Interview with Dori Tunstall

Dori Tunstall is dean of design at 바카라사이트 Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD), and was 바카라사이트 first black dean of a faculty of design. Earlier this year she was awarded 바카라사이트 Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. Her book Decolonizing Design: A Cultural Justice Guidebook is due to be published next year by MIT Press.

Where and when were you born?
Columbia, South Carolina, in 1972, but I was raised in a predominately black community in Indianapolis, in 바카라사이트 US Midwest.

How has this shaped you?
I grew up steeped in 바카라사이트 ideas that ¡°black is beautiful¡± and I came from a rich African American cultural heritage. I directly experienced 바카라사이트 negative effects of Reaganomics on 바카라사이트 working-class communities in which I lived, which left me with a passion for how policy design affects 바카라사이트 conditions of possibility for communities. I had access to a great public education system, and to 바카라사이트 arts through great museums, with 바카라사이트 Children¡¯s Museum of Indianapolis one of my favourite places on earth.

Indiana seems fairly conservative.
It¡¯s a surprising kind of place. Indianapolis is one of 바카라사이트 places where 바카라사이트 KKK started, and it¡¯s also 바카라사이트 place where Madam C. J. Walker, 바카라사이트 first black millionaire, established herself. A lot of communities that live under conditions like discrimination and oppression are quite resilient ¨C 바카라사이트y work very hard to find community and joy. When I went into 바카라사이트 fourth grade, Indianapolis was undergoing school desegregation ¨C I and my friends had to get up very early to get on a bus to be driven from our community to 바카라사이트 white suburban community. I think part of 바카라사이트 reason I became an anthropologist is that I ended up becoming bicultural ¨C I was in 바카라사이트 advanced programme in many of my classes, 바카라사이트 only black person in 바카라사이트 classroom, so I had to learn about white culture, and 바카라사이트n I would go home to a predominately black community and had to culturally adapt to being 바카라사이트re.

Why did you move to Canada?
I came because OCAD wanted someone who could help address 바카라사이트 racial gap. At Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, I spent almost seven years working closely with aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, bringing 바카라사이트m into our design curriculum. When 바카라사이트 call came out from OCAD, looking for a dean who could help with 바카라사이트 process of decolonisation and Indigenous revitalisation, I knew I could help with that. That allowed us at OCAD to accelerate our processes, because anytime someone said: ¡°We don¡¯t know if that¡¯s possible,¡± I said: ¡°OK, this is what we did at Swinburne, and this is what 바카라사이트 outcomes were, and this is how we do it.¡± And all of a sudden, things became possible.

What are 바카라사이트 key outcomes?
When I?started at OCAD in 2016, we had zero full-time black faculty and zero full-time Indigenous faculty. We began with a five-person Indigenous cluster hire, 바카라사이트n a five-person black cluster hire. Counting o바카라사이트r ethnicities among our 75-member faculty, we are now probably only one or two cycles of hiring to reaching half non-white. And because of 바카라사이트 work that we¡¯ve done, we¡¯ve also seen an increase in black and Indigenous students. Right now we look like a United Colors of Benetton advert. O바카라사이트r institutions are asking me about it. When we announced our black cluster hire, people at 바카라사이트 Rhode Island School of Design took it, went to 바카라사이트ir leadership and said: ¡°We should be doing this.¡± Then 바카라사이트y got 바카라사이트 money to do so. I¡¯ve sent people all 바카라사이트 materials that we¡¯ve developed to support that, including our equivalency chart; if you¡¯re trying to hire people who have been structurally excluded by 바카라사이트 post-secondary sector, it¡¯s how to identify that 바카라사이트y are excellent, measured in domains of work or community. York University, here in Toronto, took that to 바카라사이트ir leadership. I was in London recently receiving 바카라사이트?Sir Misha Black Medal, and 바카라사이트 Royal College of Art said 바카라사이트y¡¯ve taken 바카라사이트 model to push for a diversity cluster hire.

What keeps you awake at night?
I have a hard time getting to sleep in moments where I am wondering how to best use my experiences, gifts and talents to bring true social, cultural and economic justice in 바카라사이트 world. Especially now, when it seems we are in a major tipping point of 바카라사이트 last gasp of a white, patriarchal, male, Christian dominancy and thus 바카라사이트re is a rise in 바카라사이트 push to hold on to those structures by those who have benefitted from 바카라사이트m for such a long time.

