About Us

About DIG

DIG's History

The Design Interest Group (DIG) promotes and provides design-related opportunities for practice-based research, collaboration, and networking among the DIG Community, NAEA members, and like-minded DIG Partners.

As a community of design educators, thinkers, and learners – we invite you to join us as we strive to make a difference in supporting those who engage in the creative problem-solving process. We aim to support art and design pre-service students, educators, and others as they tackle design thinking projects, design-based learning challenges, as well as the design of experiences, services, and products.

We are in the process of refreshing DIG's Strategic Vision, Mission, Constitution, and Bylaws.

Design Education

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) champions creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice. NAEA harnesses the power of the visual arts, design, and media arts to educate and enrich the lives of all learners and communities, especially those who are members of historically marginalized groups, and serves as a catalyst for developing creative and culturally competent future generations.

Design education presents unique opportunities for learning and is an essential component of a comprehensive visual arts program. The practice of design applies knowledge and skills to intentionally shape and create messages, things, places, and experiences that are useful, practical, and aesthetic.

Design education engages students in processes, products, histories, and critical sensibilities associated with design. Design education involves students in interdisciplinary problem-solving that draws upon the sciences and humanities to address both present and anticipated problems, questions, and issues. (DIG, 2013)

DIG's History

The following information was submitted for inclusion in the documentation of NAEA's history. The publication of the book is due to be announced at the 2022 Convention in New York City.

The Design Interest Group was organized in 2001 following years of development, particularly in the 1990s. According to Martin Rayala, (2019) one of the pioneers of contemporary technological design education, "By the 1990s, art educators were challenged again to re-think their field as composed of four broader domains - art, design, visual culture, and visual communication." He named a number of organizations (American Institute of Architects) and school initiatives (Design and Architecture Senior High) that were instrumental in the creation of a contemporary design education consistent with current design creation and production. At the same time, design educators developed applications of design in schools such as the Center for Understanding the Built Environment, University of the Arts, and the Art Center College of Design, with support of the National Art Education Association. (Rayala, ibid. 2019)

Design topics that arose through the process included: Architecture, Animation, Digital Photography, Exhibit Design, Fashion Marketing, Game Design, Graphic Design, Illustration, Interior Design, Point-of-Purchase Design, Product Design, Urban Planning, Video Production, and Web Design. These titles place design in a relevant commercial setting focused on preparing students for employment in industry.

As the second generation of design educators contributed their expertise, discussion shifted to more general processes such as design thinking, including identifying and clarifying the problem; generating many possible solutions; prototyping the promising solutions; presenting solutions in a clear and compelling manner; and implementing the solutions in real-world settings. The DIG organization plans to move into a stronger relationship with NAEA through strategies in the areas of membership, annual meetings, delegates assembly, recognition grants, convention schedules, and workshops (Wells-Papanek, D. 2019). All NAEA SIGs, deserve applause for their worthy social goals. We, individually and as members of the Association, can be proud of our colleagues for the high-minded objectives they espouse, and may assist them in achieving the goals of their causes.

Rayala, M., co-founder of DIG (2019) Personal communication with author. December, (2019).

Wells-Papanek, D. (2019) Personal communication with Wells-Papanek, current Chair of DIG.

Constitution and bylaws

Work in Progress:

Name of the Organization

Will be the Design Interest Group. A group affiliated with the National Art Education Association.

Primary Goal and Purposes

The primary goal of the Design Interest Group is to integrate design education into the educational curricula through art education programs. The Design Interest Group is organized exclusively for educational purposes. These purposes include: promoting the teaching of design in PreK-12 art education programs; advancing the teaching of design in art education teacher preparation programs; conducting presentations on design education topics; generating resources for the teaching of design; offering in-service workshops on the various issues related to design education and design. Our goal and purposes shall always be consistent with the NAEA Strategic Plan.

Mission

To educate art teachers to understand that Design Education:

Involves the design process of problem-solving
Addresses the four categories of design: environmental, object, communication, and experiential
Is about collaboration through team building
Is multidisciplinary - a bridge to other disciplines
Provides historical, social, and cultural contexts of objects
Addresses the visual world
Combines the functional with the aesthetic
Deals with objects that have an intended use, message, and audience

Vision

Teach the design process of problem-solving
Instruct people how to educate about the designed world and how to teach this to K-12 students
Teach skills and practices in making designed objects or systems
Teach that design education is about responding to the meaning of objects
Teach the evolution of the economic and cultural components, which reflect the values and beliefs of a culture
Create awareness in addressing issues of sustainability in product design, architecture, and urban planning
To identify and disseminate best practices in the teaching of design

Objectives

Provide training for teachers in teacher preparation programs and in-service workshops
Build partnerships with design and architecture organizations
Request a designer as keynote speaker at NAEA conferences
Develop a sequential curriculum
Make known the history of design education
Educate about the role of spatial skills and compositional design in teaching functional design.

Organizational Structure

Officers

There will be a chair elected to serve the Design Interest Group. The responsibilities of the chair will be to build and improve communication within and outside of the membership, work toward effective organization within the group, and establish partnerships with groups or individuals who will benefit the education of the NAEA members about design education. A treasurer will be elected to collect dues and manage a checking account under the Design Interest Group name.

Members

Anyone who is a member of NAEA may become a member of the Design Issues Group (DIG). People who are not NAEA members but who show an interest in DIG may be added to the listserv to receive DIG email communications.

Meetings

An annual meeting shall be held once a year at the national conference of NAEA. Other in-person or conference call meetings will be called when deemed necessary.

Voting

Each member shall have one vote. All voting at meetings shall be done personally and no proxy shall be allowed.

Compensation

Officers shall not receive any compensation from the Design Interest Group for services rendered, except that they may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the performance of their duties, in reasonable amounts that they deem necessary.

Committees and Task Forces

The Chair may appoint committees or task forces, each headed by a chair, to address issues and needs of DIG. Such committees and task forces shall have the power and duties designated by the chair and shall give advice and make non-binding recommendations to the membership. Vacancies in the membership of committees may be filled by the chair of the committee.

Election of Officers

Officers shall be elected either at the annual meeting by members who are present or through an electronic voting procedure.

Official Documents, Newsletter, Columns, and Other Pertinent Records

Shall be kept by the chair and passed on once the position is transferred to the next chair.

About Us

About DIG

DIG's History

DIG's History

DIG's History

DIG's History

DIG's History

Constitution and bylaws

Work in Progress:

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