Symposium: Nordic Design Now
Wednesday, November 10 & Thursday, November 11, both @ 7 pm
Individual tickets for each program: $15 ($10 ASF & CH Members)

Nordic Design Now consists of two panel discussions, Social Awareness & Sustainability and Design Policy: Lessons Learned, co-presented by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and The American-Scandinavian Foundation. These panels are held in conjunction with two design exhibitions: National Triennial 2010: Why Design Now? at Cooper-Hewitt and Nordic Models + Common Ground at Scandinavia House.

Co-presented by Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and The American-Scandinavian Foundation. Funding for this program has been provided by the Nordic Culture Fund, with special thanks to the Consulate General of Denmark in New York; the Consulate General of Iceland; the Consulate General of Finland in New York; the Royal Norwegian Consulate General; and the Consulate General of Sweden, New York.

Social Awareness & Sustainability
Wednesday, November 10
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

Designers working in the Nordic countries often favor simplicity, clean lines, and modern shapes and colors. Nordic designers also have a long tradition of creating designs for products, public spaces and buildings that take into account quality of life and social responsibility. Sustainability has also been an integral part of Nordic design traditions through consideration of materials and craftsmanship. Many emerging, as well as established designers in the Nordic region are currently working on projects that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also focus on social welfare and the environmental impact of the designs.

The first panel is moderated by Matilda McQuaid, Deputy Curatorial Director, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, and features leading Nordic designers discussing their stance on sustainability and social responsibility in their work and current design practices.

Design Policy: Lessons Learned
Thursday, November 11
Scandinavia House

How does policy cultivate the right conditions for design markets to be competitive on a global scale and still be socially minded? The Nordic countries have set a precedent for design policy in the global design community. Today Nordic design and business increasingly go hand-in-hand. Promoting good design that creates solutions to social, ethical, and environmental problems has proven over time to be good business for the Nordic design market.

Moderated by Bradford McKee, Editor-in-Chief, Landscape Architecture Magazine, the second panel also includes up-and-coming and major designers, focusing on architecture and design policies in the Nordic countries and the knowledge acquired in carrying out those policies.