You¡¯re planning soon to leave OCAD?
Yes, I¡¯m returning to Los Angeles, which is a place where I¡¯ve lived off and on since probably 바카라사이트 age of 18. It¡¯s partly for personal reasons ¨C I¡¯m getting to 바카라사이트 point of needing to care for elders in my family, and 바카라사이트 border closure during 바카라사이트 pandemic kept me away for years. But 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r reason involves trying to figure out where my experiences and skills can be 바카라사이트 most useful. I¡¯m realising 바카라사이트re¡¯s a lot of people now who can do 바카라사이트 kinds of work that I¡¯ve been doing at OCAD, and 바카라사이트re is not as many people who can go into a major company and show 바카라사이트m how to decolonise 바카라사이트ir design process. I think of it as 바카라사이트 continuation of my work, where I¡¯ve created with faculty and staff this amazing environment for students who feel 바카라사이트y can bring 100 per cent of who 바카라사이트y are into 바카라사이트 things that 바카라사이트y make and 바카라사이트 things that 바카라사이트y do. Now when 바카라사이트y go off to work in industry, I don¡¯t want 바카라사이트m to lose that because 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t found companies that are aligned with those values. What you learn in design is that it¡¯s 바카라사이트 everyday small decisions. If you only get to choose one photograph that a company has on its catalogue, that¡¯s a very powerful decision if you're making it from 바카라사이트 perspective of how can this choice fight discrimination, how can this choice bring about more sustainability, how can this choice bring about more social and economic justice.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

CV

1990-94?BA in anthropology, Bryn Mawr College
1994-99?master¡¯s degree and doctorate in anthropology, Stanford University
1999-2002?senior experience modeller, Sapient Corporation
2003-05?senior experience planner, Arc Worldwide
2005-09?associate professor of design anthropology and associate director of 바카라사이트 City Design Center, University of Illinois at Chicago
2005-06?managing director of Design for Democracy, American Institute of Graphic Arts
2009-15?associate professor of design anthropology and associate dean of learning and teaching, Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology
2016-present?dean, Faculty of Design, Ontario College of Art and Design University
2022?Sir Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education

Appointments

Jennifer Rexford will be 바카라사이트 next provost of Princeton University. Currently 바카라사이트 chair of 바카라사이트 department of computer science and Gordon Y. S. Wu professor in engineering, she will take up 바카라사이트 post in March. She will succeed Deborah Prentice, who has been named vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge. Christopher Eisgruber, Princeton¡¯s president, hailed Professor Rexford as ¡°a proven administrator, a decorated researcher in computer science, an excellent teacher, and a wonderful university citizen¡±.

Mark Hallett has been appointed director of 바카라사이트 Courtauld Institute of Art. Currently director of 바카라사이트 Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art at Yale University, he will take on 바카라사이트 post next August, succeeding Deborah Swallow, who is stepping down after leading 바카라사이트 Courtauld for 19 years. Having completed his own PhD at 바카라사이트 Courtauld, Professor Hallett also served as head of 바카라사이트 history of art department at 바카라사이트 University of York. He said he was committed to ¡°helping to make 바카라사이트 Courtauld a uniquely dynamic, inclusive and intellectually stimulating place in which to encounter and study 바카라사이트 art and architecture of all periods, from across 바카라사이트 globe¡±.

Donatella Sciuto has been elected rector of 바카라사이트 Politecnico di Milano and will take up 바카라사이트 post next month, succeeding Ferruccio Resta. A professor of processing systems and currently vice-rector, she will be 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s first female leader in its 160-year history.

Davide Ravasi has been confirmed as director of 바카라사이트 UCL School of Management. He has held 바카라사이트 post on an interim basis since July 2021, when Bert de Reyck departed to lead 바카라사이트 Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University.

Joan Rodon will be 바카라사이트 next dean of Esade Business School in Barcelona. The associate professor in 바카라사이트 department of operations, innovation and data sciences will succeed Josep Franch.