San Francisco Design Week

Interactive Wearables Workshop in CCA’s Hybrid Lab
2025-06-06 13:30 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | California College of the Art’s Hybrid Lab (D104), Simpson Family Makers Building, California College of the Art’s Hybrid Lab (D104), Simpson Family Makers Building, 145 Hooper Street, San Francisco, 94107, San Francisco, California, 94107, United States
Calling all tinkerers, makers, hackers, artists, designers, and creative technologists. Spend time in the California College of the Arts (CCA) Hybrid Lab, an interactive electronic makerspace where students explore their artistic voice by prototyping designs with sensors, motors, creative coding, AI, and much more! No experience is necessary—just bring your curiosity!
In this hands-on session, you’ll learn to program your very own interactive DIY wristwatch. You’ll walk away with the M5StickC PLUS 2, a palm‑sized IoT development kit with a built-in LCD screen, buzzer, button, microphone, gyroscope, and much more—all at your disposal to customize and interact with. This device empowers you to reform your own technology– programming it to do whatever you want it to!
Hosted by the Design Division and led by CCA creative technologist Romy Aboudarham, this workshop features custom materials and prototyping design principles taught in the Hybrid Lab, developed in collaboration with faculty member Dr. Sudhu Tewari.
For guests who want to continue tinkering and playing with the device, we highly encourage you to bring your own laptop (PC or MAC). If you are bringing your own computer, you will need to download the Arduino Software beforehand.
We will have Mac laptops with the software ready to go for those who prefer just to show up and play. For those who get the programming bug, you can always download the software in your own time after the workshop.
Workshop Fee: $50 per person. Attendees will take home a DIY interactive watch programmed with Arduino software!
These workshop sessions are designed for kids and adults who are comfortable navigating and troubleshooting computers.

Hosted by California College of the Art’s Design Division.
California College of the Arts cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse. The Design Division at CCA advances contemporary practice by positioning the designer as a dynamic agent of cultural, social, and ecological change.
Romy Aboudarham is a creative technologist and immersive designer. They have a B.S. in Computer Science from Tufts University School of Engineering. They’re passionate about exploring how we can use technology as a tool for empathy-driven storytelling and deepening our connection with ourselves and others. Romy has a wide range of art and tech skills on their toolbelt, creating historical walking tours in Augmented Reality, therapeutic experiences about grief in Virtual Reality, and countless interactive digital and physical prototypes, as the manager of CCA’s Hybrid Lab.
Dr. Sudhu Tewari is an electro-acoustic composer, improvisor, and bricoleur in sound, kinetic, and interactive art. He holds a B.A. in Music from Sonoma State University, an M.F.A. in Electronic Music and Recording Technology from Mills College, and a Ph.D. in Cultural Musicology from UC Santa Cruz. His passion for design, re-design, and recuperation has led to the creation of experimental musical instruments, kinetic sculptures, interactive installations, audio electronics, and wearable sound art.

Join us! Designing AI-Powered Ads with TikTok
2025-06-06 14:00 - 16:00 | TikTok San Jose Office, 1199 Coleman Ave, San Jose, CA, California, 95110, United States
Agenda:
2:00 PM – 2:15 PM | Check-in & Networking

2:15 PM – 2:30 PM | Opening Speech – Welcome remarks from Jingxi Li, Head of Design.

2:30 PM – 3:15 PM | Presentation:

GenAI for Video Ads: Tackling Creative Fatigue with Scalable Design – Eva Luo, Design Manager, GenAI

How we designed a GenAI product for video ads to help advertisers overcome creative fatigue, using the Double Diamond process to craft scalable, elegant patterns within model constraints.

Designing for Tomorrow: An AI Designer’s Journey – Justin Ma, Lead Product Designer

A presentation about working in the AI landscape, focusing on conversational AI and its implications for the role of designers.

Scaling with Intelligence: How a Design System Prepares Products for the AI Era – Yuhan Wu, Design Manager, Design System

Discover how TikTok’s Keystone design system helps business products scale with clarity and adaptability while evolving to meet AI-driven demands.

3:15 PM – 3:45 PM | Hiring Manager Share-out: Future-Ready Talent – Current openings and key mindsets for success with Chris Tompkins, Jianzhou Song, Landi Yu, and Justin Gabbard

3:45 PM – 4:00 PM | Q&A

One-of-a-Kind: Make It, Wear It! Embellishment workshop with Fashion Faculty at California College of the Arts.
2025-06-06 14:00 - 16:00 | California College of the Arts, Nave, California College of the Arts, Nave, 145 Hooper Street, San Francisco, California, 94107, San Francisco, California, 94107, United States
Join California College of the Arts (CCA) and CCA’s Design Division’s Fashion Faculty members Greg Climer and Zoe Cobb for a hands-on embellishment workshop at CCA’s new campus, where creativity meets craft to celebrate local design and making. This two-hour session invites you to create a one-of-a-kind embellished t-shirt or to apply the same techniques to a personal garment ( e.g., a basic tote bag or a sturdy button-up shirt).
The workshop includes demonstrations and guided instruction on a range of techniques:

Learn intro techniques for hand embroidery, including visible mending, and continue your embellishment journey at home.
Zoe Cobb will demonstrate the chain stitch embroidery machine and assist guests in placing a name or word into bold, stitched graphics.
Greg Climer will demonstrate the heat press, share materials and methods for applying foil and fabric appliques so you can make your own one-of-a-kind design.

