Parents obsess over their children’s playdates, kindergarten curriculum, and every bump and bruise, but the toys, classrooms, playgrounds, and neighborhoods little ones engage with are just as important. These objects and spaces encode decades, even centuries of changing ideas about what makes for good child-rearing—and what does not. Do you choose wooden toys, or plastic,

Steve Heller and Greg D’Onofiro will discuss their latest book, The Moderns, with special guest moderator Anne Quito, design writer for Quartz. The Moderns: Midcentury American Graphic Design (Abrams Books, 2017) is the first comprehensive survey to examine the impact and widespread practice of the post-Bauhaus-influenced design style and method through the work of some of its most

In her role as a researcher for IBM Watson, Caroline Sinders investigates the role of human decision-making in developing robotics software. But beyond her work, Sinders applies her knowledge to projects that consider how design impacts and shapes conversations happening online. Caroline Sinders is a user researcher for IBM Watson, and an artist, researcher, and

In this talk, Brooke Hodge discusses her career as a curator and the behind-the-scenes explorations, conversations, and negotiations that go into developing exhibitions about architecture, design, and fashion. Brooke Hodge is deputy director at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. From 2010 to 2014, she was director of exhibitions and publications at Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum,

Julia Kaganskiy, director of NEW INC, New Museum's art, technology, and design incubator, speaks on the creative potential of collaboration and cross-disciplinary networking in both culture and commerce. She will discuss the shared workspace and professional development program she directs at the New Museum, and how its practices and models of production promote innovation in

Marco Ferrari, co-founder of Studio Folder, is a visual researcher and spatial designer whose work encompasses art direction, exhibition design, brand identity, data visualization, web design, and digital publishing. In this talk, Ferrari will expand on recent exhibitions including the "Italian Limes" at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2014 (which questioned the notion of the border