nashville design week

EOA was honored to join Nashville Design Week (NDW) for our third year as a sponsor. We are also excited to facilitate one of the NDW final programs, Reshaping the Face of Design, which will be Friday, October 30th, 11:30am-1pm. The panel, led by moderator Ed Henley, is comprised of Carl Settles and Alisha Moore of Austin TX, with Marleen Davis of the University of Tennessee, School of Architecture, and ESa Architect Jill Romano.

Program summary: Design has a diversity problem. The 2019 Design Census by AIGA reported that 71% of designers are White and only 3% are Black. Reshaping the face of design, starts with design education. In this discussion, Nashville Design Week and Austin Design Week join together for the first time to explore efforts to increase diversity and access in design education across two cities and multiple design disciplines.

In this session, we will speak with educators, community organizers, and nonprofits to explore why design has lacked diversity for so long and what efforts are being done to change the makeup of the industry. Delve into the importance of creative outlets and training for our under-served youth, how college recruitment is changing for Black and Brown students, and where additional opportunities lie to broaden access and inclusion in the design industry.

In addition, EOA will facilitate Part II of the panel on Friday, November 13th with Austin Design Week,
1:30-2:30pm.

Very proud of our very own Maria Meyer for serving as Co-Director of Programming for NDW this year!!