All tools and materials are provided, including a high-quality cotton t-shirt (sizes requested during registration). Guests are also welcome to bring a basic cotton tote-bag or a sturdy shirt of their own to customize.
Workshop Fee: $30 per person. Attendees will leave with a custom-decorated shirt using heat press and chain stitch embroidery!

California College of the Arts cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse. The Design Division at CCA advances contemporary practice by positioning the designer as a dynamic agent of cultural, social, and ecological change.
Zoe Cobb is a Senior Professor in the Fashion Department at California College of the Arts, where she teaches at the intersection of craft, design, and storytelling. With nearly 20 years of experience, she focuses on hands-on techniques like pattern making, draping, and chain-stitch embroidery, drawing on her background in both fashion and interior design. Inspired by nature and music, Zoe brings a sense of rhythm and sustainability to her creative practice, fostering a playful, process-focused environment that encourages curiosity, experimentation, and the joy of making by hand.
Greg Climer is the chair of the fashion program at California College of the Arts and chair of the board of directors at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. Climer’s textile work has been shown in the Museum of Art and Design (NYC), The Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (NYC), The DeYoung Museum (San Francisco, CA), The Mint Museum of Art (Charlotte, NC), The Museum of Craft and Design (San Francisco, CA), the International Fibre Art Triennial 2019, and many galleries. In addition to being an artist, he is also a fashion designer. He has worked on the design teams for the Victoria’s Secret Runway Show, Karl Lagerfeld, Imitation of Christ, John Bartlett, and many Broadway shows and movies.

Melina Finkelstein Rug Co.Labs Pop Up at Flora Grubb
2025-06-06 15:30 - 18:30 | Flora Grubb Gardens, Flora Grubb Gardens, San Francisco, California, 94124, United States
Melina Finkelstein Rug Co.Labs is popping up at Flora Grubb Gardens. Melina Finkelstein, formerly of Peace Industry, will be showing new felt rug collections in collaboration with Jen Garrido and K’era Morgan, two California painters and textile designers. She will talk about her residency in Nepal and how she taught her new team of women artisans the unusual art of felt rug making keeping it alive for old and new audiences.
3:30pm: refreshments and networking
4:30pm: Melina talks about her rug work in Nepal and new collaborative projects with other local artists.
5pm: informal conversations
6:30pm: event ends

The Right to Create: A Design Week Happy Hour at Creativity Explored
2025-06-06 15:30 - 18:30 | Creativity Explored, 3245 16th Street, SAN FRANCISCO, California, 94103, United States
Celebrate community, creativity, and connection at Creativity Explored—a trailblazing progressive art studio that partners with artists with developmental disabilities. As part of San Francisco Design Week, we’re hosting a vibrant happy hour and mixer in our award-winning studio space—voted Best Gallery and Best Nonprofit in the Bay!
Mix and mingle with fellow creatives, designers, and art lovers while surrounded by powerful, original artwork by CE’s neurodiverse artists. Enjoy drinks, light bites, music, and the inspiring energy of a space that’s been championing inclusion, self-expression, and dignity in the arts since 1983.
On view: Main Characters, an exhibition highlighting a wide selection of ceramic sculptures from Creativity Explored’s archive.Plus: Special behind-the-scenes access to pieces from our archive—a unique chance to view and purchase rare artworks not regularly on display.
Whether you’re curious about our mission, eager to connect with the local design community, or just want to toast to creativity in a dynamic setting—you’re invited to join the celebration.

Creative Happy Hour: Cheers to SF Design Week at CCA’s New Campus
2025-06-06 16:00 - 18:00 | California College of the Arts, Simpson Family Makers Building, Upper Level, California College of the Arts, Simpson Family Makers Building, Upper Level, 145 Hooper Street, San Francisco, 94107, San Francisco, California, 94107, United States
Join CreativeMornings San Francisco and the Design Division at California College of the Arts (CCA) for an inspiring early evening of connection, conversation, and creativity.

This social happy hour brings together designers, architects, artists, and makers from across disciplines to spark ideas, meet new collaborators, and celebrate the end of SF Design Week in style. Alongside the presentations, there will be a DJ, light bites, and a bar serving wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages.
We’ll kick things off with three provocative lightning talks on re-forming design practice from:

GRL GRP – a feminist-inspired design collective
Amy Karle – bio-artist and futurist exploring the intersections of technology and humanity
Jo Marini – (big) systems thinker + doer specializing in systemic transformation of legacy industries.

