The Design Activist Institute is a Philadelphia-based, intersectional, autonomous, grassroots collective of designers working for radical, utopian resistance and building a better world.
A commitment to horizontal organization with affected communities is at the core of our approach. The Institute works with other community organizers, using strategic design thinking, investigative research, and community engagement to implement design interventions that lead to lasting, palpable change.
The Institute is currently building a series of video shorts, digital “Good Citizens” guides, a collaborative system for expanding sanctuary, guerrilla publications, various events and workshops, and collaborative social resources and community-building. The group organizes for environmental justice, refugee and immigrant rights, the rights of queer and trans people, restorative justice, feminism, racial justice, equality, fair and equal housing rights, universal health and wellbeing, worker’s rights, and against any form of hate.
Inspired by the revolutionary collective models of the Medu Art Ensemble, Taller de Gráfica Popular, Atelier Populaire, Luther Blissett, Guerrilla Girls, the White Rose, and Gran Fury, the Institute will build for cooperative design solutions both self-initiated and alongside other activists.
The Design Activist Institute brings multi-disciplinary designers together with writers, researchers, engineers, activists, students, and other experts. If you’re interested in getting involved, are a community organizer who wants to collaborate, want to attend a workshop, or are looking for more information about our projects, Contact the collective via email or check us out on Instagram.
For the second year in a row, the Design Activist Institute is conducting a series of biweekly summer workshops and events at the University of the Arts in Center City, Philadelphia. The series is open to the community and includes panel discussions with community activists, tutorials on open source design tools and information design techniques, explorations of cryptography and cybersecurity, and more. The summer sessions began in June 1 and will be held every other Thursday evening through the end of August. Three additional Saturday field trips to local destinations such as Metropolis Farms and the Navy Yard will be offered.
Participants also have the opportunity to get involved with the Institute's ongoing work by designing guides, posters, guerrilla zines, short videos or web series, and opinion-editorial infographics. Involvement is largely self-directed and nothing is off-limits.
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