Boston Design Week challenges convention, invites introspection

The 9th edition of Boston Design Week, scheduled to take place from April 26 to May 7, 2022, promises a citywide itinerary dedicated to outdoor and virtual events. Over the span of two weeks, the design event will host several open houses, panel discussions, and exhibitions. Showcases and conversations pertaining to architecture, home decor, interior design, placemaking, preservation, climate-cognizant design, art collections, smart home technology and several other areas relevant to design will dominate the design and art festival.

The 2022 edition of the festival, themed ‘Boston Rethinks Design’, will especially highlight creations that challenge conventional designs as well as the usage of conventional materials and processes in the creative field. “We want Boston Design Week to be known as a world-class portal to all things art and design,” says Tony Fusco, co-producer of the festival.

Launched in 2014, the design fair serves to increase public awareness towards and appreciation of the multifarious aspects pertaining to design. Through the showcase of a range of innovative designs and interactive discussions that serve to highlight the role that design plays in everyday life, the two-week design festival bridges the gap between designers and non-designers in a fun and interactive way. The event also witnesses the participation of people from technical industries and organisations so as to set the ground for the exploration of the technical aspects of design. The event, over the past nine years, has become an active member of World Design Weeks, which is an international coalition of more than 40 international design festivals.

The inaugural event of the 9th edition of the festival will feature an interview with Jordana Guimaraes, the co-founder of Fashinnovation, a platform that serves to bridge the gap between fashion and technology as well as their corresponding industries. Other events, also scheduled to take place on 26th April are ‘Creating a Welcoming 21st Century Neighbourhood - Boston Seaport’ and ‘Design Journey: The Renaissance of Jamaica Plain and Boston’s Neighbourhoods’. While the former is the vision of an ideal neighbourhood that is rooted in community and progressive placemaking, the latter will comprise a panel discussion pertaining to the design, building, evolution and renovation of homes in JP and Boston.

Some prominent guest speakers who will grace the event include Adolfo Castillo and Wendie Martin, publishers of American Fine Art Magazine; Abby Suckle, FAIA, of cultureNOW at the Brown Jordan showroom; kitchen expert Mick De Giulio; archaeologist Darius Arya; and furniture maker and TV personality Tommy MacDonald. Their talks, ranging from discussions on custom furniture and the consequences of the rising sea level in Boston, will be accompanied with online tours of five collector homes, highlights of historically relevant American art and design and an open house event by Tommy MacDonald in his North End studio.

The event, in collaboration with ‘Olmsted Now’, will also host several landscape events and walking tours dedicated to celebrating the 200th birth anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted. Some specific tours that will celebrate the famous landscape architect include Ariel Foxman’s tour at The Rocks at Harbor Way in the Seaport on April 29, Boston’s newest park; and a walking tour of Franklin Park on Saturday April 30.

Know more about the Boston Design Week here.