Come for the inspiration, stay for the people. Drinks, good vibes, and fresh ideas await.
Hosted by California College of the Art’s Design Division.
California College of the Arts cultivates ideas, industry, and impact in the progressive San Francisco Bay Area, educating our students as global changemakers through purposeful practice and critical discourse. The Design Division at CCA advances contemporary practice by positioning the designer as a dynamic agent of cultural, social, and ecological change.
Creative Mornings is the world’s largest creative community; hosting local chapter events in cities around the world every Friday, Virtual FieldTrips every week, and job postings and company profiles via the CreativeGuild.
GRL GRP is the feminist-inspired, collective design practice of Sarah Chieko-Bonnickson, Abigayle Cosinuke, Ashlyn Jackson, Chloe Looker, and Meg Quarton aimed at making space for women to lead, not just produce in the field of design. GRP GRP thinks about reform through a multifaceted lens, including materials, process, and attitude. Operating in a non-hierarchical structure rooted in empathy, they blend craft-based techniques with digital tools, using a highly collaborative and iterative process in which there is no single author.
Amy Karle is an internationally award-winning artist and futurist working at the intersection of digital, physical, and biological systems. She has exhibited in 54 international shows, including at the Centre Pompidou, Mori Art Museum, the Smithsonian, and Ars Electronica and was named one of the BBC’s 100 most inspiring women and “Most Influential Women in 3D Printing,” Her work invites reflection on what it means to be human in a tech-driven future, aiming to inspire, provoke, and pioneer in the fields of bioart, contemporary art, and healthcare innovation.
Jo Marini is a 4x founder, MBA professor, United States Air Force Academy graduate, and IndieBio NY alum who specializes in systemic transformation within legacy industries. She is also a NYC EDC/NewLab Founder Fellow and co-founder of Mothership Materials, a biomanufacturing startup using Targeted Molecular Recovery to sort ag & food wastes into feedstocks that power the foods, fuels, and fabrics of our future. Alongside her entrepreneurial ventures, Jo teaches Venture Studio in the MBA in Design Strategy program at California College of the Arts, guiding students through the capstone course focused on turning ideas into viable companies.

Bould Design 30th Anniversary Open Studio
2025-06-06 16:15 - 18:30 | Bould Design Studio, 1135 North Amphlett Blvd, San Mateo, California, 94401, United States
Join us as we celebrate 30 years of innovation at Bould Design! Our open studio event is your chance to meet our team, mix and mingle with other designers while enjoying delicious appetizers and beverages. We look forward to welcoming you!
We’re a San Francisco based design studio offering a range of services to hardware companies including industrial design, branding and identity, packaging design, packaging design, product visualization and engineering support.

Social Justice Design Tour: Meet the innovative architects and partners behind the new Restorative Justice Hub in SOMA
2025-06-06 17:45 - 19:15 | Community Works SF Office at 986 Mission St. San Francisco, CA 94103, 986 Mission St., San Francisco, California, 94103, United States
How can we use space for healing? We invite mission-driven designers and allies to join us at Designing Justice + Designing Spaces’ recently completed restorative justice space for Community Works in SF’s SOMA district to learn about the community-engaged process and innovative partnerships that made it happen! In this volatile time when justice is under attack, it is more important than ever that we shine a light on stories of hope, creativity, and collaboration in our industry and beyond.
DJDS is an architecture and real estate firm harnessing the power of the built environment to end mass incarceration. After 25 years of transforming lives in the Bay Area through programs rooted in humanity and healing, Community Works partnered with DJDS to establish its first San Francisco office—a dedicated home for critical services that support people at every stage of involvement in the justice system, from prevention to reentry. The 6,000-square-foot sanctuary represents a radical alternative to the criminal legal system; instead, it provides an empowering space where individuals can thrive and feel safe.
At this event, you’ll have the opportunity to see, touch, and experience trauma-informed design in action, and meet the cross-sector team that made this innovative project possible, including industry leaders such as Turner Construction. We’ll share more about how we were able to collaborate with values-aligned partners at every stage of the project, from acoustical engineering to custom furnishings. The event will kick off with tours and a cocktail reception, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with key partners, including:

Deanna-Van Buren, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Designing Justice + Designing Spaces
Adrienne Hogg, Co-Executive Director, Community Works
Chelsea Wong, Project Manager, Turner Construction
Emily Pilloton-Lam, Founder and Executive Director, Girls Garage
Sasha Plotitsa, Founder and CEO, The Formr
Rashanda Udekwu, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Waymo (Formerly of CRI)

Event Surprise! We will unveil a limited-edition furniture piece designed by DJDS and Formr. Proceeds will benefit A New Way of Life, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and support for formerly incarcerated women.

Photo: Jordan Park

Sound Memories: A Global Dialogue on Preserving Memory Through Sound
2025-06-06 17:45 - 20:45 | Swissnex in San Francisco, Pier 17, Swissnex in SF, Pier 17, Suite 800, San Francisco, California, 94111, United States
Swissnex in San Francisco in collaboration with the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (MfGZ) presents “Sound Memories” – a hybrid event together with Swissnex in China exploring how technology can preserve and revive sound-related objects through audio visualization and design. This artist talk will shed light on new digital approaches to conservation, from reinterpreting historical sounds to creating contemporary ways of experiencing museum collections. By bridging art, design, and technology, the discussion will highlight how digital approaches can enhance accessibility, engagement, and the cultural significance of sound memories worldwide.

In the US, artists Asma Kazmi and Jill Miller are reimagining the “Electronic Memory – Model 80-1″ from the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (MfGZ) design collection.
In China, Yude Li is transforming the sound of Joachim Tielke’s Viola da Gamba from the decorative arts collection into audiovisual patterns inspired by Chinese cultural artifacts.

