Design Article Women’s Design Networks: San Diego
Design Article Women’s Design Networks: San Diego
Women’s Design Networks: San Diego, hosted and sponsored by the Mingei Museum, provides a collaborative space for women-identified designers to innovate in our city. Participants, 15-20 strong, engage in two workshops to explore imaginative solutions reflecting community needs—from practical innovations like beach cleaning robots to communal projects such as public fruit share bins. Following the workshops, participants refine their ideas over two weeks, leading to a publication showcasing diverse designs and the collective impact of women in shaping San Diego’s future.
Belonging, in this context, involves creating inclusive, accessible spaces and experiences that resonate with our community’s diverse identities. Our inclusive design process ensures solutions that are both functional and emotionally meaningful, focusing on community-centric solutions through collective action. With a cross-border perspective, we aim to unite San Diego and Tijuana, fostering a community where all residents contribute to and benefit from a revitalized cityscape.
This event has a maximum capacity of 15 participants, with some being specifically invited to take part.
About the Host
Arzu Ozkal, The Mingei International Museum
Arzu Ozkal is a Professor of Graphic Design at San Diego State University’s School of Art and Design and serves as the director of Arts Alive SDSU, an initiative dedicated to promoting arts-centric research and project development. Committed to fostering collaboration and inclusivity, Professor Ozkal’s practice critically engages with social and cultural issues. She co-edited Gün, Women’s Networks: Turkey (2011) with Dr. Claudia Costa Pederson, which explores extending the ‘language of crafts’ among networked women working with contemporary media. Additionally, she co-edited Cabaret Voltaire: Fluxus West, San Diego and Southern California Mail Art (2023) with Mila Waldeck, investigating the 1970s xerographed, radical mail-art zine, CabVolt.
