2024 SEGD Exhibition + Experience Design

Event Details

Transformational Impact of Exhibition and Experience Design

This biannual 2024 SEGD event in Washington DC, themed "Transformational Impact of Exhibition and Experience Design," is set to explore the pivotal role of design in addressing today's complex global challenges. Focusing on issues like climate crisis, societal polarization, and technological ethics, it positions exhibition designers as change agents. The event offers a mix of keynote speeches, case studies, interactive workshops, and networking, aiming to foster conversations on controversial topics, engage diverse audiences, and showcase design's transformative power. Attendees can expect immersive experiences, behind-the-scenes insights, and opportunities for professional growth and collaboration.

The two-day event will begin on Thursday, June 20, with an inspiring day at the innovative venue, Planet Word, featuring a series of keynote speeches and case studies delivered by eminent leaders from the design community. These sessions have been carefully crafted to demonstrate the significant role of exhibition and experience designers as agents of societal change.

On Friday, June 21, participants will have the unique opportunity to dive deeper into these themes through a series of interactive workshops designed to stimulate rapid ideation, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.

Key takeaways:

Advance critical thinking, rapid ideation, and creativity through interactive workshops.
Learn to take action and be inspired by case studies and examples that tackle today's complex global challenges.
Understand the pivotal role design plays to turn a project vision into a built reality.
Contribute to a future book and associated projects that will document the transformational power of exhibition and experience design.

Please Note: SEGD does not have an official room block rate for this event, but we recommend Eaton DC or Moxy, both conveniently located near Planet Word. It is DC so you may already have your favorite place to stay or there are several other hotel options in the area as well!

Agenda

June 20, 2024
June 21, 2024

June 20, 2024

Main Schedule

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Registration + Networking

9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Introduction and Welcome

• Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD
• Nikki DeJesus Sertsu, Executive Director of Planet Word

Cybelle Jones

Nikki DeJesus Sertsu

9:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Transformative Power of Exhibition Design

• Tricia Austin, PhD Supervisor at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
• Timothy McNeil, Professor of Design at the University of California Davis

Tricia Austin

Timothy McNeil

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Applying Social Change Strategies to Experience Design

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University

What are essential design strategies for making social change and how could these apply to the world of experience design. In this talk, Designer and design educator Lesley-Ann Noel, shares three big ideas from her book design social change 1) building a critical awareness of the world 2) Emotional intelligence and 3) Envisioning futures where people thrive and will encourage the audience to reflect on how these could enrich experience design.

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Q&A

Timothy McNeil, Professor of Design at the University of California Davis

Timothy McNeil

10:15 AM - 10:45 AM

Networking Break

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Building Stories

Sponsored by DE Powder Coated Graphics

• Cathy Frankel, Deputy Director of Interpretive Content at the National Building Museum
• Daniel Meyers, Founding Principal at Plus & Greater Than
• Traci Sym, Founding Principal at Plus & Greater Than

Cathy Frankel

Daniel Meyers

Traci Sym

11:15 AM - 11:45 AM

Museography as a Catalyst for Social Change

Ricardo Rubiales, Museum Designer and Researcher

Ricardo Rubiales

11:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Q&A + Morning Wrap-Up

• Tricia Austin, PhD Supervisor at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
• Elizabeth Griswold, Director of Education and Experience at SEGD

Tricia Austin

Liz Griswold

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

Lunch On Your Own

1:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Design Activism

• Andy Chen, Partner at Isometric Studio
• Waqas Jawaid, Partner at Isometric Studio

Isometric Studio partners will take audience members behind the scenes to share the process of designing exhibitions and signage for prominent clients such as National Black Theatre, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, and The American LGBTQ+ Museum. They will demonstrate how at key moments in the design process, the designer can influence the output to enhance the political and cultural significance of the client's mission.

Andy Chen

Waqas Jawaid

2:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Communicating Contested Histories Through Graphics

• Michael Denison, Head of Design at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
• Jona Piehl, Professor at Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin

Jona Piehl:
Exhibition graphics, as the visual form of texts and images that accompany objects in the gallery space, fulfill a crucial functional role in a display: is the text legible, does it allow access to the information? Yet, graphics can also be thought of methodologically and become a tool for a reflexive exhibition practice. Drawing on a number of examples from museums in Germany and the US, Jona will chart possible roles of graphic elements, in particular in the telling of difficult, contested narratives, from small typographic interventions to large-scale visual strategies.