Join us for this unique opportunity to engage directly with artists and designers envisioning the future of sound preservation. Bring your curiosity, ask questions, and take part in a global dialogue on how technology is breathing new life into historical sound memories.
Schedule:

5:45 PM – Doors Open & Welcome Reception

7:00 PM – Opening Remarks by Swissnex and Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

7:15 PM – Artist & Curator Presentations

7:45 PM – Panel Discussion & Q&A

8:20 PM – Networking Reception

8:45 PM – Event Concludes

About the Organizers
Swissnex in San Francisco is an initiative of the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI). Our vision at Swissnex in San Francisco is to connect tomorrow by empowering the next generation of innovators to collaborate and create futures where the planet and society thrive.
As Switzerland’s leading museum for design and visual communication, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (MfGZ) is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. In collaboration with Swissnex, the museum is launching a global digital exhibition to engage with its renowned collection through the lens of designers and artists worldwide.
By attending our events, you agree to adhere to our event rules.

Atelier Tour and Talk with Diane Dorrans Saeks: ERICA TANOV AND THE ARTISTRY OF CONTEMPORARY TEXTILES
2025-06-06 18:00 - 20:00 | Erica Tanov Showroom | Atelier, Erica Tanov Showroom | Atelier, Berkeley, California, 94710, United States
In an intimate talk moderated by esteemed design writer Diane Dorrans Saeks, guests are invited into the tactile, poetic world of designer Erica Tanov. Celebrating the timeless elegance and personal artistry of Erica’s work, the evening offers a rare opportunity to tour the designer’s studio housed in an 1878 Italianate Victorian, and hear directly from the designer about her creative and collaborative process, her deep love of textiles—from the fine to the raw, hand loomed and printed to embroidered—and the lasting beauty she brings to every piece. Erica will be joined in conversation by Aarika Solanki, her lead workshop collaborator in India, who will be visiting from Jaipur.
Guests will be invited to tour the atelier, featuring curated spaces of her signature textiles, garments, wallpaper installations, and home objects. Through stories, and shared inspiration, this is a night of discovery and delight, revealing the quiet power of Erica’s vision—and the enduring, personal artistry that defines her collections.
About Diane Dorrans Saeks: Diane Dorrans Saeks is the bestselling author of twenty-five design books, including “Jean-Louis Denior Interiors”. She was a founding editor of Metropolitan Home and Garden Design magazines. DORRANS SAEKS is interior design editor for PaperCity and an editor with C MAGAZINE. She has long-standing creative relationships with leading California and international designers. @dianedorranssaeks
About Erica Tanov: For three decades, the name Erica Tanov has resonated with design connoisseurs across New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, embodying the essence of Californian relaxed luxury. From her iconic slip dresses and camisoles to an expansive array of clothing and home décor, the Erica Tanov brand has become a cherished staple among aficionados and industry insiders alike.
Photo credit: Molly Haas

Multimodal Creativity → Flowing Between Mediums
2025-06-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Problem Library, 1288 15th Ave, San Francisco, California, 94122, United States
Designer, 3D artist, and music producer Danny Jones invites you into the layered, unpredictable world of multimodal creativity.
In this talk, he’ll explore how multimodal creatives use AI, cross-disciplinary thinking, and taste to move fluidly between mediums, shaping new ways of working and building worlds that guide how we perceive and feel.
Danny’s work focuses on the fusion of graphic, product, and interactive design with the vast possibilities of 3D, highlighting the unnoticed beauty surrounding us. His expansive body of work incorporates the spontaneity of generative design, the vividness of photography, the depth of 3D, the expansiveness of spatial design, and the dynamism of animation. All of it serves to push the boundaries of what’s visually possible, weaving narratives that captivate and engage, inviting the viewer to see beyond the surface and into the soul of the unseen.
This talk opens a three-session workshop led by Danny, where participants will explore multimodal creativity and train their own personalized generative AI model. The series will culminate in a showcase of participant work—unexpected, experimental, and entirely their own.
See you there.
**
Doors at 6pm
Talk at 7pm
Learn more about the talk, Danny, and the workshop on the Problem Library website.

Formed by Us : A Women in Design SF Showcase
2025-06-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Gantri Studio, 320 10th Street, San Francisco, California, 94103, United States
Women in Design SF (WID) is teaming up with Gantri to host our second annual showcase at SF Design Week 2025!
The showcase will exhibit works from women, nonbinary, and gender-expansive designers from around the Bay Area. Each exhibit will respond to the SF Design Week theme of Reform.
Through the acts of designing and making, we are constantly reimagining and changing the world around us. WID is committed to creating space for the women+ design voices who play a vital role but may have been overlooked in the past. Come explore a range of unique design approaches and fresh perspectives that are shaping tomorrow’s design landscape. The evening will also feature a Designer Q&A to offer insight into the process and thinking behind the work.
Light refreshments will be provided.

Agenda

6:00pm Doors Open
7:00pm Designer Q&A
7:30pm Open Exhibit
9:30pm Doors Close

Come join us for an evening of connection, inspiration, and community building!
Image Source: Women in Design Showcase 2024

Design Impact. Reimagined
2025-06-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Box Clever, 285 7th Street, San Francisco, California, 94066, United States
In partnership with Box Clever, Design Burger returns to SFDW to present a specially curated event.
In a time of uncertainty, we need positive perspectives to help shine an optimistic light on a path forward for our profession and for new businesses looking to make positive change in the world. Hear from Joe Slatter (Design Burger, Co-Founder) and Bret Recor (Box Clever, Founder) as they share their thoughts on how their teams are creating positive impact through new approaches to design & business.
This special event will showcase a special Design Dialogues sketch series from the Box Clever team, who will be available to discuss their work and approach with guests. Drinks will be served, plus there will be a Box Clever Portfolio Showcase with several cool product giveaways to some lucky guests.
Thank you to our generous sponsors at Caraway, Aer, Fox Fold, and Irrigreen. Proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the next generation of designers, through the programs at CCA, Advanced Design, and IDSA.
We look forward to meeting everyone at the event!

Play Ethic Studio @ The Drawing Room Communal Table
2025-06-06 18:00 - 22:00 | The Drawing Room Annex, 599 Valencia St., San Francisco, California, 94110, United States
Friday nights, The Drawing Room Annex hosts a communal art table in their large gallery on Valencia St. It’s a space to create, connect, learn, and inspire one another.
Join Shasta Garcia of Play Ethic Studio to wind down your Friday in this Design Week edition of Communal Table. We’ll play with watercolors, handmade palettes, and basic drawing supplies. No painting experience is needed. Bring your big kid energy! This is time and space for play, experimentation, or trying something new. Shasta will be there to give mixing advice if you need it.
While visiting the gallery, you can also enjoy the latest exhibit installation.
This is a drop-in event. Come anytime, 6 pm – 10 pm.
Play Ethic Studio offers creativity coaching, design consulting, art workshops, and creativity tools. The studio supports creatives and the creatively curious. Shasta Garcia is a multidisciplinary designer, artist, and coach with 20+ years working in creative fields, along with a lifetime of deep exploration into art and craft mediums. Learn more at blog.playethic.studio
The Drawing Room Annex gallery space is positioned perfectly on the corner of 17th and Valencia Streets. Bathed in natural light from expansive corner windows, this particular space had been dormant for years. By transforming long-shuttered storefronts into dynamic gallery and community spaces, The Drawing Room not only showcase San Francisco’s diverse and vibrant artists but also revitalize dormant potential — bringing people, community, and engagement to spaces in need.

tools for after Opening Reception: Touring Exhibition from Rome
2025-06-06 18:30 - 20:30 | Italian Cultural Institute @INNOVIT, 710 Sansome St., San Francisco, CA, 94111, United States
The exhibition tools for after focuses on innovation within the Italian design culture through a display of objects, images and videos. What will the design and architecture of tomorrow look like? tools for after offers solutions to prevent―or to confront―the scenarios that the Anthropocene age has in store for us. The designer’s task is to envision the future. Envisioning is planning, and planning is what architects and designers do.

Step Into History: A Studio Visit & Surrealist Film Experience for SF Design Week
2025-06-06 19:15 - 21:30 | CIAO ART COLLECTIVE, 506 BROADWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 94133, United States
JOIN US FOR AN EXCLUSIVE SF DESIGN WEEK EVENT WHERE ART, HISTORY, AND CINEMA CONVERGE IN A ONE-OF-A-KIND ART SPACE VISIT.

THIS HISTORIC SPACE, ONCE A LEGENDARY NIGHTCLUB FROM THE 1930S TO 1999, NOW SERVES AS A CREATIVE HUB SHOWCASING LOCAL SAN FRANCISCO ARTISTS AND A CURATED COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL OUTFITS FROM THE CLUB’S FORMER PERFORMERS.
VISITORS WILL HAVE THE RARE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE THIS STORIED VENUE, IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN A PRIVATE COLLECTION OF ART, AND EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF SURREALIST CINEMA IN OUR INTIMATE IN-STUDIO SCREENING ROOM.
WE’LL BE SHOWING A SELECTION OF CLASSIC SURREALIST FILMS, INCLUDING:

UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1929) — LUIS BUÑUEL & SALVADOR DALÍ
L’ÉTOILE DE MER (1928) — MAN RAY
BALLET MÉCANIQUE (1924) — FERNAND LÉGER
ENTR’ACTE (1924) — RENÉ CLAIR

THIS EVENT IS BY RSVP ONLY, OFFERING AN INTIMATE CHANCE TO STEP INTO THE PAST, EXPERIENCE LOCAL ARTISTRY, AND WATCH CINEMATIC MASTERPIECES IN A TRULY UNIQUE SETTING.
COMPLIMENTARY DRINKS AND LIGHT SNACKS WILL BE PROVIDED.
DATE: JUNE 6TH, 2025
LOCATION: KEARNY AND BROADWAY – NORTH BEACH
RSVP REQUIRED (LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE)
WHETHER YOU’RE A LOVER OF DESIGN, FILM, HISTORY, OR ART, THIS EVENT IS A RARE CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE A PIECE OF SF’S CREATIVE AND CULTURAL LEGACY.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.

The Scent of Nostalgia: A Living Green Wall Within Reach
2025-06-07 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-06-08 09:00 - 17:00 | Aura Tea and Coffee at Rincon Plaza, 101 Spear Street Suite B5, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
Presented by Ovata

What if a wall could carry memory, scent, and greenery—all at once?

Inspired by the traditional Korean 병풍 Byung-poong (folding screen) , Ovata presents a site-flexible installation: a portable living wall composed of hinged, frame-based panels filled with California native plants. Spread throughout the event venue, these sculptural pieces are more than dividers—they are multi-sensory green moments that offer a breath of nature, evoke regional nostalgia, and serve as quiet visual anchors within the event energy.

