In response to the Smithsonian’s touring exhibition, the Professional Gallery of the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) present this panel discussion in response to the Smithsonian’s touring exhibition of design solutions addressing the basic needs of poor and marginalized populations not traditionally serviced by professional designers, on now at the university.
The panel, which will be moderated by OCAD Curator Charles Reeve, includes: Cynthia E. Smith, curator of Design for the Other 90%, of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (New York, USA); Vikram Bhatt, Professor of Architecture, McGill University School of Architecture, where he teaches courses in Housing Theory and Housing Project, and directs the M.Arch. in Minimum Cost Housing (Montreal, Canada); and Modesta Nyirenda-Zabula, Project Manager with Godisa Technologies Trust (Gaborone, Botswana), designer/manufacturer of “SolarAid,” a solar-powered hearing aid (exhibited in Design for the Other 90%).
Design for the Other 90%, on exhibit at the OCAD Professional Gallery in Toronto until January 25, 2009, is the only Canadian stop for the touring exhibition. An extensive website, including a blog, discussion forum and additional resources is available at http://other90.cooperhewitt.org/.
Design for the Other 90%: A Panel Discussion is held in conjunction with the Universities Art Association of Canada’s annual conference, held November 6 to 8, 2008 at York University in Toronto. For complete conference details, visit www.yorku.ca/uaac.
The discussion takes place at 7:30pm on Friday, November 7, 2008 in the OCAD Auditorium located at 100 McCaul Street in Toronto. Admission is free. For more information, please visit www.ocad.ca.