About:

The world is filled with seemingly endless conflict and deeply rooted problems. Positive change can seem out of reach. However, art and design have both the potential to communicate societal issues and prompt transformation in our social understandings and interactions. This presentation will use a social science research lens to show how a range of art and design projects are creating positive social change.

Speaker:

AUDRA BUCK-COLEMAN

Audra Buck-Coleman is an Associate Professor and Graphic Design Program Director at the University of Maryland. She has written, art directed, curated, designed, authored, directed, and collaborated on numerous design projects including Sticks + Stones, an international multi-university collaborative graphic design project that investigates stereotyping and social issues. Her design research focuses on social design, social design assessment mechanisms, and the ways art and design can create positive change in communities. Her social design education initiatives have been recognized both nationally in 2017 for the Design Incubation Communication Design Educators Awards and internationally by Core77 in 2011 and 2017. She holds an MFA in design from Cranbrook Academy of Art and is pursuing a PhD in sociology at the University of Maryland.