Michael Denison

Jona Piehl

2:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Social Polarization and Climate Change

Femke Bijlsma, Partner and Content Director at Kossmanndejong

Climate change is real, yet instead of uniting us to avert this global threat, it often divides us over how to respond. Our exhibitions strive to create space for nuance and dialogue, encouraging encounters with diverse perspectives and worldviews. In our narrative spaces, all the senses are engaged to foster different ways of understanding the world, others, and oneself. Through a few case studies, I will demonstrate how design can open people's hearts and minds, enhancing mutual understanding.

Femke Bijlsma

3:00 PM - 3:15 PM

Q&A

Brenda Cowan, Professor of Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design at the SUNY Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Brenda Cowan

3:15 PM - 3:45 PM

Networking Break

3:45 PM - 4:05 PM

ReCall & Response: The Voice of African and African Diaspora Solidarity

Coleman A. Jordan, Assistant Professor at Morgan State University

The ReCall & Response talk is focused on the design of the 2025 Architecture Venice Biennial pavilion. The pavilion celebrates Pan-African solidarity, resilience, and social justice. It embodies the cherished "call & response" traditions reminiscent of African and African Diaspora communities. The inspiration behind the pavilion is derived from the West African talking drum and cultures of the African Diaspora.

Coleman Jordan

4:05 PM - 4:30 PM

Impact of Design

Rosie Wanek, Senior Content Designer at Event - Museum Studio

Drawing from experience working on largescale exhibition and museum projects Rosie will be inviting us to take an optimistic yet pragmatic approach to positioning exhibition designers as global change makers. Referencing a variety of international case studies, she will invite us to:
- Recognize that our design process can be as important as what we design when it comes to making change.
- Respond to briefs using the power of a collaborative, challenging and value-led approach for maximum impact.
- Hold ourselves accountable as an industry to the claims we want to make.

Rosie Wanek

4:30 PM - 4:55 PM

Designing for Change: The Power of Flexibility in Exhibitions

Bosco Hernández, Design Director at SFMOMA

As the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s Design Director, Bosco Hernández will delve into the transformative potential of flexibility in exhibition design, exploring how adaptable spaces can shape the museum experience and drive positive change. From embracing imperfection to challenging conventional standards, we will examine the role of flexibility in breaking down barriers and fostering inclusivity within museum environments.

Bosco Hernández

4:55 PM - 5:00 PM

Day 1 Wrap-Up

• Tricia Austin, PhD Supervisor at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London
• Cybelle Jones, CEO of SEGD

Cybelle Jones

Tricia Austin

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Self-Guided Tour of Planet Word

Explore the immersive language experience and interactive, voice-activated exhibits of the SEGD Global Design Award-winning Planet Word on your own following the last session.

6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Opening Night Happy Hour

Join us at Wild Days at Eaton DC!

1201 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20005

Speakers

Timothy McNeil

Professor of Design at University of California Davis

Tricia Austin

PhD Supervisor at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London

Cybelle Jones

CEO of SEGD

Femke Bijlsma

Partner and Content Director of Kossmanndejong

Andy Chen

Partner at Isometric Studio

Brenda Cowan

Professor, Graduate Exhibition Design at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)

Michael Denison

Head of Design at Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Cathy Frankel

Deputy Director of Interpretive Content at National Building Museum

Liz Griswold

Director of Education and Experience at SEGD

Bosco Hernández

Design Director of SFMOMA

Waqas Jawaid

Partner at Isometric Studio

Coleman Jordan

Assistant Professor at Morgan State University

Daniel Meyers

Founding Principal at plus & greater than

Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel

Assistant Professor at North Carolina State University

Jona Piehl

Professor at HTW Berlin

Ricardo Rubiales

Museum Designer and Researcher

Nikki DeJesus Sertsu

Executive Director of Planet Word

Traci Sym

Founding Principal at plus & greater than

Rosie Wanek

Senior Content Designer at Event - Museum Studio

Timothy McNeil is a Professor of Design at the University of California Davis and Director/Chief Curator of the UC Davis Design Museum. He has spent 30 years as a practicing exhibition designer working for major museums, researching exhibition design history and methods, and teaching the next generations of exhibition design thinkers and practitioners.

His recent publication “The Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook” pulls from his extensive experience as an educator, designer, and contributor to building three major museums: the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center and Getty Villa, and the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.

He has been recognized for design excellence by the Society for Experiential Graphic Design, the University and College Designers Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the International Museum Design and Communication Association. Tim is a frequent speaker and writer on museum and design issues. His award-winning design work is archived at the Getty Research Institute and has been featured in multiple publications.

