First Ever Seattle Design Festival Debuts September 16

Ten days of public programs by 10 organizations celebrate and reveal design of many kinds

SDF 2011

The upcoming Seattle Design Festival is the first-ever celebration in Seattle of the transformative power of design. The 10-day series of over 30 events will go beneath the surface of what we believe design to be and illustrate the ways design—though often overlooked—can be seen in everyday life. The Festival takes place September 16-25 at various locations in and around Seattle.

"By putting design at the forefront of conversation, policy and thought, the Seattle Design Festival hopes to raise the bar for what is possible—through great design—for our city," said Lisa Richmond, executive director of AIA Seattle, a Festival partner and sponsor.

Eight regional design associations and two cultural nonprofit organizations have come together to collaborate in offering programs at the Festival, including

Festival programs and activities include tours, films, events, exhibits, speakers, and family activities. Here's a sampling of what you can explore at the Festival:

  • Three days of some of the best recent films about architecture and design at SIFF Cinema and Film Center.
  • 25 designed columns (by 25 design firms) placed at cultural sites around Seattle, each linked to a video to give voice to the site. (AIGA Seattle)
  • A workshop for kids and parents to build a model of the city. (Seattle Architecture Foundation)
  • Panels and speakers across a spectrum of views (architecture that transcends conventional practice; a youth group that embraced sustainability and design; a design manifesto for the 21st century, the popular FutureShack program about residential design).
  • A "pop-up design center" in Pioneer Square with activities to participate in.
  • A free, chartered bus to the grand opening of Brightwater, the King County waste treatment plant, environmental learning center, and 72-acre park.

No festival pass is required. Buy tickets to each paid event separately; some events are free. Events are located at multiple venues, most in downtown Seattle and Seattle Center.

Those interested in learning more about the Festival can sign up for weekly email alerts, "Like" the Festival on Facebook at facebook.com/SeaDesignFest or Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/seadesignfest.

The Festival will demonstrate that design is central to the way we live, work and innovate. The varied programs of the Festival will offer the public an opportunity to better understand design and how it adds value to our lives, our city and our region.

"Design is everywhere – from the most banal, which becomes part of the background of our lives to the most vivid and assertively demanding," said landscape architect Barbara Swift, Founding Member of Swift Company LLC, one of four Honorary Co-Chairs of the Festival. "Everything is designed – good or bad; it changes our world and we must be aware and active participants."

Honorary Co-Chairs for the Festival are:

  • Jack Anderson, CEO of Hornall Anderson, which specializes in the design and execution of customer experiences
  • John Barratt, President and CEO of Seattle-based design consultancy Teague
  • Robert Hull, FAIA, Founding Partner of architecture firm The Miller Hull Partnership
  • Barbara Swift, Founding Member of landscape architecture and urban design firm Swift Company LLC

For information, event calendar, Festival partner information, and more, visit www.seattledesignfestival.org.

The Seattle Design Festival thanks the following Festival sponsors:

  • Premiere: AIA Seattle
  • Supporter: BNBuilders, LMN Architects
  • Friend: GGLO, Bassetti Architects
  • Firm: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects, Mithun
  • In-kind sponsors: ARC, DKA Architecture, Frog, McKinstry, Olson Kundig Architects, Skellenger Bender and Turnstyle