Design Core Detroit will host Detroit Month of Design in September in celebration of Detroit’s designation as the first and only UNESCO City of Design in the Unites States. More than 145 participants will present more than 55 events and special projects throughout the city.
“Detroit is a city experiencing many changes,” says Olga Stella, executive director of Design Core Detroit. “By designing places, systems, and products that allow all of Detroit’s citizens to participate in its revitalization, designers can be a force driving inclusive outcomes in the city.”
Events will include talks, tours, exhibitions, workshops, open studios, and more.
From Sept. 18-20, Design Core Detroit will host the UNESCO Cities of Design Annual Convening. Representatives from all 31 UNESCO Cities of Design are invited to gather in Detroit, and there are expected to be about 40 people in attendance.
The Detroit City of Design Competition invited designers from all of the UNESCO Cities of Design to prototype design solutions for Detroit neighborhoods that address safety and walkability. The competition is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
In celebration of the inaugural Detroit City of Design Competition winners, Design Core will host City Cypher from 1-7 p.m. Sept. 29 at Beacon Park. The public event will feature a live talent and entertainment cypher between three neighborhoods where the winning prototypes will be located: Hope Village, Southwest Detroit, and Grandmont Rosedale. Guests will enjoy spoken word, music, dance, and more while previewing the prototypes before they are moved to their respective neighborhoods.
The winners are Cyclerate by Detroit’s SmithGroup, Garden Novella by Detroit’s Other Work, and 3Rooms by Montreal’s Collectif Escargo.
The Commerce Design Awards honor small local businesses in Detroit for design and aim to raise awareness of and access to professional design services for small businesses while celebrating the community impact of commercial design projects. The program is open to businesses that have opened or renovated in Detroit, Highland Park, or Hamtramck within the past five years. During September, the public is encouraged to support and visit the 2018 and 2019 winners.
The 2019 winners are 1701 Bespoke, Central Kitchen and Bar, Detroit Denim Co., Détroit Is The New Black, FLOYD, Kiesling, Meta Physica Wellness Center, Maru Sushi and Grill, Ochre Bakery, and Wasserman Projects.
In the spring, Design Core hosted an open call asking designers to submit concepts for a putt putt installation. Winning teams include Can-D-Land by Kreative, Comput(t)ation by Neumann/Smith Architecture, Constellations by Archipleasure, Putt Putt Racing by Allie Murphy, Bill Kramer, Brendon Junge, Jillian Santos, Gary Ushiro, Lana Abdulla, Micah Santos, Ritzi Salaum, Tony Sebastian, and Tom Fewess; and Connect the Blocks by Ryan Phyper and Ernestine Aying.
The winning installations will be displayed 7-11 p.m. Sept. 19 at Eastern Market After Dark in Shed 2 and from 12-10 p.m. Sept. 28 at Light Up Livernois.
A full schedule of events for the month is available here.
