CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The U. of I. School of Art and Design is hosting Designmatters2, the second year of an annual series of campuswide lectures exploring the confluence of design, technology, business and society, beginning today (Oct. 7).
The opening lecture is titled "A Crisis of Agency: Do Design Experiments and Interventionist Art Matter in a Climate and Food Crisis?" The speaker is Natalie Jeremijenko, a professor of visual art at New York University, and will begin at 5:30 p.m., in Room 228, Natural History Building, 1301 W. Green St., Urbana.
Featuring speakers from academia, media, engineering, technology, business, and design, Designmatters was created to inspire the imaginations of the designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs of the future, according to David Weightman, a professor of industrial design in the School of Art and Design.
The series is sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the College of Engineering, the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the School of Architecture, the department of computer science, the Illinois Informatics Initiative, the Technology Entrepreneur Center, the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and the American Institute of Architects.
The lectures will last about an hour, including a brief question-and-answer session at the end. All events are free and open to the public, but early arrival is suggested because seating is limited.
A full schedule of upcoming events and videos of previous speakers is available at the Designmatters Web site.
The upcoming schedule:
Oct. 13: "The Promise of Innovation," Bryce Rutter, founder and CEO of Metaphase Design Group Inc., 5:30 p.m., Room 62, Krannert Art Museum, 500 E. Peabody Drive, Urbana.
Oct. 28: "Sociable Design," Donald Norman, Breed Professor of Design, Northwestern University, 5:30 p.m., Illini Rooms B and C, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green St., Urbana.
Nov. 3: "Design for Life: When Sustainability is a Matter of Survival," Cameron Sinclair, co-founder, Architecture for Humanity, 6 p.m. (welcome reception at 5:30 p.m.), ballroom, Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 601 S. Lincoln Ave., Urbana.
Nov. 4: "The Creativity Imperative: The Technology Professional of the Future," David Goldberg, professor of engineering, Illinois, 5 p.m., 2405 Siebel Center for Computer Science, 201 N. Goodwin Ave., Urbana.