This online exhibition comes at a time when those who have historically held power are more aware than ever before of the Black community’s pain in the wake of centuries of violence against, and murder of, Black people. Many White people are late to this movement, and we all need to ask ourselves why. As the Executive Director of Design Museum Everywhere, I find myself wondering why this wasn’t the first exhibition we produced at the Design Museum? It took the social and political events of the mid-2010s to spur us into action, but the Design Museum launched in 2009 — this should have happened sooner. People in positions of power must stand up for what we know is right and make a better world. We stand with those working to dismantle white supremacy and redesign every system to be just, compassionate, and equitable. One of the systems we at Design Museum Everywhere can make meaningful change within is the design industry itself. I hope this exhibition can serve as a starting point and a resource for designers of all backgrounds — we’ve also posted, and continue to update, a list of anti-racism resources here. I also hope young Black, Indigenous, People of Color see themselves in this exhibition because it is so important to see that path.

We Design is now part of the Design Museum’s permanent collection, meaning it will always be on view online, and once we’re all gathering together again, we’ll resume traveling it to venues around the country. We have more career stories from individuals we featured in the traveling exhibition; we’ll be adding those and more in the weeks, months, and years ahead. These are small steps, we can and will do more; you can learn more about our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives here. 

Enjoy We Design, and stay with us as we continue to evolve and grow the online exhibition,

– Sam Aquillano, Executive Director