Each panel transforms the space with natural scents, living textures , and a subtle reference to the cultural practice of honoring people and place. Think of it as a living scroll of memory and nature —brought into the present.

Rather than serving as a static backdrop, this installation gently guides the flow of people , encouraging organic circulation while shaping cozy niches for gathering, pausing, and connecting. Like a breeze through a forest, its layout invites movement and mingling while offering soft, intimate pockets of calm

Schedule:
No fixed schedule. The green wall installation is designed to be explored freely throughout the venue during the event.
This is a self-guided, standalone installation —no formal presentation.

Bonus Features:
– Portable green wall panels placed throughout the venue
– Designed with California native species
– QR codes on each panel to explore featured plants and their ecological stories
– Subtle natural fragrance in the air
– Visual and spatial flexibility to frame or divide areas
– Inspired by 병풍(Byung-poong) , traditional Korean folding screens

SFDW Co-Working Space with Rivian X Design Bay Area
2025-06-07 09:00 - 18:00, 2025-06-08 09:00 - 18:00 | Rivian, 340 Fell St, San Francisco, CA, 94102, United States
Need a workspace during SF Design Week? The Rivian Space in Hayes Valley is opening as a co-working studio with free, strong Wi-Fi and complimentary morning coffee. Plus, when you’re done working, you can get an up-close look at Rivian’s electric adventure vehicles—explore the features and even take one for a spin.

Surveying the History of Arts Education in San Francisco
2025-06-07 10:00 - 13:00 | Problem Library, 1288 15th Ave, San Francisco, California, 94122, United States
*** EVENT SOLD OUT***
Join Daniel Lucas (Education Director at Problem Library) and Nicole Meldahl (San Francisco historian and Executive Director of Western Neighborhoods Project) for a presentation and open conversation. Together, they’ll trace the origins, ethos, and contemporary resonance of San Francisco’s homegrown art schools.
San Francisco has a storied history of community-led arts education, from long-standing juggernauts like the California College of the Arts and the now-defunct San Francisco Art Institute, to influential experiments like the Alvarado School Art Workshop and The Rudolph Schaeffer School of Design. These schools and their associated scenes nurtured generations of artists, thinkers, and builders who shaped the global image of San Francisco as a cultural haven.
By revisiting these examples, we can draw lessons and inspiration about how to build similar spaces today. These histories sharpen our thinking as we consider: What are we offering young creatives today? What conditions are we creating for discovery, risk, and deep engagement? How do we build on the legacies of foundational institutions?
At its best, arts education is not just about individual development—it is a force that radiates out into the community, creating shared language, visions for the future, and a sense of continuity and heritage. More than schools, these spaces functioned as cultural incubators, sites of experimentation, and community anchors.
We’ll reflect on the people, places, and ideas that have shaped San Francisco’s creative foundation—and consider how that legacy might spark new possibilities in the present.
And we hope you’ll be part of this reminisce. If you’ve passed through any of these spaces—or helped shape them—your memories and reflections are part of the living history we’re gathering. After all, arts education in San Francisco has always grown through the spaces we’ve built together, the conversations we’ve kept alive, and the futures we’ve dared to imagine.

Marinship Open Studios
2025-06-07 11:00 - 17:00 | Marinship Studios, 265 Gate 5 Rd, Sausalito, California, 94965, United States
Discover the creative visions of Sausalito’s Marinship Studios artists at a unique Open Studio event. This is a special opportunity to explore the historic space and experience the talent that defines its vibrant community. Step into the studios, engage with the artists, and gain insight into their creative processes and sources of inspiration. See how each artist continues to carry forward the legacy of Marinship through their work.
Meet the artists at their workshops:

Simon Ungless & Jody Niederkohr – Collaborative textile bandits reimagining worn garments through custom printmaking and felting techniques. Simon was part of the original McQueen team and continues to make his mark on the industry, saving the world “one garment at a time.”
Jael LaFemina – Stone sculptor and master stonemason, Jael creates intimate and monumental sculptures for the garden inspired by the hidden stories within stone.
Susan McKinney – Ceramic and glass artist whose work reimagines the language of weaving through experimental processes. Her wall hangings and 3D sculptures explore the tension between the seen and unseen, evoking a sense of wonder rooted in the natural world
Jean Bolte – Former ILM effects artist now focused on her own art practice, consisting of 2D, 3D, and electronic work. She blends her cinematic roots with a beginner’s mindset and a limitless curiosity for materials and form.
Tania Houtzager – Sculpture and installation artist whose work investigates the physical and psychological structures of her environment.

Michael Lynch- After decades in the FX film industry, most of which was at the Model/Creature Shop at ILM Michael transitioned to full time Art making. The theme of his work is usually a blend of art, physics and natural science, represented in 2D and 3D

Barry Svigals – Visual artist, sculptor and architect, Barry’s current work of oil pastels on paper explores a realm between abstract markings and the suggestion of written script. In their communion, he aims to evoke a timeless longing for expression and bring it to life.
Maya Kini & Laura Lienhard – Jewelry artists at Varda Landing, Maya’s sculptural and poetic practice explores material transformation through precision and imperfection, while Laura draws on old-world techniques to craft elegant expressions of nature’s beauty in precious metals.
Mardi Burnham – Conceptual artist drawn to paper, porcelain and cloth. Often what one sees as my art is not actually what I am talking about, but rather a creation that communicates a specific meaning or experience to the viewer.

