Contact: Laetitia Wolff
Program Director
(212) 710-3156
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AIGA/NY Announces Final Selection of Design/Relief TeamsDesign/Relief teams begin collaborations in Red Hook, the Rockaways and South Street Seaport on the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy as part of AIGA/NY’s efforts to inspire communities through graphic design

For immediate release: New York, October 28, 2013: AIGA/NY announces final selection of Design/Relief teams. Design/Relief is a participatory design initiative that aims to support three New York City neighborhoods – Red Hook, the Rockaways and South Street Seaport – imagine a more vibrant future for themselves as they overcome the lingering effects of Superstorm Sandy. This special project of the New York chapter of AIGA explores design’s potential in defining and expanding creative placemaking to positively transform communities. Design/Relief is supported by an innovation grant from ArtPlace America.

This designer-led initiative will establish collaborations with various partners-stakeholders, who can reflect the diversity of interests in a given community, but not necessarily with one single client in mind. Each Design/Relief team will work collaboratively with their respective sites (Red Hook, Rockaways and South Street Seaport) to develop an implementable design concept that addresses livability, legibility, navigability and vibrancy.

Each team includes one to two graphic designers tasked to identify an opportunity and a way to materialize a meaningful, neighborhood-specific design project, supported by one or two community engagement strategists who will focus on outreach and participation, along with one or two storytellers who will visually document the design process and create visibility for the project through regular blog reports. Each team will work with the community to leverage existing assets and efforts while they contribute to creative placemaking definitions and build a case study to inspire other AIGA chapters across the country to take on similar design-led initiatives.

COMPLETE LIST OF DESIGN/RELIEF TEAM MEMBERS
AIGA/NY Executive Board: Willy Wong, Glen Cummings and Manuel Miranda
AIGA/NY Design/Relief Program Director: Laetitia Wolff

RED HOOK TEAM
Designers Anke Stohlman, Lil’Robin, principal with Alicia Cheng and Sarah Gephart, mgmt., principals
Community Outreach Strategists
 Amplifier Project (Jerome Chou, James Andrews and Stephen Zacks)
Storyteller
 David Al-Ibrahim, communication designer and writer

ROCKAWAY TEAM
Designers Natasha Chandani and Danielle Aubert, Placement Publication, founders
Community Outreach Strategist Daniel Latorre, The Wise City, founder
Storytellers Carolyn Louth, art director with Rich Tu, illustrator

SOUTH STREET SEAPORT TEAM
Designer Yeju Choi, NowHere Office, Creative Director
Community Outreach Strategists
 Francesca Birks and Josh Treuhaft/ARUP
Storytellers Cristian Fleming and Stephanie Lukito, Public Society, infographics designers

“This curated group really fits the profile of participants we were aiming to recruit, i.e. skilled mediators, resourceful thinkers and makers, eager to collaborate and bring their design-focused vision to help reinvigorate a sense of identity in these waterfront neighborhoods still hit hard as we approach the one-year anniversary of Sandy,” says Laetitia Wolff, program director of the initiative. The stellar cast of emerging designers features varied and complementary backgrounds in editorial design, interactive design, digital strategy, art direction, photography and illustration, as well as activists familiar with community engagement.

The Design/Relief teams were introduced at a recent kick-off event, which included a presentation of the program’s framework, goals, team structure and collaborative approach. A selection of community representatives from the three neighborhoods also shared their experience and perspectives, providing inspiring, informative and touching testimonies. Stakeholders ranged from NYC Small Business Services grant managers focused on cohesion in the South Street Seaport merchants community, photographers documenting the effects of Sandy on low-income residents and independent business owners of the Rockaways to social services and community activists in Red Hook. The presence of these community leaders marked the first step towards establishing a partnership with neighborhood associations and nonprofits, small businesses, Business Improvements Districts (BID), and individuals who have a vested interest in rebuilding efforts in these neighborhoods.

“Design/Relief hopes to foster a sense of camaraderie among its participating members, and encourage discussion around graphic design’s creative process and capacity for social and cultural impact, while modeling methods of engagement and eventually setting standards of best practices in the field of community-centered design,” says Willy Wong, President of AIGA/NY.

As part of the Design/Relief ecosystem, AIGA/NY will develop a series of public programs to create interactive moments for both the selected team members and the design community at large, while expanding the conversation around creative placemaking in each of the neighborhoods. AIGA/NY was proud to invite inspiring leaders in community development such as UK-based expert Donald Hyslop, Head of Regeneration and Community Partnerships at Tate Modern, London. “I really enjoyed my visit to Red Hook. As the area rebuilds I hope there will be many opportunities for creative projects, both temporary and permanent, to be developed in partnership with and for local people. Design/Relief has a vital role to play in this work and I look forward to keeping in touch with the project,” says Hyslop.

For complete biographies of the team members, visit here

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About AIGA/NY
AIGA/NY is the largest chapter of AIGA, the nonprofit professional association for design. Founded in 1914 and headquartered in New York City, AIGA has brought design to the world, and the world to designers. The New York Chapter aligns with AIGA’s overall mission to advance design as a respected craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force. From content that defines the global practice to events that connect and catalyze, AIGA/NY works to enhance the value and deepen the impact of design on business, society and our collective future. Learn more: 2006.aigany.org and follow us on Twitter at @aigany.

About ArtPlace America
ArtPlace America provides grants and loans, supports research, and conducts outreach and advocacy. To date, ArtPlace America has awarded 134 grants totaling $42.1 million to 124 organizations in 79 U.S. communities (and a statewide project in the state of Connecticut). Foundations participating in ArtPlace America include Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Ford Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The William Penn Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Rasmuson Foundation, The Surdna Foundation, and two anonymous donors. ArtPlace America also seeks advice and counsel from close working relationships with various federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Education, and Transportation, along with leadership from the White House Office of Management and Budget and the Domestic Policy Council. ArtPlace America is also supported by a $12 million loan fund capitalized by six major financial institutions and managed by the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Participating institutions are Bank of America, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Chase, MetLife, and Morgan Stanley.

DESIGN/RELIEF INITIATIVE IS FUNDED BY: