74 Design Conversations and more to come

When about 100 people who had crammed into the Load of Fun in 2006 decided that there should be a design center in Baltimore, they had set into motion a series of now 74 "Design Conversations", casual presentations on all matters that relate to design, creativity and art that all have taken place in Russel Campo's Windup Space, a gallery, bar and event space all in one.

The even poster for Design Conversation #1

The organization of those Design Conversations is relatively simple: A curator thinks of a topic for a conversation, applies for a spot on the first Tuesday of each month calendar, finds presenters, invites and coordinates them, advertises the event and another Design Conversation is going down. 

Unlike lectures by the AIA (American Institute of Architects) or other professional organizations, the Design Conversations draw not only architects or urban designers, landscape architects and planners but a young crowd of diverse interests and backgrounds resulting in audiences that were different from what had been reached before except that African American participation remained low.

After two years the D center has lost its gallery space located next to the Wind-Up Space for lack of funding and is in a state of re-organization. But the Design Conversations continue. Last month the topic was Baltimore's transportation and the many new ways of getting around. December's Design Conversation will be held coming Tuesday, December 1, at 6:30pm.

We're at our 75th Design Conversation! Join us for a BIG Night.
Hosted by Prescott Gaylord and the Baltimore Improv Group
What might a design conversation be if it was improvised? We will have three guest storytellers - an audience prompt to kick us off and a very talented improv troupe to answer that question. (Event link)

The D center board convened a curating committee to ensure that the Design Conversations will remain a fixture in Baltimore in 2016. The committee decided that a request for (conversation topic) proposals will be prepared and issued soon. (article continues below the pictures)

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Design Convo #49

Design Conversation #72 and presenter 

#17, The Visible Process

Design Convo #72: Good News Baltimore, three projects (see my blog article)

Baltimore needs the broad ranging conversation about art, culture and design more than ever. Not only are these fields usually way ahead of the actual political and planning practice, they open the mind to the "out of the box" type of approach that has recently been described as "design thinking", a new way of problem solving.

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA