing financial barriers and continuing to amplify voices that have been historically underrepresented through scholarships and discounted tickets for students.
“These are tumultuous times yet they open up new opportunities for conversation, creativity and positive change, ” said René Mitchell, Scalehouse executive director and BEND DESIGN co-producer. This year’s programming looks at subjects, such as: how to get grounded and inspired during crazy times; how to work with our vulnerability to find purpose and power as creatives; how to work our way through the insecurities of “imposter syndrome and Manifestations of White Supremacy in Design. “Our programming continues to look at how design can shape and change our future for good,” added Mitchell.
See schedule and register today!
BEND DESIGN 2020 Headline and All-Star Lineup Includes:
PRESENTATION:
Equity by design: Cultural impact through creative leadership
Greg Hofman | advisor, strategist, creative
This is the moment for the creative community to take the stage in driving equity and equality through our work and within our design industry. Greg draws from his past experiences leading design, advertising and marketing for the Nike brand to illustrate which characteristics of creative leadership need to be elevated to power meaningful and lasting positive cultural impact.
Find your art
Shabazz Larkin | artist, author, priest
Can art be a spiritual practice? By the way, what is art? What is good art? What is a spiritual practice? Will it help us find our purpose? Why do we keep obsessing over our purpose? Who are we? Are we supernatural beings? Is art supernatural? Does quantum physics have any answers? Is God a man-made design? Does that mean God is real, or not real? Am I flawed or are they flawed? It certainly matters — but why?
This and other unanswerable questions about purpose, shame and vulnerability with Shabazz Larkin, founder of Larkin Art & Company in Nashville Tennessee.
speechless: different by design (a case study)
Laurie Haycock Makela | walker, talker, thinker
Described by Forbes as “a new exhibition that bucks the status quo…broadening the idea of visual communication,” the multisensory exhibition, Speechless: Different by Design, wowed visitors to the Dallas Art Museum. In her talk, Laurie Hayock Makela will discuss the exhibition itself, together with the book she designed for this extraordinary project, which focused on the senses, not language. Makela will also discuss other recent work, such as a poster designed in collaboration with April Greiman for the AIGA Get Out the Women’s Vote initiative.
AWE
Samuel Stubblefield | curious, thoughtful, artist
In complicated times, we often lose a sense of groundedness. Almost ironically, groundedness is exactly what is needed as we sift through oceans of information every day — information that tells us who we are as individuals and as a species.
Awe-inspiring experiences clear the clutter and recalibrate our relationship to the universe, giving us a better perspective, making way for clarity of mind and bringing about a more confident sense of purpose.
Everything I need to know about business I learned at the cocktail bar
Sheima Hassanlou | connector, instigator, executive producer
In today’s digitally focused society, where most of our attention is spent staring at a screen, sacred spaces like the cocktail bar allow for genuine human connection to take place, one on one. Even in times of great despair such as The Great Depression, the industries that stayed resilient were entertainment (film) and hospitality (bars).
Let’s connect over a cocktail — after all, the cocktail is design in tangible format. In this workshop we will learn the 10 Tenets of hospitality and being of service, and how you can use these timeless classics in your own practice. The first tenet is “Mise en place: Keep your house in order.” The second is “Greet your guest with honor and candor.” Register for the workshop to learn all ten tenets.
Seeing Different
Justin Ahrens | creative, do gooder, cyclist
We are all built to see the world differently. It’s one of our unique, innovative traits. We all say we want to be a part of changing the world, but how do we actually accomplish this? Can we actually make a difference? This presentation will give you thoughts, prompts and examples of how you can use your gifts to See Different.
DISCUSSION:
Manifestations of White Supremacy in Design
Hear from a diverse panel of Black creatives on their experiences working in Oregon’s white-dominated design industry. With: Julia Bond (Assistant Apparel Designer at ADIDAS), Danielle McCoy (Designer at Wieden + Kennedy) and Justin Morris (Creative Director at Kamp Grizzly). Moderated by Jason Graham / MOsley WOtta.
Design Matters with podcast with Debbie Millman & Laurie Haycock Makela
Join us for the Design Matters interview as podcast host Debbie Millman returns to Bend Design. This year Debbie interviews AIGA medalist Laurie Haycock Makela, a leading voice in transdisciplinary graphic design practice and education for more than three decades. Recently, Makela designed the book, Speechless: Different by Design, and was one of six artists collaborating on the celebrated multisensory exhibition at the Dallas Art Museum.
Drawing from Landscape with Greg Hoffman & Cory Martin
How can built spaces make us feel more connected to the landscape — and to each other? Global brand and design leader Greg Hoffman joins Corey Martin, principal at Hacker Architects, for creative conversation. The two will discuss Hacker’s award-winning approach to architecture in the Pacific Northwest, amply visible in iconic Central Oregon structures such as Lakeside at Black Butte Ranch, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship building on Skyline in Bend and the upcoming Grove at Northwest Crossing. All three spaces represent a unique relationship between the natural and built environments. Greg and Corey will also discuss their creative collaboration on the High Desert House right here in Bend, for which Greg and his family were Hacker’s clients.
MUSIC:
Bluebook performance in the sonic loom | music, light, textiles
Music, light and textiles meet in an installation called the Sonic Loom. Join three-piece band Bluebook performing a set of “smouldering chamber pop” (The Denver Post) inside their large-scale textile and light installation. Through the loom, Bluebook will present a liminal, transformative space and offer their audience a unique audiovisual experience.
FILM:
Q+A and Three films by and about Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk | composer, singer, director/choreographer
Renowned composer, singer, director/choreographer and filmmaker Meredith Monk has greatly influenced the evolution of contemporary arts, music, film and performance with her groundbreaking interdisciplinary work. Bend Design will stream three days of films by and about Ms. Monk, culminating in a live Q&A with the artist.
Human Flow
Film
Over 65 million people around the world have been forced from their homes to escape famine, climate change and war in the greatest human displacement since World War II. Human Flow, an epic film journey led by the internationally renowned artist Ai Weiwei, gives a powerful visual expression to this massive human migration. The documentary elucidates both the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact.
Americanville
Film
Hidden among the mountains north of Beijing, a replica of the Wyoming town of Jackson Hole promises to deliver the American Dream to its several thousand Chinese residents. In Americaville, Annie Liu escapes China’s increasingly uninhabitable capital city to pursue happiness, freedom, romance and spiritual fulfillment in Jackson Hole— only to find the American idyll harder to attain than what was promised.
About Scalehouse:
Scalehouse is a 501(c)3 nonprofit multidisciplinary arts organization offering year-round programs convening diverse thinkers for in-depth discussions, artistic collaborations, exhibitions and events, including the annual Bend Design Week and gallery space, Scalehouse Gallery (formerly At Liberty Arts Collaborative).