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DesignPhiladelphia 2020 Festival
October 7, 2020 - October 18, 2020
DesignPhiladelphia is the signature event for the Center for Architecture and Design. Held every October, it is a 10-day festival and is the oldest design festival of its kind in the country, founded in 2005 by Hilary Jay and Jamer Hunt. The festival is produced by the Center for Architecture and Design in order to highlight Philadelphia as a hub for design excellence, support economic opportunities for local designers, and demonstrate to the public the impact of design on our everyday lives.
DesignPhiladelphia’s mission is to show that thoughtful design can inspire and empower people within their local communities. This is why the Center for Architecture + Design and AIA Philadelphia produce the festival and convene over 130 events every October – to show the public the impact and power of design and how it can make our city and our lives better. The Center curates exhibitions, tours, programs, and workshops all over the City of Philadelphia so that locals and visitors alike can see Philadelphia the way that locals do – one of America’s most creative and robust design cities.
Check out the schedule of events including the AIA Philadelphia Forum on Architecture + Design
2020 FESTIVAL
The Center for Architecture and Design is excited to present the upcoming 2020 DesignPhiladelphia Festival, October 7-18, 2020, with Thomas Jefferson University once again supporting as title sponsor. The mostly virtual festival, anchored by the Kickoff Party on October 7 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM, will be offered to the public in a variety of ways including through an online platform which will serve as the hub for featured festival programming. In spite of an incredibly tumultuous year, the local design community has rallied around its favorite festival to present an impressive line-up of more than 50 programs and exhibitions that reflect the challenges of 2020. Here are some Festival highlights:
DesignPhiladelphia KickOff Party, Sponsored by Parallel Edge – October 7, 2020, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
The virtual KickOff Party will launch the festival on October 7, 2020 at 6:30 PM as a livestream event with previews of Festival events and exhibitions, live chats with designers, interactive cocktail making, a virtual tour, and a special DesignPhilly Roll Call where designers from across the region share their thoughts and hopes for 2021 and beyond. The event is free and open to all.
Amuneal: Design Optimism A 55-Year Case Study – October 17, 2020, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Every year, Collab, a group of design professionals and enthusiasts who support modern and contemporary design at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, partners with the Center for Architecture and Design to co-host a conversation with a noteworthy Philadelphia designer. This year that designer is Amuneal Manufacturing Inc., a Philadelphia family-owned business that continues to evolve in order to succeed.
Establishing a New Centennial: Designs that Advance Equality Exhibition – Exhibition launch October 12, 2020, 12PM – Brought to fruition as a National Endowment of the Arts Grant, this exhibition although initially conceived over a year and a half ago to commemorate the Suffrage Centennial, is focused on how securing the right to vote was a significant step towards a more equal society. But it was an incomplete step towards true equality for all, therefore the exhibition will feature projects that examine all types of inequality and marginalization, and present design processes and solutions as advancing both large and small goals in advancing equality. This exhibition will have a unique AR component that will launch during the Festival, keep an eye on the DesignPhiladelphia Instagram for more information.
Designing Motherhood Exhibition: A Conversation with the Curators – October 14, 2020, 8:30 PM
The Designing Motherhood Exhibition, coming to Philadelphia in 2021, highlights the arch of human reproduction and will manifest as a multi-site exhibition (at the Mutter Museum and the Center for Architecture and Design), book (MIT Press), and series of public programs helmed by Philadelphia-based thought leaders, Maternity Care Coalition (MCC). MCC seeks to improve the health and well-being of pregnant people and parenting families for an equitable future.