Meet Santiago Piedrafita, instructor for the TECH TYPE HIGH workshop on May 5. Santiago is an enthusiastic design educator, serving as the current chair of Graphic Design and Industrial Design at NC State University's College of Design, and an active designer.
Registration is currently open for TECH TYPE HIGH. More information, including the registration form can be found here. TECH TYPE HIGH is open to rising 9–12 grade students.
Let's check out what Santiago has to say about his work, the workshop, and what inspires him to do what he does:
What do you do?
I work as a designer and also teach design at the College of Design at NC State. And I also keep busy with the study with all manner and matters related and unrelated to design—one never stops learning.
How did you get to where you are today (in three sentences or less)?
I was born in Uruguay (small), but I grew up in Brazil (big); Rio, to be precise. I have lived in the US for quite a while now (New York, Minneapolis, and now Raleigh). A designer for that long stretch mainly at cultural institutions and a handful of design studios, plus a design teacher in higher-education for half of that.
Why are you teaching this workshop?
I like good ideas and understanding how to help them come about. Workshops are quick and to-the-point, so this brings them out, fast-and-furious, no matter what. In everyone. It is also great to work with new people for a day. New people, new ideas, one can easily argue (like a special-ops crew on a mission put together to solve an impossible problem, if I can think of an extreme scenario to make my point). I also like to think that a taste of design early is a good thing for most, if not everyone.
What can participants expect to do, learn, or make in your workshop?
I think participants will have a chance to both "think-and-make" (one should not go without the other; a package deal). I also want for participants to consider and engage with typically-seen-as-distinct concepts and categories. Say, low-tech and high-tech; analog and digital; hand-made and machine-made; language and image; content and form. I find much value is to be found in this approach, leading to interesting work.
What's your favorite material?
I know this is going to sound odd, but I like words. Language, that is. It's both immaterial (voice, story, message, etc.) and material (handwriting/lettering, typeface … and texting too!).
Favorite color or color palette?
I like orange and green when they come together. A bright orange and a bright green, that is. Also, light blue, gray and white. And, ...
Best thing you've ever made?
I once designed graphics for an airplane … month later, out of the blue, I saw it flying across the sky. I told my friend then and there: "look, look … I designed that!"
Favorite place?
That depends on the time of day!
Favorite designer (and why)?
Bruno Munari (google him). Because he believed that design and creativity were innate; and fun and serious all at the same time.
Favorite artist (and why)?
Can I choose three? Rineke Dijkstra, Thomas Struth, and Katharina Fritsch (the first two are photographers, the last a sculptor of sorts).
Most important thing to remember when desiging/making?
Have an open mind (why and why not?) > ask good questions (is it useful? is it beautiful? is it good for you and others?) > have faith in the process (take your time when/where needed) > finish what you started (closure is good, even if tentative and/or temporary).
Favorite object or tool (and why)?
I have a soft spot for bicycles. As for tools, I cannot imagine life without tape measurers.
Anything else we should know?
Know thyself, as they say.
Want to sign up for the workshop? All the information needed, including registration forms, is available here.
Check out all our high school programs here.
Paul Hobgood will be team-teaching the upcoming Architecture Skills workshop with Rebecca Necessary. Participants will learn some of the tricks of the trade, and best methods for drawing and building models. Paul works as a design architect at Kenneth Hobgood, Architects. He is also a graduate of NC State University College of Design, where he received a Masters of Architecture.
Get the workshop details, and download the registration form here. Want to learn about Rebecca? Read her responses here.
What do you do?
I’m an architect.
How did you get to where you are today (in three sentences or less)?
Took a circuitous route. I tried a variety of careers but Architecture/Design was always in my blood. My father and brother are both Architects-I guess it was inevitable.
Why are you teaching this workshop?
It’s really gratifying to see young people respond to design and the creative process. Growing up I was always intimated by the profession-I assumed you needed to be a mathematician to be an architect. I think a lot of people have creative potential, they just don’t realize it.
What can participants expect to do, learn, or make in your workshop?
See Rebecca’s response.
What's your favorite material?
Wood.
Favorite color or color palette?
Greys and greens.
Best thing you've ever made?
