Symposium Has Designs on Politics

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 24, 2010) − As design becomes increasingly important to government policy, the University of Kentucky College of Design announces it will host "Design + Politics," a day-long symposium on the role design plays in national, regional and local governments. The symposium, featuring international, national and local leaders discussing how imaginative confrontation between policymakers and designers could help address the diverse and complex problems of our world, will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 27, at the Lexington Public Library - Central Library, in downtown Lexington. This event is free and open to the public.

Through discussion and dialogue, "Design + Politics" hopes to inspire the revival of design as a tool for political and strategic decision-making.

"For the last 10 years the focus has been on the aesthetics of design. With the current economy, the focus is increasingly on how design adds economic and social value for municipalities and for business. Design and 'design thinking' are becoming important for all leaders whether in federal, state or local government or business," says Dean Michael Speaks of UK College of Design. "Rather than less design we need more design; but design must today add up, it must add value. Design must now have a plus (+). That, in fact, will be the focus of our 'Design + Politics' symposium: how design adds value (+) to governance."

"Design + Politics" will feature two speakers in the morning, Henk Ovink, director of National Spatial Planning for the Netherlands, and Casey Jones, director of the Design Excellence Program for the United States General Services Administration (GSA). The afternoon session will feature Aaron Betsky, director of the Cincinnati Art Museum and curator of the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale. The symposium will conclude with a panel discussion moderated by Speaks, and will feature members from state and local government.

As director for National Spatial Planning and of Research, Design and Strategy at the Dutch Ministry of Environment, Ovink is responsible for all aspects of the spatial planning process including strategy, design, and research and development. He directly consults on the long term strategy and policy for Randstad 2040, the new Architecture Policy, the new Planning Act, and the Research and Development Agenda. In addition, he advises two chairs at the University of Utrecht on planning issues, as well as on design and politics at the Technical University Delft.

Prior to becoming director of the GSA’s Design Excellence Program, Jones established the Michigan-based design-competition advisory firm jones|kroloff in 2005 with Reed Kroloff, director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. At GSA, Jones will oversee architect selection and design process for one of the nation’s largest development organizations. Prior to joining the federal government, Casey also helped establish and manage the Van Alen Institute, a leading architectural and urban design research center.

Before becoming director of the Cincinnati Art Museum, Betsky served five years as director of the Netherlands Architecture Institute. Betsky is a prolific writer and editor with a dozen books and magazines to his credit, from The New York Times to Metropolitan Home. Under his direction as curator of the 11th Venice Architecture Biennale, "Out There: Architecture Beyond Building," the exhibition attracted more than 129,000 visitors.

Other speakers participating in "Design + Politics" are: David Adkisson, of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; and Holly Wiedemann, of AU Associates Inc. Adkisson is the president and CEO of Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and a former mayor of Owensboro. Wiedemann is president and owner of AU Associates, which has been instrumental in preserving more than 20,000 units of housing across the United States valued at more than $23 million, and has been directly responsible for the creation of more than 157 units of mixed income housing and 55,000 square feet of commercial uses in urban infill and adaptive re-use settings with projects totaling $21.8 million.

For more information on "Design + Politics," contact the UK College of Design at (859) 257-7617.