Design Sprints Summit: Building Creative Capacity

Join us to celebrate the participants from the Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity Program, who have worked over the past eight weeks to understand and address storefront vacancy in creative ways. Representing a diversity of disciplines, design advisors have graciously contributed their time, expertise, and resources to increase the creative capacity for local groups to implement vacant storefront activations and community programming.

A partnership between NYC Department of Small Business Services and Van Alen Institute, the Design Sprints: Building Creative Capacity projects shine a light on how interdisciplinary teams can reinforce arts and culture's transformative role in maintaining thriving commercial corridors. At the Summit, each team will present the impactful outcomes of these design partnerships, share lessons-learned for activating vacant storefronts, and showcase their unique community histories. The presentation will be followed by a reception and light bites.

Participants
Cooper Square Committee 
Abigail Ellman, Director of Planning and Development, Cooper Square Committee
Delphine Le Goff, Artist
Scott Kelly, Graphic Designer

Grand Street Business Imporvement District
Francesca Fernandez Bruce, Executive Director, Grand Street BID
Yazan Mansi, Community Engagement Manager, Grand Street BID
L&L Studio
Yalda Keramati, Founder, ReFrame Architecture
Sylvia Riveros, Community-engaged artist

Program Advisors
Cat Garcia-Menocal, Creative Director, Pink Sparrow
Stacey Geller, Founder & Creative Director, American Design Language
Farzana Gandhi, Founder, Farzana Gandhi Design Studio
Hilary Sample, Co-Founder, MOS