Sara De Bondt is a designer, educator, and publisher. She runs her own independent design practice working with cultural clients and is the co-founder of Occasional Papers, a small publishing company focusing on publishing affordable books devoted to the histories of architecture, art, design, film, and literature. The Walker Art Center called Sara “the epitome of a cultural designer, combining a love of contemporary typography with a deep investigation into the history of graphic design. Through her design practice, which consists of client-based work, designing and editing books, and curating conferences, she is consistently contributing to the critical discourse.” In this episode, Sara and I talk about her background from studying acting to working with Stuart Bailey, Daniel Eatock, and James Goggin; the importance of design history in contemporary practice; and what designers can learn from other disciplines.
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Nicolay Boyadjiev is an architect and creative director based between Copenhagen, Sofia and Mexico City. He is the Director of the Practice Lab at re:arc institute, where he oversees research, strategy and new explorations prototyping alternatives models for philanthropy in architecture. Previously, he was Co-Director of Strelka Institute’s influential design-research program in Moscow. In this conversation, Jarrett and Nicolay talk about his work at re:arc, new forms of funding architectural projects, and thinking about philanthropy as a design project.
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Jack Murphy is the executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. He studied architecture at MIT and Rice University and previously edited PLAT Journal and Cite, the publication of the Rice Design Alliance. In this episode, Jarrett and Jack talk about the history of The Architect’s Newspaper, the value of printed publications, and the relationship between design practice and design publishing.
Gregory Wessner is the Executive Director of the National Academy of Design, the New York-based non-profit founded in 1825 that promotes art and architecture in America through exhibition, education, and research. Before joining the National Academy, Gregory served as executive director of Open House New York, and in a variety of roles at the Architectural League of New York. In this episode, Jarrett and Gregory talk about the structure of the National Academy and how it serves artists and architects as it approaches its 200th anniversary, the changing definitions of design, and the value of non-profits in architecture and design media.