Tricia Austin is an author, design researcher and PhD Supervisor at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London where she founded MA Narrative Environments in 2003 and ran till 2021. She has lectured in Europe, China, Japan and Latin America and directed a number of collaborative projects with universities, businesses and governmental organizations across the world. She was the UK lead on EU-PA, a European project to develop culture-led city regeneration methodologies, involving multiple stakeholders and producing exemplar case studies.

Tricia co-developed and co-convened the international conferences ‘Chaos at the Museum: the participatory turn in exhibition design’, London 2014; ‘Chaos at the Museum: infiltrating the urban fabric’, Buenos Aires 2016; and ‘Transdisciplinary design of narrative environments for a better world’, Hangzhou 2022.

Her most recent book is "Narrative Environments and Experience Design, Space as a Medium of Communication," which was published by Routledge New York in 2020. She is currently on the editorial board for the new Routledge book series "Museum Making."

Infusing over two decades of design excellence into her role as CEO of SEGD, Cybelle Jones is not just a leader but a passionate advocate for the transformative power of experience design. Firmly grounded in the conviction that design has the capability to engender positive change, Cybelle drives her multidisciplinary community to create experiences that intimately connect people with places.

As the helm of SEGD, a non-profit member organization, Cybelle champions education, innovation, and design excellence. She works tirelessly to inspire the design of more equitable, sustainable, and user-centric environments, reflecting her belief in the pivotal role design plays in shaping our world.

Before taking the reins at SEGD, Cybelle etched a notable career as Principal of G&A. Her 25+ year tenure saw her lead several acclaimed design projects, including the National WWII Museum, the International Spy Museum, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. These high-profile undertakings not only attest to her design prowess but also her ability to infuse creativity with strategic insights.

Cybelle’s influence extends beyond SEGD. As a thought leader, she has addressed audiences at prestigious forums like AAM, the V&A, FIT, AIGA, and MuseumNext. Her active involvement on various boards sees her push the boundaries of experience design, contributing to the evolution of the profession.

Driven by passion, guided by experience, and committed to innovation, Cybelle Jones is a beacon in the realm of design, illuminating the path to a more user-centric, equitable, and sustainable future.

Femke is a partner and content director at Kossmanndejong, an Amsterdam-based design firm specializing in exhibition design with a global portfolio. The firm is currently working on its first two projects in the USA: the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Before joining Kossmanndejong, Femke worked as an architect in Japan and the Netherlands. She co-founded the Refugee Company, is chair of the Dutch Design Awards, serves on the board of the Salwa Foundation and is a committee member of the Dutch Creative Industries Fund, always striving to connect social goals with design. Femke regularly gives lectures and workshops at universities and art schools and is writing a book on exhibition design as a transformative medium, set to be published in early 2025.

Andy studied sociology at Princeton University, where he was awarded the Pyne Honor Prize, the university’s highest general undergraduate distinction. He then studied graphic design at RISD, where he received his MFA as a Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow. Andy started his career at Pentagram, where he worked on the rebranding of Bausch + Lomb with partner Paula Scher. As a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal College of Art, Andy conducted ethnographic research on aging, sexuality, and social stigma. He is a contributor to Design Observer, Design Taxi, and Open Manifesto.

Andy has spoken at international conferences including the London Design Festival, Design Indaba, RGD DesignThinkers, and Kyoorius Designyatra. He has served on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of Visual Arts.

Brenda Cowan is a Professor and former Chairperson of Graduate Exhibition & Experience Design at the SUNY/Fashion Institute of Technology where she teaches exhibition development and evaluation; object and museum studies; research methodologies and audience studies. Her background includes work for museums and design firms in the roles of interpreter, exhibition developer, education director, evaluator, and project manager. Brenda is a Fulbright Specialist in the disciplines of museums, objects and mental health. Her theory of Psychotherapeutic Object Dynamics has been presented for the American Alliance of Museums; Museums of Hope; MidAtlantic Association of Museums; Sweden’s National Museums of World Culture; CoMuseum, Athens, and the American Association of State and Local History Leadership Institute. Her publications include Museum Objects, Health and Healing (2019 Cowan et al) and Flourishing in Museums (Latham and Cowan 2024) both published by Routledge Taylor & Francis. Brenda's recent work includes evaluating wellbeing and healing at the Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm, with Syrian refugees and immigrants. She is currently co-host of Matters of Experience, a podcast about design and museum experiences.

