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DESIGN WEEK RI 2026
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Events Calendar

The DESIGN WEEK RI 2026 Events Calendar

What is DESIGN WEEK RI? +

DESIGN WEEK RI is the annual celebration of design featuring Rhode Island designers and entrepreneurs. The 13th Annual DESIGN WEEK RI brings you 6 days of events! Each year, DESIGN WEEK RI offers talks, tours, workshops, parties, and more that showcase the design talent across Rhode Island – featuring and hosted by our many partners and design friends. Below, you can filter by event type, date, and location to find the perfect activities for you. Then, click “Learn More” to see an event’s full details and reserve your spot!

September 10 | 5:30 PM

Moniker Brewery | 432 W Fountain St, Providence, RI 02903

Networking Hour with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses

Arrive ahead of the Kickoff Party for a networking hour hosted by Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. Connect with fellow designers, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals, learn about Goldman Sachs' nationally recognized business education program, and expand your professional network before the official program begins.

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September 10 | 6:00 PM

Moniker Brewery | 432 W Fountain St, Providence, RI 02903

The Kickoff Party

Celebrate the launch of the 13th annual DESIGN WEEK RI with an evening of networking, local craft beer, and a first look at this year's statewide celebration of design.

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September 14 | 10:00 AM

Pembroke Hall | 172 Meeting St, Room 202, Providence, RI 02912

Beyond the Brief: Mapping the Design Process from Concept to Completion

Join us for a session on the cognitive process behind visual design, moving past the final export and diving into the non-linear journey of design thinking. Whether you’re a seasoned creative or a curious problem-solver, this session will explore how our team at Brown approaches a new project.

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September 14 | 5:00 PM

Buttonwoods Brewery | 50 Sims Avenue, Providence, RI 02909

Why We Design: Tales from the Field

Join the Rhode Island User Experience Collective for an exciting evening of networking and short, impactful talks from designers about what, and who, drives us to do what we do. Attendees will have time to network with fellow designers, enjoy some snacks, and hear from their peers about what motivates them to show up every day.

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September 14 | 6:30 PM

ISCO | 1 Sims Ave, Providence, RI 02909

Designed by Systems: How the World We Move Through Shapes What We Make

Join OCTO PD for a panel and live audience discussion on how our daily encounters with machine systems - transit, institutions, cities, platforms, AI, workplaces, shape behavior, sharpen design intuition, and quietly author the technologies that come next.

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October 20 | 9:30 AM

The Alcove | 189 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909

Portrait Mode: Creating and Understanding Portraits

Portrait Mode is a facilitated, interactive morning of learning and creation! We will begin by exploring the role of portraiture—how it shapes memory, identity, and legacy—followed by a hands on self portrait session.

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November 8 | 12:00 PM

The Style Studio | 174 Bellevue Ave, Suite 300, Newport, RI 02840

The Sustainable Stylist: Curating Your 2026 Capsule

Elevate your style while protecting the planet by building a timeless, eco-friendly wardrobe right here in Newport. Save money, reduce textile waste, and score unique, high-quality pieces locally.

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September 15 | 12:00 PM

Lumetta | 33 Minnesota Ave, Warwick, RI 02888

Illuminating Design: A Hands-On Journey with Lumetta Lighting Design & Manufacturing

Step behind the scenes and immerse yourself in the art and science of premium luminaire design and manufacturing with Lumetta. This interactive tour offers a unique opportunity to witness firsthand the journey of a Lumetta light, from initial concept to finished product.

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September 15 | 4:30 PM

KITE Architects Studio | 1 Central Street, Providence, RI 02907

Architectural Model Making: Lost and Future Art

Join KITE Architects for this open studio event that brings the evolution of architectural model making to life through live demonstrations. Drawing from KITE’s 50-year archive, the event invites the public to experience how physical and digital models shape the design process, revealing the craftsmanship, technology, and experimentation behind contemporary architecture.

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September 15 | 5:30 PM

DWRI Letterpress | 40 Rice Street, Providence, RI 02907

Tour a Vital Printing Press

Join DWRI Letterpress founder, Dan Wood, on a tour of the shop. Learn about letterpress printing traditions and see Dan's collection of historical printing presses and equipment. The shop using traditional and contemporary techniques to craft personal stationery, small run books, fine art editioning, posters and more.

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September 15 | 6:00 PM

JohnnyCakes Design | 378 Broadway, Providence, RI 02909

Behind the Zhush: Taking Your Space from Womp to WHOA!

Is your space feeling a little *womp*? In this workshop we'll take you behind the zhush to better understand key elements of design including color, scale, materials, layout, and more to give you the tools for thinking about your own spaces.

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September 16 | 9:30 AM

Roosevelt Lake in Roger Williams Park | Pine Hill Ave, Providence, RI 02907

Co-Creating Living Infrastructure Through Citizen Science

Step into Roger Williams Park and experience ecological design at full scale! BIOPOD is a Rhode Island-founded consultancy that deploys modular, mycelium-based floating wetlands to restore urban waterways, and this guided site tour puts you directly inside a live 20-unit installation. You'll walk the water's edge, examine real water samples, and learn how mycelium, plant roots, and microbial communities work together to filter pollutants, build habitat, and treat biology itself as a co-creator.