Mega Shutter for a friends storefront in Brooklyn.
Favorite place?
The coast of NC.
Favorite designer (and why)?
Maarten Van Severen—because he boiled everything down to its essence. There were never any wasted moves—nothing gratuitous.
Favorite artist (and why)?
Damien Hirst. There is definitely an architectural quality to a lot of his work-but I’m fascinated with the way he takes inanimate objects and presents them in a new light. He’s conceptual while being both clinical and scientific in his approach.
Most important thing to remember when designing/making?
To be patient.
Favorite object or tool (and why)?
Japanese saws. They are beautiful and functional.
Katherine Diguid is teaching the third workshop in our textile skill-building workshop series: Introduction to Embroidery. She also taught the "Learn to Knit" which was held in February. Workshop registration is currently open for this class, more information is available here.
Katherine Diuguid is an artist/designer and teacher. She recently graduated with her Master of Art and Design from NC State University concentrating in Fibers and Textiles. She also earned a Bachelor of Industrial Design from North Carolina State University and an Associate of Applied Science in Fashion Design from Parsons in New York. She currently teaches in the Department of Art + Design at NC State University. She continues her exploration of hand dressmaking and metal thread hand embroidery history and technique as well as learning new embroidery techniques.
What do you do?
I specialize in hand embroidery and hand dressmaking.
How did you get to where you are today (in three sentences or less)?
I love learning and have tried to continue my research and craft of hand embroidery and dressmaking.
Why are you teaching this workshop?
I love stitching and I love stitching with others and seeing the amazing way they use stitches to express themselves.
What can participants expect to do, learn, or make in your workshop?
In the Intro to Embroidery workshop, participants will learn the basic embroidery stitches to use to create their own design.
What's your favorite material?
Either metal threads or silk.
Favorite color or color palette?
My favorite color is green, all shades of green! My favorite color palette is either white + ivory or a Rococo pastel palette.
Best thing you've ever made?
My favorite thing I've ever made is my wedding dress. The "best" thing I've ever made is the gown for my Master's final project.
Favorite place?
Greenwood Lake, NJ. It is the most amazing and peaceful place I have ever been.
Favorite designer (and why)?
Alexander McQueen and Jeanne Lanvin. Both designers exemplify the mastery of the craft of garment making and utilize embellishment in beautiful ways.
Most important thing to remember when desiging/making?
You always have to remember that the process of making and designing a piece is a conversation between you and your materials- what will they do? what do they want to do? what can you force them to do? do you want to force your materials or work with their natural characteristics?
Favorite object or tool (and why)?
My dog Jenson! He's such a sweet puppy! He lays right next to me when I stitch or sits on his chair and looks out the window in my studio when I'm working.
Sign up for the workshop today!
Rebecca Necessary will be team-teaching the upcoming Architecture Skills workshop with Paul Hobgood. Participants will learn some of the tricks of the trade, and best methods for drawing and building models. Rebecca is a graduate of NC State University College of Design, where she received a Masters of Architecture. She stays busy working as a project designer and teaches a sophomore studio at NCSU. Rebecca also taught last summer's Spaces and Places week-long Studio.
Get the workshop details, and download the registration form here.
What do you do?
I am a project designer for a local architecture firm (working towards becoming a licensed architect) and I teach undergraduate architecture studios at NC State. I also take a lot of photographs.
How did you get to where you are today (in three sentences or less)?
I took the time to figure out what I really wanted to do... what I was truly most passionate about. I then worked really hard, stayed focused, and kept my eyes open. I still have a lot to learn.
Why are you teaching this workshop?
Young minds are an amazing source of inspiration for me. The enthusiasm they bring to any subject is really refreshing. I also love to teach youth what architecture is all about and what we really do as architects.
What can participants expect to do, learn, or make in your workshop?
In this workshop, students can expect to learn more about architectural drawings and model making. They will learn what tools we use, the different types of drawings and models we make, and then learn some basic drawing skills, as well as build a model.
What's your favorite material?
Wood. I love its versatility, its texture, and the warmth it can provide a space.
Favorite color or color palette?
Gray.... and white.
Best thing you've ever made?