Cathy Crane Frankel is the Deputy Director of Interpretive Content at the National Building Museum leading the exhibitions, collections and education & engagement teams. Since 2000 she has provided leadership overseeing the development and presentation of exhibitions including Hot to Cold: BIG’s Odyssey of Architectural Adaptation, Evicted, and Building Stories. She conceived of and directed the staff in the development and execution of the Museum’s popular summer installations including the attendance record-breaking BEACH installation. She is currently working on the Future Cities initiative that includes exhibitions and programs culminating in a long-term exhibition in 2026. As an executive staff member, she is an active participant in developing the vision, strategy, and budgets for the institution.

Liz Griswold is the Director of Education and Experience for SEGD. She is responsible for managing a portfolio of key internal projects and initiatives for the organization. With her focus aimed on strategic integration, Liz is responsible for the communication, management and logistical support of targeted milestones and projects. She contributes to knowledge-sharing efforts and coordinates with external partners and consultancy firms. Liz joined the SEGD staff in 2022, and has been an active professional member since 2005. In 2017, Liz co-founded the SEGD Raleigh Chapter, where she served as a Chapter Co-Chair from 2017 – 2022, and received the 2022 SEGD Chapter Chair Award. She also served as co-chair for the SEGD Emerging Experiential Professions (previously YDS) from 2020 – 2022. Prior to joining SEGD as a staff member, Liz Griswold led the Experiential Graphic Design markets for two different A/E firms.

Liz Griswold holds a B.S. in Graphic Arts from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, with a concentration in public relations and a minor in English.

Waqas received his undergraduate degree with highest honors from Princeton University and a Masters in Architecture with distinction from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. At Princeton, he was awarded the Frederick White Prize for his thesis on architectural apartheid in the Paris banlieus. Waqas previously worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture, SANAA, Harvard Art Museums, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. He is a founding organizer of Climate Collective, a NYC-based organization that sparks civic discourse about climate change through design and storytelling.

Waqas has lectured at venues including Harvard University, the Center for Architecture, and Princeton University Art Museum. He has served on the faculty of the Maryland Institute College of Art and the School of Visual Arts.

coleman a. jordan [ebo] is an assistant professor at Morgan State University's School of Architecture & Urban Planning in Baltimore, Maryland. He is the principal of studio caj.e and also serves on the boards of the US Africa Collaborative in Washington D.C., and We Want Green Too in Detroit, Michigan. Jordan specializes in researching the spaces of the Black Atlantic, and Pan-African influences on design. In 2004, he curated the landmark exhibit, "HARLEM SPEAK: street signs and soapboxes," at the Studio Museum in Harlem. In 2021, he curated "We the 7" at the Venice Architecture Biennial and will exhibit "ReCall and Response" at the 2024 Venice Art Biennial, in Venice, Italy. Jordan's designs are inspired by Bebop, the political raps of Public Enemy, and George Clinton's P-Funk sounds. He blends these contexts within his designs with the historio-graphics of the Black Atlantic. Jordan hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where DJ Cochise was celebrated during his era of Hip Hop, while Bone Thugs-n-Harmony expanded their lyrics from the region, and Kid Cudi continues to represent the city's talent today.

Daniel Meyers is an architect working at the creative edges of the profession. He is intent on interweaving cultural and physical contexts to create spaces and experiences of lasting symbolic significance—and deep utility—for people of all ages, backgrounds, and beliefs. Daniel has served as a Creative Director for exhibition design, digital design, and advertising agencies, a history that has positioned him to better understand both the cultural context of built work and the dynamic nature of communities that the work serves. As an architect, Daniel has led interdisciplinary teams to create groundbreaking projects for leading cultural, commercial, and private clients across the world. He teaches and lectures on architecture and experience design in the US and Europe, and has published widely on topics related to his practice. Daniel is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Navy.

Lesley-Ann Noel is a designer, researcher, and educator, the author of Design Social Change, and a co-editor of The Black Experience in Design. She has a bachelor’s in Industrial Design from Universidade Federal do Paraná in Brazil, a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, and a PhD in Design from North Carolina State University. She was awarded honorary doctorates for service to the field of design by the University of the Arts London and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Arts, Design, and Technology at North Carolina State University. She will join Ontario College of Art and Design as the Dean of Design in July 2024.

Jona Piehl is an educator, graphic designer and design researcher.

She is a professor for communication design on the BA Communication Design at the HTW Berlin where she teaches across the areas of information design, visual storytelling and spatial communication und is currently involved in the development of a new master’s programme in Public Design. Situated at the intersection of design, museum studies and narrative theory, her research explores methods and processes of visual storytelling, in particular in the creation of narrative environments such as museums and exhibitions. As a designer, she has worked on numerous exhibition projects in Germany and the UK, working with design consultancies Land Design Studio, London, and, more recently, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Berlin. Her monograph ‘Graphic Design in Museum Exhibitions: Display, Identity and Narrative’ was published by Routledge in 2021.

