KANSAS CITY, MO — The Center for Architecture & Design (CfAD) will host KC Design Week April 18-27, a series of events that offer the community unique opportunities to learn about all areas of design. 

Since 2010, KC Design Week has informed, connected, and inspired thousands of design enthusiasts through programs featuring experts from fields such as architecture, graphics, interiors, products, landscape architecture, planning and urban environments. KC Design Week is open to the public, and tickets may be purchased online at kcdesignweek.org.

"This is our biggest KC Design Week in our 15-year history," said Dawn Taylor, executive director for CfAD, a nonprofit organization. "Our committee volunteers pour their creativity and passion into nine months of planning, and the results are 25 inspiring events in 10 days!"

KC Design Week celebrates the value of design in our lives – from buildings to products and landscapes – and highlights its societal impacts. The week-long event draws an average annual audience of 1,800 individuals from the Kansas City metro and surrounding areas. Thousands of graphic designers, architects, industrial designers, interior designers, university students and faculty, advertising professionals, urban planners and design enthusiasts attend KC Design Week events that sell out every year.

KC Design Week curates new, distinctive events each year, with a few perennial exceptions such as the popular "Homes by Architects Tour" and "Open Studio Night," a studio crawl through the Crossroads Arts District. The cost to attend the wide variety of events is affordable by design. CfAD and the KC Design Week committee believe reasonable ticket prices are key to enabling people to sign up for multiple events during the week. In addition, KC Design Week remains committed to offering at least one free event each year.

"We have an incredible lineup of fascinating and fun events," said Peggy Bennett, client leader at Burns & McDonnell and co-chair of KC Design Week. "It's amazing to see the depth of talent on display and learn about how important design is to shaping our greater Kansas City community."

D7 Summit 

This year, KC Design Week will also include the D7 Summit, a historic gathering of the CEOs from seven leading national design associations for a first-of-its-kind panel discussion orchestrated to foster collaborative solutions amid shared challenges, build relationships and galvanize collective action. Attendees will have a rare opportunity to glean insights directly from these influential leaders. This event is being held in conjunction with the D7 National Design CEO Retreat and is hosted by both the Center for Architecture & Design and KC Global Design. 

Learn more at d7kc.org

Multi-Discipline Approach
 
KC Design Week is unique in the United States by its multi-discipline approach. It is produced by seven distinct design organizations comprising the Center for Architecture & Design, which include:

•    American Institute of Architects Kansas City (AIA Kansas City)
•    American Institute of Graphic Arts Kansas City (AIGA Kansas City)
•    American Society of Landscape Architects, Prairie Gateway Chapter (PGASLA)
•    Industrial Designers Society of America Kansas City (IDSA-KC)
•    International Interior Design Association Mid-America (IIDA M-A)
•    Kansas City Metropolitan Section of the American Planning Association (KCAPA)
•    Society for Experiential Graphic Design Kansas City (SEGD KC)

Members from each of these seven organizations plan KC Design Week. Each organization sends up to three representatives to serve on the planning committee, and three organizations (AIA Kansas City, AIGA Kansas City, and IIDA Mid-America) comprise the co-chair leadership of KCDW. This ensures balance and variety in programming.

"KC Design Week exposes all members of the community to Kansas City's incredible array of design talent," said Brooke Craig, AIA, associate principal at Populous and co-chair of KC Design Week. "I personally love seeing the diversity of people drawn to attend KCDW events, their backgrounds and their unique interests."

 Open to the public, tickets may be purchased online at kcdesignweek.org.