Pieces will be available for purchase, offering you the chance to bring home a one-of-a-kind creation. Parking is available on Gate 5 Road or in the guest spots at Varda Landing. We look forward to meeting you!

Clothing Swap: Rethinking Style & Sustainability at Dolores Park
2025-06-07 14:00 - 17:00 | Dolores Park, Dolores Park, SAN FRANCISCO, California, 94114, United States
Join us for a feel-good afternoon in the sun at Dolores Park as we host a Clothing Swap—a playful and sustainable way to rethink fashion and give garments a second life. Bring clothes you no longer wear and swap them for fresh finds as you connect with fellow design-minded folks over stories and secondhand style.
This event is inspired by the 2025 San Francisco Design Week theme of “Reform”, celebrating creative approaches to material reuse and personal expression through clothing. It’s part picnic, part swap, and all about community.
Whether you leave with a whole new wardrobe or just a snack in hand, you’ll leave with a new perspective on how we can extend the life of what we already have.

Schedule
•2:00 PM: Clothes Drop-off Begins
•2:30 PM: Clothing Swap Opens
•5:00 PM: Wrap-up + Leftover Donations Boxed
Other Details
•✨ Free and open to all
•? Bring clean, gently used clothes to swap (no purchase necessary)
•? All unclaimed clothes will be donated
•? Optional: participate in a mini photo shoot to show off your new look

Meet Your Hosts:
Amy Zhou
CTO, Taiyaki AI
Amy Zhou studied Product Design (B.S.) and Mechanical Engineering (M.S.) at Stanford University, where she honed her skills in material development and sustainable design. As a former Product Design Engineer at Apple, Amy led the transition away from leather accessories, spearheading the development of the FineWoven iPhone case—a project that earned her a patent and contributed to Apple winning PETA’s Company of the Year Award in 2023. With a deep passion for blending software and hardware solutions, she co-founded Taiyaki AI, where she serves as CTO. Beyond her technical achievements, Amy is an accomplished clarinetist and has won multiple national classical music competitions.
Elena Wagenmans
CEO, Taiyaki AI
Elena Wagenmans studied Product Design (B.S.) and Mechanical Engineering (M.S.) at Stanford University, where she was advised by David Kelley, the founder of IDEO and a pioneer in human-centered design. A two-time US Junior Open Winner and former international squash player, Elena led the Stanford team to its best performance ever and remains actively involved in coaching and promoting the sport. With experience as a product design engineer at Apple, she brings a passion for the intersection of software and hardware to her work. She is currently the co-founder and CEO of Taiyaki AI, where she combines her expertise in product design and AI-driven solutions to transform how ideas become reality.

Jessica Hische Open Studio
2025-06-07 14:00 - 18:00 | Jessica Hische Inc, 314 15th St, Oakland, 94612, United States
Join us at Jessica Hische Open House!
Jessica creates custom lettering artwork for established brands, classic books, postage stamps, and so much more. She has travelled the world speaking at creative conferences and colleges, and befriended innumerable internet strangers while navigating the depths of social media.
Jessica Hische & Friends is an art, books, and beautiful useful things shop in Downtown Oakland, California. Pop in to pick up a handmade print created on-site in my workshop and shop the curated collection of stationery, supplies, tools, and apparel that enable or inspire creativity.

Umber Talk Show
2025-06-07 15:00 - 18:00 | Mama Dog Studios, 700 26th St, OAKLAND, California, 94612, United States
Where culture’s creatives are the celebrities.
Umber is relaunching as a cultural media studio—expanding beyond print into live programming, editorial video, and digital storytelling. The Umber Talk Show serves as our first major step into this new phase, inviting audiences to experience Umber in motion, in real time.
The Umber Talk Show is a new cultural talk series spotlighting the brilliance of creatives across art, design, and music. Think late-night talk show vibes — through the lens of the diaspora. Hosted by Umber’s Founder & CEO, the night features intimate interviews with featured guests, a live musical performance, and our signature Group Chat—an unscripted conversation exploring creativity, culture, and design. This event also marks the beginning of a new chapter for Umber, with more to come in 2025.

Presented in collaboration with SF Design Week, Mama Dog Studios and Hemlock Printers
Guests:

April Banks – creator of Outlandish, worldbends her dream life into public art, activations, and print.
Damon Packwood – Game-based educator building tech pathways for diverse youth; creator of Gameheads
Vadia – Vocalist and songwriter inspiring empowerment through spiritual sound; #NoGraves

Each guest will also be featured in The Collage Issue of Umber magazine (Winter 2026).
The Show:

Doors + DJ Set by On.Mommas
Opening Monologue – Hosted by Mike Nicholls, Founder of Umber

Conversation with April Banks and Damon Packwood

Live Performance by Vadia
Artist Talk with Vadia – A short interview following the performance
Group Chat – All guests join for a collective conversation
Closing + DJ Set – Post-show vibes + community hangout