Over the years, Ricardo Rubiales has worked as the head of the educational areas at museums like the National Museum of Art MUNAL, the Museum of the Palace of Fine Arts and Papalote Cuernavaca. Additionally, he was a key contributor to the development of eight new museums in Latin America, including Materia the Science Museum, The Museum of the City of Panama, the University Museum of Contemporary Art MUAC among others. He has been an advisor to MuCI, the first science museum in Paraguay. He is currently leading the Light Museum, an initiative of the National Autonomous University of Mexico UNAM in Mérida, Yucatán. An award-winning museum designer and researcher, is a member of diverse academic committees. Teacher and lecturer, he has designed national conferences, educational research seminars, and updating workshops for museum professionals at a national and international level.

A thoughtful, focused and highly accomplished leader, Nikki DeJesus Sertsu is the Executive Director of Planet Word, the first-of-its-kind interactive museum of language in downtown Washington, D.C. She leads a staff of 35 in realizing the museum’s mission to inspire and renew a love of words, language, and reading through world-class exhibits, public programming, and experiences. She is chiefly responsible for implementing the organization’s strategic framework, which includes cultivating world-class visitor experiences, developing new opportunities to extend the gallery experience beyond the physical walls of the museum, and ensuring ongoing financial stability.
Prior to Planet Word’s opening in 2020, Ms. Sertsu first consulted to the museum’s founder, Ann Friedman, and then joined Planet Word full time as its Senior Director of Exhibits and Special Projects, responsible for directing the fabrication and installation of the museum’s award-winning exhibits. In 2021 and 2022, she managed the creation of Lexicon Lane, the museum’s popular word puzzle-themed, escape-room-style experience.

Ms. Sertsu has three decades of nonprofit leadership experience, including 15 years as owner and principal of her own boutique consultancy, DeJesus and Associates. Cultural clients and projects included the White House Visitors Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the D.C. History Center, and the Mississippi Arts + Entertainment Experience in Meridian, Miss.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Sertsu served as Founding Executive Director/CEO of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture. For 10 years, she was responsible for overseeing the planning and development of the State of Maryland’s first museum dedicated to celebrating the African American experience, including managing a $33 million capital construction budget and a $5 million endowment.

Ms. Sertsu received a B.S. in Political Science from Tuskegee University, a M.S. in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis from the New School for Social Research in New York, and is a graduate of the J. Paul Getty Museum Management Institute and the University of Maryland/Aspen Institute Maryland Government Executive Institute. She is also a recipient of the Smithsonian Institution Awards for Museum Leadership. She is an American Alliance of Museums Peer Reviewer and has served as an Advisory Review Panelist for the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Active in her community, Ms. Sertsu serves on the board of the St. Albans School’s Early Childhood Center, and is an Emeritus Member of the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser recently appointed Ms. Sertsu to a second term on the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure, an independent body that reviews complaints concerning D.C. Superior Court judges, and conducts performance evaluations of associate judges eligible for reappointment and senior judgeship. She is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She resides in Northwest Washington, D.C. with her husband and daughter.

Traci Sym President of the 2024 SEGD Board and has served on the board since 2019.

Traci Sym is a founding principal at +&>. An award-winning experience designer and Creative Director, she began her academic and professional career in the performing arts, where her theater experience shaped the foundation of her design practice. Traci’s approach centers on exploring the emotion and intent of design- examining the perspectives, experiences, arcs, and interactions of audiences to enable designed environments and systems that feel both familiar, yet provocative.

Prior to founding +&>, she lead the experience design and media practice at Skylab Architecture and served as the Experience Design Director at Second Story Interactive Studios. She has directed the development of significant permanent exhibitions at major institutions in North America including the Natural History Museum at LA County and the Denver Botanic Garden. She has designed large-scale interactive projects for various global brands and institutions and spent more than five years designing exhibitions and installations at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC.

Rosie is a Senior Content Designer at Event – a global experience design agency and member of Museum Studio Group. At Event she is responsible for creative leadership and delivery of content design and interpretative planning for largescale international projects, from brand experiences to museums.

Previously she spent two years leading the visual arts programme at Somerset House – a contemporary arts venue in central London – where she oversaw arts commissions, exhibitions and events. She began her career, working at the V&A Museum developing and delivering temporary exhibitions with global partners in London, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and America. She has particular experience working on pioneering projects in places with limited experience of creating museum projects.

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