Restorative Design Conference
Event Information
About this Event
Welcome to our first Restorative Design Conference, a virtual gathering for people who believe that the design process can be just, empowering and healing. This event is hosted by Greater Good Studio, a design firm focused exclusively on serving the social sector. You will be sent a link to the Zoom webinar over email.
We’re happy to announce that we’ve increased tickets for this event and registration is now open again.
We will record this event and share a link with registrants once it’s available. Kindly register for the event if you would like access to the recording.
Please note that due to high interest in this event, participation in breakout rooms during Happy Hour is not guaranteed. While we hope to accommodate everyone, we may be limited by the number of registrants. If needed, please adjust your donation accordingly, or contact us if you feel you are owed a refund due to inability to participate in breakout sessions.
Agenda
We’ve assembled seven brilliant speakers to help us explore design’s relationship to complex topics such as trauma, white supremacy and the built environment.
All times listed in CST. There will be brief break in between each session.
- 1 pm: Trauma-Informed Design panel with Rachael Dietkus and Sarah Fathallah, moderated by Sara Cantor Aye
- 2 pm: Social Justice and the Built Environment panel with Paola Aguirre and Bryan C Lee Jr., moderated by Kareeshma Ali and Betsy Ramaccia
- 3 pm: Decentering Whiteness in Design panel with Lesley-Ann Noel, Sadie Red Wing and Jennifer Rittner, moderated by George Aye
- 4 pm: Happy hour breakout rooms
$10 suggested donation
All donations will benefit the Chicago Community Bond Fund (CCBF), which supports individuals in Cook County, IL whose communities cannot afford to pay the bonds and who have been impacted by structural violence. By paying bond, CCBF restores the presumption of innocence before trial and enables recipients to remain free while fighting their cases.
Please consider increasing your donation, if possible, to continue building the campaign needed to make sure no one is in jail simply because they cannot afford to pay a money bond.
Speakers
Paola is an architectural and urban designer, and her professional experience includes working with government, universities and private firms both in Mexico and the United States, including University of Chicago's Place Lab, City Design Practice at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago, New York University's Office of Strategic Assessment, Planning & Design, and the Municipal Institute of Planning of Chihuahua. Paola's transnational background and strong collaborative approach focus her research and design practice on multidisciplinary exchange and urban systems integration.
Paola’s research continues in the context of cities in border conditions through the Borderless Workshop by focusing on urban mobility, public spaces, infrastructure and ecological systems at the regional and city scale.
Rachael Dietkus is a macro-focused clinical social worker focusing on trauma-conscious practices in design. She has been a social worker in the federal government and higher education, with an emphasis on healthcare and housing advocacy with Veterans and social service agencies, macro and clinical preparation with social work students, and human-centered design teaching with a range of engaged learners. She has served as an AmeriCorps member, NGO delegate to the Human Rights Council, and as an appointed statewide Commissioner with Serve Illinois. Rachael also started Social Workers Who Design, a practice focused on integrating ethical understanding and trauma-conscious approaches in design. She is a two-time alumna of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied Sociology and Social Work. Rachael is currently working on her MFA with a focus on trauma-informed design research.
Sarah Fathallah is an independent designer and researcher, who specializes in applying design to the social sector. She has worked on projects of all sizes with non-profits, governments, and social enterprises, on topics ranging from civil and human rights, to healthcare, education, and financial inclusion. Her clients have included the World Bank, the International Rescue Committee, and Open Society Foundations, to name a few. Sarah also co-founded Design Gigs for Good, a free community-driven resource to help more people use the tools of design to create positive social change. Sarah is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris, where she studied International Business and Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Affairs. She also studied design innovation at the Paris Est d.school, User Experience design at General Assembly, and participatory design at MIT.
Bryan is a Designer and Design Justice Advocate. He is the founder/Director of Colloqate Design, a nonprofit multidisciplinary design practice dedicated to expanding community access to design and creating spaces of racial, social and cultural equity. Lee most recently served as the Place + Civic Design Director for the Arts Council of New Orleans and prior to that at the 2014 AIA National Firm of the Year, Eskew+Dumez+Ripple (Architecture) in New Orleans.
As the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact and Professor of Practice, Lesley-Ann Noel teaches design-thinking courses for the Tulane School of Architecture's Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Minor program and build capacity for design thinking education through facilitations, consultations, and trainings at the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking.
Sadie Red Wing is a Lakota graphic designer and advocate from the Spirit Lake Nation of Fort Totten, North Dakota.
Red Wing earned her BFA in New Media Arts and Interactive Design at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She received her Masters of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University. Her research on cultural revitalization through design tools and strategies created a new demand for tribal competence in graphic design research.
Jennifer has worked in art and design management for nearly two decades.
As a communications consultant, Jennifer helps creative businesses define their voice and learn how to communicate effectively with current and prospective clients. Her goal for her clients is to build a sustainable business by developing meaningful relationships with their constituent communities, nurturing those connections over time and consistently reinforcing their credibility through active engagement.