New Umber merch will be available. Light beverages provided

Reshaping Climate Through Design
2025-06-07 15:30 - 18:00 | Pact Studio, 1300 S VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, California, 94110, United States
*** EVENT SOLD OUT***
The climate problem must be addressed on all fronts. And while billions of public and private dollars are being poured into groundbreaking projects with the right intentions, there’s a massive space to fill between the ideas and technology that exist and the awareness, desirability, and adoption needed for swift, transformative change.
Join us for a series of lightning talks and a guided networking event where we’ll explore design’s role in filling the gap between idea and adoption in the climate space. Every design discipline has the potential to contribute to this imperative. From brand and communication to product and service to industrial and fashion, each one of us has tools and skills that are needed to accelerate the timeline to a transformed and thriving world.
This event is for designers and studio leaders who are interested in learning and sharing ideas about how to break into climate-focused opportunities, or how to bring more climate thinking into your current position.
Hosts
Pact Studio
Marc O’Brien
Speakers
Brand Design: Natalia Kowaleczko and Tony Mingo, Pact Studio
Industrial Design: Nichole Rouillac, level
UX Design: Grace Joseph, Google
Fashion Design: TBD
Agenda
3:30–3:45p Welcome
3:45–4:15p Lightning talks
4:15–5:00p Guided Networking
5:00–5:30p Recap
5:30–6:00p Wrap-up
Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

Coleccion Estudio's North America Launch
2025-06-07 16:00 - 20:00 | Private Showroom, 273 Church St, San Francisco, California, 94114, United States
The acclaimed Mexican brand makes its North American debut this June during San Francisco Design Week. Join us for an evening of design and conversation with the creators themselves—mezcal cocktails in hand and inspiring furniture all around.
Colección Estudio is a Mexico-based brand that creates high-end furniture, lighting, and accessories. They focus on pushing the boundaries of working with wood, creating unique and sophisticated pieces. The studio embraces a non-hierarchical relationship between craftsmanship, design, and art—believing these elements constantly inform and enrich one another. Inspired by local culture and traditions, each piece tells a story meant to come alive in the spaces we inhabit. Coleccion Estudio’s work has been showcased at renowned events such as Zona Maco (Mexico City), Salone del Mobile (Milan), and the London Design Fair.

Closer Than They Appear
2025-06-07 17:00 - 19:00 | re.riddle (Minnesota Street Project), 1275 Minnesota Street, San Francisco, California, 94107, United States
Join us for Opening Night of “Closer Than They Appear” a group exhibition co-presented by re.riddle and Anand Sheth.
Reflections, both literal and metaphorical, have long served as sites of inquiry within the history of representation. In Closer Than They Appear, Bay Area artists and designers work with mirrored and reflective materials not only as optical devices but also philosophical provocations — tools for examining how we come to recognize ourselves in images, or fail to.
The exhibition’s title, Closer Than They Appear, underscores both the laws of physics and metaphorically how reflections might inform us about proximity — of intimacy made strange, enacting a kind of call-and-response with the viewer’s self-imaging. This exhibition draws upon the spatial and psychological dimensions of the mirror, what Lacan famously termed the méconnaissance of the mirror stage, to explore how reflection can mislead, multiply, or undo perception altogether. In this context, reflection becomes sculptural, spatial, and social — shaped by the histories embedded in our physicality and the politics of perception.
Through multimedia works, sculpture, paintings and installations, the artists engage with the reflective surface as an active site, where the gaze can loop, inform, reframe and deflect. The mirror becomes less a surface and more a contingent space where vision and narratives merge, reflecting and rebounding at times in curious rhythms. From polished geometries to fragmented surfaces, the works on view refract, redirect, and propose alternate ways of seeing. They recalibrate light and space as material entities, engineering a circuit that can only be completed by the viewer’s gaze. The mirrored encounters suggest that perception is never stable, that recognition is often partial, and that the self is assembled through acts of misalignment as much as coherence. Is this not, after all, the condition of modern subjectivity — fractured, recursive, and mediated through experiences that both produce and obscure recognition?

IDC x Layer Logic: Kickoff Event @ Makelab
2025-06-07 18:30 - 21:00 | Makelab, 2940 16th St, San Francisco, California, 94103, United States
The IDC x Layer Logic: Kickoff Event @Makelab sets the stage for this year’s International Design Conference (IDC) and officially launches the 2025 Layer Logic Design Competition. Hosted at Makelab’s San Francisco location in collaboration with IDSA, the evening will bring together designers, engineers, and past competition participants for a night of connection, insight, and inspiration.
We’ll unveil the Layer Logic 2025 design brief, provide details on submission criteria and judging, and share how this year’s theme ties into the broader IDC mission. Hear from past participants, connect with IDSA members, and tour Makelab’s SF location.
Whether you’re planning to submit or simply want to plug into San Francisco’s design community, this is the moment to get involved and kick things off strong.
Highlights include:

Reveal of the 2025 Layer Logic competition
Network with past participants and judges
Networking with IDSA members, designers, and engineers
Drinks, light bites, and community building

Pact Studio Happy Hour
2025-06-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Pact Studio, 1300 S VAN NESS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, California, 94110, United States
*** EVENT SOLD OUT***
Pact is a creative practice hellbent on building brands that push sustainability, knowledge, and culture forward. And, we’re the proud design partner for San Francisco Design Week 2025!
Join us at our Mission studio for a happy hour to say hello, learn more about us, learn more about each other, and share stories and ideas about reform.
Refreshments and light snacks will be provided.
