Designing for Dignity 03:
A Convening of Possibilities

In October 2025, Deem brought its third live symposium, Designing for Dignity 03: A Convening of Possibilities, to Chicago. Carrying forward the conversations of the previous two gatherings, the program ran over three days: a Friday evening opening on the South Side, a Saturday of hybrid in-person and online programming at the MCA Chicago, and a Reference Room open to the public through Sunday. The symposium was presented as part of the sixth Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Rooted in the shared value of dignity, the weekend explored expansive perspectives on liberatory design through presentations, conversations, and a participatory activation. Our aim was to bring together thinkers and doers across a range of lived experiences and fields, and to build time for dialogue shaped by each person’s role in designing the world around them.

Explore the programming recaps

● OPENING PROGRAM

Theaster Gates and Nu Goteh, with DJ Duane Powell
A multi-sensory placemaking experience at the Land School, continuing the cover conversation from Issue 04 of the journal and closing with a sound experience.

Video coming soon

● KEYNOTE

Edra Soto
A keynote on empowering unheard voices and building spaces for reflection, convening, and collaboration.

Video coming soon

● DIALOGUE

Ghian Foreman, Andres L. Hernandez, and Katherine Darnstadt
Considering how urban revitalization can be designed by and for the communities who hold Chicago dear.

Video coming soon

● PRACTICE ACTIVATION

Radha Mistry

A meditation on futuring practices and what we might imagine into being if we embrace slowness.

Video coming soon

● DIALOGUE

Nadia Elokdah, Cate Fox, and Sruti Suryanarayanan, moderated by Marz Lovejoy
Solidarity economies for sustaining artists and culture workers, with attention to those most affected by the current administration’s defunding actions.

Video coming soon

● ENDNOTE

Mabel O. Wilson
Commemorative architecture and how marginalized histories challenge conventional archives and memorial design.

Video coming soon

Reference
Room

Deem organized a three-day Reference Room in the MCA Chicago lobby, open to the public from Friday through Sunday. It gathered books, articles, and essays that have inspired our five print issues, drawn from our research, specific mentions in our pages, and recommendations from our contributors. The room offered context and access to the tools behind Deem’s processes and beliefs, and a haven for reflection and repose.

Reference
Room Dossier

Extending the Reference Room beyond the physical space, the Reference Room Dossier is an interactive document that invites the Deem community to contribute their own readings, references, and recommendations, growing the collection as a shared resource. The Dossier lets the room live and breathe beyond the symposium weekend, as a growing space for creative exchange in the collaborative spirit at the heart of Deem.

Access Dossier

Designing for Dignity 03 was made possible with support from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Graham Foundation, and the Chicago Architecture Biennial. Thank you to everyone who joined us in Chicago, and to our partners for making the weekend possible.

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