My house. My husband and I designed and built an addition and extensive renovation to our house here in Raleigh. It's far from perfect, and there are many things I want to change about it, but when I think of all I learned and how much I grew as a designer during the process, I am very proud. It's still in progress (and will likely be in progress forever), but it's definitely the best thing I've made... yet.
Favorite place?
Anywhere by the sea. The mountains of NC are a close second.
Favorite designer (and why)?
It might sound cheesy, but the classics are all hard to beat... Alvar Aalto, Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson. They all designed objects and furniture that is so timeless and well designed that it is still copied and replicated today. Someone who is still practicing that I admire a lot is John Pawson. Of course then there is Steve Jobs. Plus all the designers behind MUJI. It's too hard to name to just one!
Favorite artist (and why)?
Also a tough question to name just one, but I tend to often land on Richard Diebenkorn. I love his choice of color in all his work. The ordered and linear nature of his abstract pieces really appeals to the architect in me, but I also love his landscape and figure pieces for the way they blur the line between abstract and real. His work never gets old to me.
Most important thing to remember when desiging/making?
Whatever you're making or designing is never really finished... or maybe that's just what I tell myself because I tend to have a hard time finishing anything.
Favorite object or tool (and why)?
My cameras...fancy, cheap, iphone, all of them. They help me define my view of the world and capture it as I see it. My photos are really an extension of who I am. I take A LOT of photos.
Anything else we should know?
I am a chronic procrastinator. One day I will overcome it...
Click on any image to see it larger.
Stay tuned for an interview with Rebecca's co-teacher, Paul Hobgood, next week!
Hal Meeks is a Raleigh-based artist and designer, and will be teaching Saturday's Stop Motion Animation workshop. He recently graduated from the Masters of Art + Design program at NC State University College of Design, focusing on New Media. He also works at NCSU as a digital media consultant. Hal has taught numerous sessions of Design Camp, where he has perfected the art of teaching students to make amazing stop motion films in just one day. Besides walking away with a finished (short) film, Hal's project teaches fundamentals of visual storytelling, beginning with the importance of making storyboards to get started.
In the Stop Motion Animation workshop, middle school students will work with a variety of materials to put together a short stop motion animation. Along the way, they will learn to tell visual stories and make movies. We will bring objects and drawings to life!
There are a few spots remaining in Saturday's workshop. The registration form is available here. If you'd like us to save you a space, just give us a call at 919-513-8153.
Here's what Hal has to say:
What do you do?
I teach workshops and work as a digital media consultant for NC State University. I take an insane number of photographs and video. I make stuff.
How did you get to where you are today?
I took a film production class in college because it sounded like fun. I messed around with computers, musical instruments and other stuff.
Why are you teaching this workshop?
Because visual communication and narratives are such a big part of how we communicate today. We are wired for it. It is why our cell phones have cameras.
What can participants expect to do, learn, or make in your workshop?
Plan, build and make a short stop motion animation with sound using storyboarding found materials and a dash of digital tools. At the end the students will have some idea of what goes into making a short movie, plus they will have a finished thing. It can tell a story or do something else. It's their decision.
What's your favorite material?
I love polyureathane foam. Pieces of semi-functional or broken electronic gear. I like sharpies and paper too.
Favorite color or color palette?
Orange and yellow.
Best thing you've ever made?
The thing I am happiest with is a short documentary I shot of a friend of mine who made some plastic parts from a drawing to a finished object. It is too long and boring, but I still like looking at it because what he is doing is a form of magic.
Favorite place?
Paris, San Francisco and Booth Bay Harbor Maine.
Favorite designer?
Rey and Charles Eames, because they took commonplace materials and elevated them. Plus they made some neat films
Favorite artist?
Wow. That's tough. Andy Warhol. Carvaggio. Kadinsky. Raschenberg. Brian Eno. John Cage.
John Cage was a revelation for me. I spent a lot of time messing with tape recorders and home-made electronic instruments, and found that what I was doing had been done by others. It was a relief.
Most important thing to remember when desigming/making?
Cut out the noise. Unless the point is the noise. In that case, push it until it breaks.
Favorite object or tool?
My iphone. It is always full of pictures and video.
Anything else we should know?
I love teaching because I love making stuff and learning from others who make stuff.
