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2024 DESIGN WEEK Events Calendar

What is DESIGN WEEK RI? +

The 11th Annual DESIGN WEEK RI brings you 8 days of events! DESIGN WEEK RI is the annual celebration of design featuring Rhode Island designers and entrepreneurs!

Each year, DESIGN WEEK RI offers talks, tours, panel discussions, parties, and more that showcase the design talent across Rhode Island – featuring and hosted by our many partners and design friends.

Friday, Sept. 13

design x RI's tenth anniversary banner image

Friday, September 13
1:00-5:00 PM
Providence

Friday Open Studios – Providence

Explore the spaces and work of 8 incredible designers and creatives in Providence, RI. Click the button below for the full list of studios.

design x RI's tenth anniversary banner image

Friday, September 13
5:00-8:00 PM
Providence

Kickoff Party

Join DESIGNxRI in partnership with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses and the Rhode Island design community at Moniker Brewery in Providence to celebrate the start of DESIGN WEEK RI!

Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 14-15

design x RI's tenth anniversary banner image

Saturday, September 14
10:00 AM-9:00 PM
Northern RI

Saturday Open Studios – Northern RI

Check out the spaces and work of nearly 30 incredible designers and creatives in northern Rhode Island. Click the button below for the full list of studios.

design x RI's tenth anniversary banner image

Sunday, September 15
10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Southern RI

Sunday Open Studios – Southern RI

Visit the spaces and view the work of over 20 incredible designers and creatives in southern Rhode Island. Click the button below for the full list of studios.

Monday, Sept. 16

Monday, September 16
10:00-11:15 AM
Providence

The Blended House Approach to Branding: Developing sub-brands at Brown University

Participate in a refreshing discussion on Brown’s blended house approach in the development of sub-brands within the architecture of the existing parent brand. You’ll learn how, in collaboration with other teams, the Creative Services team develop and deliver professional, on-brand visual identities for units around the University.

Monday, September 16
12:00-4:00 PM
Providence

[CANCELED] Community Craft Quilt at AUNTY’S HOUSE!

AUNTY’S HOUSE is opening its doors to welcome everyone for a day of creative fun with our community collage tapestry!

Monday, September 16
5:00–6:30 PM
Providence

Economics of Design: How Industry Looks at Design

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion exploring why designers need to move outside their comfort zone and into the business zone.

Monday, September 16
6:30-8:00 PM
Cranston

Ancient Techniques, Modern Artifacts: A Look into the Process of Creating Cast Iron Cookware

Come learn about how cast iron cookware is made! See examples of pieces in progress, learn the science of seasoning, and take the opportunity to walk away with factory seconds at deep discounts!

Tuesday, Sept. 17

Tuesday, September 17
12:30-1:30 PM
Providence

Materials Compass: A Guide to the Maze of Healthy, Sustainable Materials

Healthy and Sustainable Building Materials Workshop: Join us as we take a deep dive into the best healthy, sustainable and ethically sourced materials for the built environment. We will review case studies and research that explains why its so important to use materials that are good for people and planet, and provide resources to help in tracking materials from their raw ingredients to fabrication. Lunch offerings will be provided.

Tuesday, September 17
6:30-8:30 PM
Providence

Keynote Speaker: The Artist Who Designed Hip-Hop’s Visual Language

Come hear Cey Adams, the founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings! Presented with the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Wednesday, Sept. 18

Wednesday, September 18
10:30-11:30 AM
Providence

Zhush It Up! Blending Vintage into Your Designs & Staging

Do you want to create a contemporary space that doesn’t feel “out of the box” or like someone else’s Pinterest board? Then join us for an interactive talk where we’ll use vintage and contemporary pieces to demonstrate how you can blend eras and styles to zhush up a space!

Wednesday, September 18
1:30-3:30 PM
Pawtucket

Designing a Successful Pop-up: An Interactive Session to Envision and Design the Next Pop-up for your Business

An insightful and interactive networking and panel discussion event tailored for entrepreneurs, small business owners, designers and marketers. Discover the power of pop-up shops through a dynamic panel of industry leaders and network breakout sessions.

Wednesday, September 18
4:00–6:00 PM
Providence

Protecting Your Artistic Creations & Proprietary Knowledge

A discussion on how patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets are important even if you never considered protecting such rights.

