Detroit Month of Design shows real-world problem-solving
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The work of textile artist and knitwear designer Hailei Benedict (right) and two others will be featured in a Sept. 7 runway show called "For the love of." On the left, Jordan Weber's "New Forest, Ancient Thrones" at East Canfield Art Park. Photos: Courtesy of Hailei Benedict (right) and Canfield Consortium
The Detroit Month of Design organizers aim to show how design can solve real-world problems.
The big picture: The 14th annual monthlong festival is run by Design Core Detroit, in a city designated nearly a decade ago as a global design hub. It seeks to lift up and connect designers and artists across disciplines.
State of play: There are 95 events planned, and their participants come from the worlds of fashion, fiber arts, fine arts, mobility, construction and other fields.
- Most are free and open to the public.
Highlights include:
- An event Sept. 5 and an exhibition open Sept. 5-28 focusing on the future of construction with AI and robotics.
- A Sept. 7 fashion show on the east side with three local designers showcasing handmade garments.
- An exhibition and Sept. 12 reception at the N'Namdi Center addressing mass incarceration through art and design.
Between the lines: This year's theme, "Creative Currents," celebrates the city's innovative spirit and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration to address housing affordability and climate change challenges.
- "We want people to take design seriously," Design Core co-executive director Kiana Wenzell tells Axios. "How are we going to continue to transform Southeast Michigan and Detroit? We have to do it together, it's collective action … So it's like this rippling effect."
Flashback: The festival's first iteration took place in 2011. Wenzell says the mission was to grow the city's reputation as a globally respected and relevant "creative capital."
- It started as a weeklong festival and grew to a month in 2018 after Detroit was designated as a UNESCO City of Design in 2015.
- The designation brought the city into a global network of more than 40 cities using creativity to drive sustainable development.
The intrigue: The festival doesn't just celebrate art and design — it makes a case for their bottom-line value for businesses and promotes design as an accessible career pathway, Wenzell says.
What's next: In the future, Design Core wants to attract more international and out-of-state visitors to the Month of Design. The organization hopes to eventually double attendance from 2023's estimated 60,000 to 120,000.
- Design Core is in the "very early exploration stages" of developing a biannual aspect to the month that would draw far-flung tourists for a particular couple of days with exciting, anchor-like events, Wenzell says.
Go deeper: The full event list