The 13th annual Detroit Month of Design will take place from September 1-30, 2023, as announced by Design Core Detroit. The event will have over 80 activities ranging from exhibitions, collaborative workshops, panel discussions, and tours, which will take place across Detroit and in the surrounding metro area. The event highlights Detroit’s status as the only UNESCO-designated Design City in the USA, showcasing its potential for creative collaboration.
This year’s theme, “United by Design,” is centered on strategies that strengthen community resources and mutual aid. The focus on unity seeks to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration for a more accessible and collaborative world.
The Detroit Month of Design’s programming honors the city’s innovative past in industrial fabrication and looks towards its future as a hub for new practices and emerging technologies. The event also features local breakthroughs in land use, sustainable fashion, modular fabrication, and resource sharing. Design Core presents a vision of a conscientious, sustainable, and inclusive new American city that engages with this century’s defining issues while furthering the cultural landscape.
“As we have seen in the years since the Month of Design began in 2011, Detroit is a key player in the world’s cultural and technological development,” said Kiana Wenzell, co-executive director of Design Core. “We are a well-positioned hub with a unique design history, which encompasses our city’s incredible array of historical and geographical influences. As Detroiters continue to innovate and reimagine their city’s rich industrial legacy, I suspect that we will see even greater attention and collaborative interest from design leaders around the world.”
The Detroit Month of Design aims to showcase significant figures and neighborhoods that have contributed to Detroit’s design heritage. This celebration highlights the city’s significant role in the cultural and global design landscape.
Design Core Detroit is an organization that promotes the growth of design-centric businesses and their impact on Detroit’s economy. They provide various services to enhance, expand, and attract design-based companies, increase market demand for design services, and share Detroit’s design narrative worldwide. Design Core is also responsible for managing Detroit’s designation as a UNESCO City of Design and is affiliated with the College for Creative Studies.