Honors

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• 2016 Re-envisioning Exhibition Design Summit, (conference co-organizer), November 17–20, 2016, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

  Natacha Poggio was invited to collaborate with the planning of the 2nd international summit of Re-XD, Re-envisioning Exhibition Design: “Chaos at the Museum: infiltrating the urban fabric.” Delegates from around the world convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina to debate and reflect on the rapid changes in exhibition design, focusing specifically on the global trend to turn the museum ‘inside out’, extending museums beyond their walls into the public realm. Designers, architects, students, installation artists, and museum professionals will collectively tackle the question of what it means to stage interventions/exhibits in various environments, and how that enhances a “sense of place” in relation to public and community engagement.

  The inaugural summit (Chaos at the Museum: Designing for Audience Participation) took place in London, U.K. in 2014.

• 2015 VI WINTERHOUSE SYMPOSIUM ON DESIGN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE, August 9–11, 2015, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah GA.

  Celebrating the fifth symposium and William Drenttel’s legacy, 16 nationally recognized educators gathered at SCAD for three days of sharing, discussing and theorizing about the teaching and practice of social innovation design in undergraduate and graduate design education. Poggio continues to be responsible for the maintenance of the Social Design Pathways website. New publishing opportunities were part of the agenda, as well as the presentation of current trends and opportunities for developments in the field of social design education.

• 2014 V WINTERHOUSE SYMPOSIUM ON DESIGN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE, August 17–20, 2014, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD.

  After William Drenttel’s passing in Dec. 2013, it was decided to host the symposium in alternate locations each year, so this time it was hosted at Maryland Institute College of Art, at the Center for Social Design facilities. The gathering continues to be invitation-only of nationally recognized educators, who convened at MICA to discuss the teaching and practice of social innovation design in undergraduate and graduate design education. Poggio’s role this year was to lead the development and implementation of the Social Design Pathways website, in collaboration with Prof. Charlie Cannon (RISD). The site was programmed by Mary-Ann Zykin (Poggio’s former student at University of Hartford).

• 2014 Project Social Impact Summer Institute: Mentor-in-Residence at Kingston, MA, August 2-16, 2014.

  Natacha Poggio was invited again to be a Mentor-in-Residence at Project Social Impact Summer Institute. She inspired 14 global fellows through activities and a two-day workshop on “Design Thinking and Creativity for Social Change.” Participants incorporated design thinking strategies to outline a path for implementation of social impact projects. More info at Project Social Impact.

• 2013 AIGA (RE)DESIGN AWARDS: International Competition Jurying

  Natacha Poggio was invited to judge the 2013 AIGA (Re)design Awards, a premier international competition recognizing the importance and excellence of sustainable and socially responsible work created by design professionals, students, educators, and organizations from around the world. The other four judges are John Bielenberg (Future, Project M, FearLess Revolution, 2013 AIGA Medalist); Nathan Shedroff (California College of Arts, Former Chair of MBA in Design Strategy), Banny Banerjee (Associate Professor at Stanford University d.school, ChangeLabs Director); and Holly Robbins (Faculty, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Partner and Creative at Folli Collective). Learn more about this socially responsible competition and the judges at the AIGA (Re)design Awards website.

• 2013 IV WINTERHOUSE SYMPOSIUM ON DESIGN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE, August 18–20, 2013, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

  This was the final year of William Drenttel’s participation as conveyor of the symposium. Sadly, Bill’s passing in December 2013 surprised us all. This invitation-only gathering of nationally recognized educators focused on the teaching and practice of social innovation design in undergraduate and graduate design education. Thirteen leading design educators from institutions throughout the United States (including the School of Visual Arts, Parsons, Maryland Institute College of Art, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and Academy of Art University) discussed opportunities for new centers of design research and practice housed within academic institutions as well as the relationship between educators and outside partners and clients in facilitating social design projects. This year, representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Watson Foundation expanded the conversations to scale-up initiatives at the federal level, given the national interest in Design and Social Impact across sectors of government, education and business. Faculty from Yale University’s School of Management facilitated planning the next steps in the symposium’s agenda to effect solutions to social problems within the teaching and practice of design.

  Information about the IV Winterhouse Education Symposium proceedings and participants is published on Change Observer.

