BEND DESIGN 2016 is being presented by Scale House in Bend, October 20-21, as a premiere conference for those interested in the intersection of design, innovation and contemporary living. This two-day event features multidisciplinary design innovators who will engage participants in a dialogue about the breakthrough thinking that’s affecting everything design-related, from advertising and architecture to higher education and product design process.
In its second year, BEND DESIGN CONFERENCE is evolving beyond the lecture format toward more of a dialogue to inspire and equip future creative leaders. There are no tracks dividing the disciplines this year. Attendees can expect to further the ideas they came with, make connections with new mentors and co-conspirators, and emerge ready to design the future.
BEND DESIGN CONFERENCE is a series of conversations, workshops, tours, films and exhibits by and for creative innovators everywhere. This is not a conference just for designers—it’s also for entrepreneurs, educators, civic leaders, students, trade professionals and anyone curious about how design can interpret, shape and reflect our world.
BEND DESIGN 2016 Headline Speakers include:
Evan Clabots | Othr
EvanClabots’ multi-faceted career began even prior to his graduation from RISD in 2004 when he licensed a school project for manufacturing. Since, Evan has held a variety of roles in the industry and launched his own studio, Nonlinear, in 2010, specializing in product design, art direction and interior design. Evan has done work for clients including All-Clad, Target and Tumi and is currently the chief design officer at OTHR and an adjunct professor at Pratt Institute.
April Soetarman | NBBJ Design
Designer | Maker | Musician
April Soetarman is a UC Berkeley graduate with a double-major in architecture and music and has been working with design and engineering firms across the country on everything from exhibit design to large scale public art and sound art installations. She is currently with Studio 07, the Experience Design and Environmental Graphics Design studio at NBBJ, where she makes art and tech for the built environment.
Brad Cloepfil | Allied Arts Architecture
Architect, educator, and founder/principal of Allied Works Architecture, Brad Cloepfil creates culturally resonant architectural designs that are forged by the defining elements of their mission and site. Cloepfil has received particular acclaim for his work on creative and cultural projects including the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado; the Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis; the Museum of Arts and Design in New York; the Seattle Art Museum and the Schnitzer Center for Art and Design at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.
Cloepfil has designed private residences, offices, and creative workspaces, such as the design for Portland’s Wieden + Kennedy Agency, the Dutchess County Estate in Stanfordville, New York and Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California.
Ann Friedman | Journalist
Ann Friedman is a freelance journalist who writes about gender, politics, technology and culture. She is a columnist for New York magazine and the Los Angeles Times and a contributing editor to The Gentlewoman. She co-hosts the podcast Call Your Girlfriend, makes hand-drawn pie charts and sends a popular weekly email newsletter.
John C Jay | President of Global Creative / Fast Retailing
John C Jay currently serves as president of Global Creative for Fast Retailing’s global fashion and apparel brands including Uniqlo, Theory, J-Brand, Comptoir des Cotonniers and Princess TamTam, overseeing all aspects of creativity from marketing communications, product, design, interiors, architecture and digital content.
He works with Uniqlo sports and cultural ambassadors, selects designers on fashion collaborations, and works on special programs in the arts, including artist and museum relationships. Previously, Jay was the President and Creative Director of GX, creative consultancy in partnership with Wieden+Kennedy in Portland Oregon.
John oversees Studio J, his longtime independent creative studio which develops and invests in lifestyle concepts and product ideas, serving as consultant to the Ace Hotels, amongst others. His most recent project was the design of The Ride by Paige Powell at the Portland Art Museum, an exhibition of previously unseen videos and photographs of Jean Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring and Andy Warhol from the ’80s and ’90s. John was named by Fast Company Magazine as 100 Most Creative in Business and by I.D. Magazine as one of 40 Most Influential in Design. John serves on the board of Caldera, with programs in Central Oregon and Portland area, helping young people who face challenges in their school and home life.
Victor Saad | Founder | Experience Institute
Victor Saad believes that education is broken and the future of work depends on a new way of approaching how we all learn. In 2012, he created his “Leap Year Project” as a masters thesis, which led him into his most transformative experiences, including the launch of a new type of school, Experience Institute, EI, which reimagines the bridge between work and learning for college and graduate level students.Victor has worked with companies and institutions of all shapes and sizes – from Stanford’s d.school to Leo Burnett – and was recently inducted into Forbes30Under30 for his work in Education.
“This year’s presenters are aligned with the innovative and collaborative spirit that distinguishes Bend as a hub of entrepreneurialism. ScaleHouse has masterminded the 2016 BEND DESIGN CONFERENCE as a way to engage our forward-thinking, talented community in a meaningful conversation about the role of design in our daily experience and how thoughtful design invigorates and inspires us,” says ScaleHouse Co-founder and BEND DESIGN Visionary Rene Mitchell.
Those interested in attending BEND DESIGN 2016, or sponsoring, can find out more information and purchase tickets at BendDesign.com. Tickets for the two-day event are: $150, ($75 students and $125 in advance by 9.1) or $115 for ScaleHouse members. Group ticket discounts are available for businesses and organizations as well. The event will be held at the Tower Theatre, the Oxford Hotel and other iconic Bend locations.
Sponsors of BEND DESIGN 2016: include Astir, Hand in Hand, Bend Magazine, Hedrick Architecture, Starview Foundation, Bend Broadband Biz, Brooks Resources, Bend Fashion Quarterly/Cascade Publications, News Channel 21, Oxford Hotel, Bend Furniture & Design, Bounce, Old Mill District, Buzztag, BBT Architects, High Desert Design Council, U.S. Cellular, Bigfoot Beverages, The Source Weekly, Tin Pan Theatre, Deschutes Brewery, Bend Cultural Tourism Fund and RoundHouse Foundation.
About BEND DESIGN 2016:
Bend Design 2016 is a celebration of design thinking and design doing. We will stoke curiosity, spark innovation, empower collaboration, and make things happen. Drawing inspiration from multidisciplinary design thinkers in Bend and across the country, BEND DESIGN 2016 will feature workshops, lectures, tours, and hands-on design opportunities, inviting community members, designers, trade professionals, students, entrepreneurs, city officials and citizen-experts, to participate in a conversation around the shape of our shared future. You can find out more by visiting www.benddesign.org.
About ScaleHouse:
ScaleHouse is a community hub for creative thinkers and the driving force behind the ongoing campaign to develop a Contemporary Creative Center in Bend, Oregon. ScaleHouse seeks to strengthen the local creative community via engaging educational events as well as collective opportunities for creative congregation, collaboration, and cross-pollination. Go to www.Scalehouse.org for more information or to become a member.