Wednesday, September 18
6:00-8:00 PM
East Greenwich

The Evolution of Industrial Design: Driving forces that shaped our world

Matthew Bird will present the history of power in a way that connects what we think of as distinct technologies (wind, water, steam, fuel, even human and goat) and explores their shared history.

Thursday, Sept. 19

Thursday, September 19
9:30-11:00 AM

Urban Landscapes: Design Strategies, Implementation, and Management

Landscape Architect Adam E. Anderson will lead a tour of three urban landscape projects: The Dune Brothers Garden, Living Edge, and Ship Street Garden, completed by his Landscape Architecture office Design Under Sky.

Thursday, September 19
1:30-2:30 PM
East Providence

Reel Virtual: Live Demo at the First Virtual Production Studio in New England

The first virtual production studio to open in New England welcomes DESIGN WEEK RI attendees and the creative community to a live demo of our studio.

Thursday, September 19
3:00–5:00 PM
Providence

Open Studio Tour of iolabs’ Exhibition and Decor Innovation

Come to the iolabs studio tour to learn how we help clients realize their art, images and branding needs in the physical world, using innovative materials and technology, and a keen sense of thoughtful, custom fabrication and expert craftsmanship.

Thursday, September 19
4:00-8:00 PM
Providence

RISD Arts Innovation Research (AIR) Showcase

Rhode Island School of Design presents its inaugural showcase of Arts Innovation Research in collaboration with Venture Cafe Providence. This interactive event exhibits the exciting ways that artists and designers investigate and innovate through interdisciplinary methods that combine art and design practices with science, emerging technology, industrial, health, Indigenous, and human-centered methodologies to address regional and global concerns.

Thursday, September 19
Begins at 5PM
Providence

Gallery Night PVD x DESIGN WEEK RI

Tour galleries & studios across Providence, including six Catalyst Alumni spaces.

Thursday, September 19
6:00-8:00 PM
Central Falls

RIMiAD Minority Meetup

Our meetup events bring professionals and college students together every other month and are hosted at minority-owned businesses throughout the state.

Friday, Sept. 20

Friday, September 20
8:30 AM-5:00 PM
Providence

Park(ing) Day: a global project to repurpose curbside parking spaces

Park(ing) day is a global, public, participatory project where people across the world temporarily repurpose curbside parking spaces and convert them into public parks and social spaces to advocate for safer, greener, and more equitable streets for people.

Friday, September 20
4:30-8:00 PM
Providence

WEEK NIGHT

Meet us in the park to celebrate! DESIGN WEEK RI, RI Fashion Week, and RI Startup Week collide with music, food trucks, and a runway show!

Post-Design Week

Saturday, September 14 – Sunday, October 6

Scandalous Conduct: A Fairy Extravaganza

Created by Providence-based artist duo Jason Tranchida and Matthew Lawrence, co-curators of Headmaster MagazineScandalous Conduct: A Fairy Extravaganza is a multi-channel musical documentary reconstructing the Newport Navy Sex Scandal of 1919. This experimental video installation unravels themes of homophobia and surveillance, pairing primary historical documents and archival photography with recreated excerpts from Jack and the Beanstalk, an elaborate and lively Vaudeville production staged by the Navy in the spring of 1919. The looping video installation has an approximate running time of one hour.

Thursday, September 19 – Sunday, September 22
Providence

RI Fashion Week

Rhode Island Fashion Week is a multi-day fashion event held biannually in the spring and fall. The events spotlight emerging and seasoned apparel and accessories designers as well as independent retailers. Our mission is to elevate and amplify the fashion, art, and entertainment communities in New England. Hit the button below to view the schedule of the week, including panels and presentations, Fashion Swap & Sips, and fashion shows! 

Friday, September 20 – Friday, September 27
Statewide

Rhode Island Startup Week

Rhode Island Startup Week is an annual celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and collaboration in Rhode Island. Featuring startup showcases, workshops, pitches, speakers, and opportunities for networking, RI Startup Week spotlights the entrepreneurial spirit which thrives in our state and showcases the incredible innovation happening here. We hope you join us in the celebration.

Volunteer with DxRI

Want to be part of the helping design shine? Volunteer with us!

DxRI