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September 16 | 12:00 PM

RISD Museum | 20 North Main St, Providence, RI 02903

Finding Your Way: Reconceiving Wayfinding at the RISD Museum

This session with members of the RISD Museum design team will dive into the complexities of creating design systems within multifaceted institutions, why user testers are necessary, and what visitors really need.

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September 16 | 12:00 PM

RISD | 20 Washington Place, Providence, RI 02903

The Long Table at RISD: A Public Studio for Community Exchange

The Long Table at RISD: A Public Studio for Community Exchange invites the greater Providence and Rhode Island community into a participatory space for dialogue, drawing, mapping, and shared inquiry. As part of a day-long Design Day, the table will serve as a living archive and gathering point, helping participants surface connections and imagine what might continue beyond the event.

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September 17 | 12:00 PM

(add)ventures | 20 Risho Ave, East Providence, RI 02914

Introduction to Virtual Production: Lunch and Learn

Step inside the future of content creation with a behind-the-scenes look at virtual production, hosted by Jenna Rezendes, Executive Producer at (add)ventures. Explore the transformative technology reshaping storytelling and branding. Whether you’re a curious first-timer or a seasoned creative, this is your chance to connect, learn and be inspired.

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September 17 | 2:00 PM

CIC | 225 Dyer St, Providence, RI 02903

The Hidden Systems Behind Great Design

Join DM Engineers for an engaging Design Week RI conversation exploring the unseen engineering systems that shape comfort, sustainability, performance, and the overall user experience within the built environment. This interactive event brings together architects, engineers, designers, and industry professionals to discuss how collaboration and integrated design help bring great spaces to life.

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September 17 | 5:30 PM

Amigos Taqueria y Tequila | 2 Canal St, Westerly, RI 02891

Rhode Island Minorities in Architecture & Design Meetup

Join RIMiAD on Thursday, September 17th at 5:30pm at Amigos Taqueria y Tequila in Westerly for apps, drinks, and great conversation. RIMiAD is dedicated to supporting minority designers by creating space for them to meet a great networking support system while supporting RI's local minority owned restaurants.

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September 17 | 7:00 PM

The UNITED Theatre | 5 Canal St, Westerly, RI 02891

[POSTPONED] Designing Spaces to Gather: The Irreplaceable Role of Live Arts in the Age of AI

As AI tools make it easier than ever to create music, art, and film from a bedroom or a laptop, a fundamental question emerges: what do we lose when we stop showing up for each other? This panel brings together artists, educators, technologists, and community leaders to make the case for the live, in-person arts experience as a necessary counterweight to the atomization of creative life.

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Providence Place Mall | One Providence Place, Providence, RI 02903

Big Box, Bigger Dreams: Designing the Future of Providence Place

Providence Place Mall is endangered, indebted, and full of possibility. Join us to imagine what comes next. This walking design charette will be led by Emily Bryant and Caroline Stevens, both seasoned guides in public humanities and urban dialogue, alongside artist Michael Townsend, who once built a hidden apartment inside the mall itself. Now is the time to dream out loud. The city is listening.

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September 18 | 6:00 PM

Anyhow Studio | 25 Acorn St, Providence, RI 02903

Anyhow Studio’s Most Excellent Pottery Throwdown: THE SEQUEL!

Eat, drink, reconnect with all your favorite DESIGN WEEK RI pals, and watch Rhode Island’s boldest ceramicists throw down for the crown! Will our potters prevail in rapid fire challenges, or will their work flop on the wheel?? Come through DESIGN WEEK RI’s no-holds-barred closing party to find out!

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DESIGN WEEK RI 2025

DESIGN WEEK RI 2024

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

27 Sims Ave, Providence, RI 02909

The Steel Yard

Industrial Design

The Steel Yard has welding, jewelry, blacksmithing and ceramics studios, which accommodate resident artists, open studios and classes. The public can expect to see working artists using this equipment to fabricate and create a variety of art objects.

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

3 Acorn St, Providence, RI 02903

Bidon Community Print & Design Studio

Graphic Design

Founded by Raynold Jacques Bidon, an artist and master print maker with more than 30 years of experience in the commercial print industry, Bidon Community Print & Design Studios provides custom letterpress and offset lithography services.

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

95 Hathaway St, STE 26, Providence, RI 02907

A.M. Design and Fabrication, LLC

Architectural Design

Founded by Alaina Mahoney, A.M. Design and Fabrication, LLC is an ornamental metal shop specializing in architectural detail preservation and art fabrication.

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

3 Acorn St, Providence, RI 02903

Olefson Art Opticals

Product Design

Olefson Art Opticals sells handmade and hand finished eyeglass frames with frames that you cannot find at any optical shop and the largest selection of readers in RI.

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

1 Governor St, Providence, RI 02906

Rustigian Rugs

Gallery | Interior Design

Family owned and operated since 1930, Rustigian Rugs is a rug gallery and designer carpeting showroom specializing in a curated collection of beautiful internationally sourced handwoven rugs and luxury carpeting.

November 6 | 11:00 AM-3:00 PM

131 Washington St, Providence, RI 02903