• 2013 Project Social Impact Summer Institute: Mentor-in-Residence at Kingston, MA, August 10–14, 2013.

  Natacha Poggio was invited to be a Mentor-in-Residence in a two-week social impact program for young entrepreneurs held in Kingston, MA. Poggio provided a two-day workshop on “Design Thinking and Creativity for Social Change,” which helped the 15 global fellows identify their life/work values, develop their creative mindsets, and brainstorm ideas. Participants interacted with activities incorporating design thinking strategies to craft an outline and path for implementation of social impact projects. More info at Project Social Impact.

• TEDx Bushnell Park (invited speaker), First TEDx event in Hartford, CT, June 22, 2013.

  Talk titled “Helping Communities Thrive.”

• 2012 III WINTERHOUSE SYMPOSIUM ON DESIGN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL INNOVATION, August 19–21, 2012, Yale University, New Haven, CT.

  This invitation-only gathering took place during a three-day retreat at Yale University where 17 leading educators from various disciplines (design, engineering, architecture and management) and from across the country, convened to share ideas about the future of design education for social impact. Most of the participants had attended a previous Winterhouse symposium, some of the institutions represented were the DesignMatters at Art Center College of Design, California College of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, Parsons School for Design, Rhode Island School for Design, University of Hartford, University of Illinois at Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design, School of Visual Arts, Stanford University, and Yale University.

  While many topics of interest from previous symposia were revisited and explored further, the abiding theme of this year’s symposium was “action.”  The participants placed a significant emphasis on translating their progress from previous years into concrete initiatives that will move the field of social innovation forward. Themes that were explored in the first and second symposia included:

  • Defining social design 
  • Charting new academic social-design programs and initiatives
  • Forming partnerships between educational institutions, foundations and NGOs
  • Establishing metrics for the efficacy of social design programs
  • Navigating educational requirements and goals while contributing to social welfare
  • Exploiting media platforms for disseminating information about social design
  • Outlining opportunities for meeting and collaboration
  • New ideas and proposals for collective action

  Information about the III Winterhouse Education Symposium proceedings and participants is published on Change Observer.

• 2011 II WINTERHOUSE SYMPOSIUM ON DESIGN EDUCATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE, August 14–16, 2011, Hotchkiss School, Lakeville, CT

  Founded by William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand (with funding by the Rockefeller Foundation) Winterhouse Institute develops collective action and collaboration for social impact across universities and the design industry – encompassing a range of other institutions that work on the needs of poor or vulnerable people. To continue the dialogue previously held in Aspen, Colorado and Bellagio, Italy, Winterhouse hosted an invitation-only gathering of design educators from prestigious institutions throughout the United States that explored the intersection of design and social change, and how this new paradigm could effect solutions to social problems within the teaching and practice of design in undergraduate and graduate education. The 2011 symposium’s 28 participants included seven members from the charter event; the chairs of two new graduate programs in social design; the co-founder of an international NGO; a leader of K-12 design education; an emeritus dean of architecture who is building a consortium of international design schools focused on social urbanism; two administrators of grant programs for design and social change projects; key educators at institutions or programs that had not been represented at the first symposium; a design journalist specializing in business innovation; and the headmaster, dean of faculty and summer portals director at the Hotchkiss School.

  Some of the academic institutions represented were the DesignMatters at Art Center College of Design, California College of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Northwestern University, Parsons School for Design, Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School for Design, University of Hartford, University of Illinois at Chicago, Savannah College of Art and Design, and School of Visual Arts) gathered to discuss the intersection of design and social change, and how this new paradigm could effect solutions to social problems within the teaching and practice of design.

  The themes that carried over from the 2010 event and served as a springboard for conversation were:

  • Charting new academic social-design programs and initiatives
  • Forming partnerships between educational institutions, foundations and NGOs
  • Establishing metrics for the efficacy of social design programs
  • Navigating educational requirements and goals while contributing to social welfare
  • Exploiting media platforms for disseminating information about social design
  • Defining social design
  • Outlining opportunities for meeting and collaboration
  • New ideas and proposals for collective action

  Information about the II Winterhouse Education Symposium proceedings and participants is published on Change Observer.