DYNAMIC DESIGNS
EXPLORE THE MANY FACES AND FACETS OF DESIGN IN OUR CITY AND EVERYDAY LIFE
STORY: Claire Ruhlin
You might not realize it, but design plays a key role in nearly every aspect of our lives. The Atlanta Design Festival, helmed by MA! Design is Human, explores just that.
“We created the festival because we believe that design is human and has an important role in defining our city—it solves problems, creates culture and drives commerce,” says Festival co-founder Elayne DeLeo. “Atlanta is a growing, vibrant and dynamic city with much to offer. We have world-class designers, architects, academia and brands in the Atlanta metro area and the Southeast. It’s an underserved market for the promotion of design.”
Formerly known as Design is Human and now in its 12th year, the festival encompasses Atlanta’s annual Design Economy Expo from May 31– June 2 at the Woodruff Arts Center, as well as MA! Architecture Tours and showroom presentations, talks and installations throughout the city. “We’re delighted to have Midtown Atlanta as the gateway to the Atlanta Design Festival, with the Design Economy Expo under one centralized roof at the Woodruff Arts Center,” says DeLeo. The expo will bring together international brands that include Roche Bobois, Artemide, Parsons School of Design and Georgia Tech College of Design. Talks will be held in the High Museum of Art Hill Auditorium.
Among the festival’s components are its MA! Architecture Tours, which will take place June 2–3 across the city, spotlighting two commercial and eight residential properties in neighborhoods such as Morningside, Virginia-Highland and Midtown. “I think that much of the development today reflects the growth of the city,” says DeLeo. “All projects are helping to shape the future of Atlanta in a positive and progressive way. We need to continue the trend to look to the future with a focus on what makes Atlanta unique.”
