Reflecting on Indigenous Peoples’ Day

  1. Te Hauāuru Reserve — Westgate Town Park, Designed by Isthmus Group, 2020 Merit

  2. Westpac Place, Designed by THERE, 2020 Merit

  3. Sydney Foreshore Culture Walkway, Designed by a University of Technology Sydney Student, 2018 Finalist

  4. Lenses on the Sky, Designed by plus & greater than, Merit 2019 and Finalist 2018

  5. Who, Like Me, Is Threatened? Designed by Second Story, part of Publicis, Sylvia Harris and Merit 2017

  6. Plazas Las Americas, Designed by CallisonRTKL, Merit 2001

This past Monday, the SEGD staff celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day with many others across our country and the world. However we recognize that we should be bringing topics of Indigenous Peoples’ to the forefront year round. Here is a list of resources that we found provided some insights;

For Indigenous Peoples’ day Smithsonian’s National Museum of the Native American put together an article on Five Ideas for Celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ day in 2020. This has creative ways of celebrating virtually or in your home while we are experiencing a pandemic.

This Communication Art’s piece, Decolonizing Native American Design, talks about how Native American cultures have been appropriated in the design world. The article goes further to describe how we as designers should educate ourselves if our design involves a specific tribal culture, and how the design community can be more inclusive of Indigenous cultures.

Another piece by AIGA Eye on Design focuses on What Designers Can Learn from Indigenous Communities Fighting Climate Change. This article talks with “three creative practitioners who use design as a tool to highlight the relationship of Indigenous people and the land.”

Looking for projects that are examples of incorporating Indigenous communities into the design and development process?

This article from The Conversation takes a look at the Ten classics of Indigenous design. It chronicles the exhibition entitled Blak Design Matters, which asks people to reflect on “other iconic Indigenous expressions of “design” throughout our history.”

During Week 2 of SEGD’s E+E month we explored the Junipero Serra Museum with C&G’s Keith Helmetag that brings the narratives of the Indigenous community in California to light.

There are also several projects in the Global Design Awards archive that celebrate and incorporate stories of Indigenous People.