Ellie Brown is the new executive director of DESIGNxRI. Brown, a design educator, artist and nonprofit development professional, began her tenure as the Providence-based nonprofit’s new executive director on July 7. Brown spoke with Providence Business News about her goals for DESIGNxRI.
PBN: How did you first get involved as a volunteer at various DESIGNxRI events six years ago?
BROWN: I moved to Providence in 2016 and was looking for avenues to meet and connect with people. I saw something on Facebook for a Clambake event and, of course, initially thought it was a literal clambake. When I read more about it, I thought that this seems right up my alley, so I went and talked to some people and made a few connections.
My first volunteer experience was at the opening party for Design Week at the Arcade. I remember being overwhelmed by the number of interesting people filling up that small space and loving seeing and hearing what they were all working on. From there, I was hooked.
PBN: What is your overall hope for the organization as its new executive director?
BROWN: It is my hope that I can bring people into the fold of the organization who didn’t know about us or didn’t feel like they belonged because they may not fit into the traditional definition of what a designer is. We are about to launch a new membership-based design directory, so, of course, I hope that is successful in helping designers and creatives expand their client base and connect with other businesses.
We are doing a lot of work behind the scenes on [diversity, equity and inclusion] headed by our amazing board member Sophie Chien. The idea is not to just present words about DEI, but to implement the words into actions that help marginalized communities grow their creative businesses and show how we, as an organization, … [are] listening to their needs.
Lastly, I’m really looking forward to diversifying our funder base. In doing that, I get to go out into the community and listen to existing and new stakeholders on why design and our design community are so essential to them and to Rhode Island’s economy.
PBN: Explain some of your past grant writing that helped obtain funds to support the design community.
BROWN: I wrote and received my first grant in 1997 to go to Greece and photograph. When I continued to write grants and get funding for my own personal and public art projects, other creatives would ask me how I had money to do all of these things. That was when it became clear that many creatives weren’t trained in the business side of their creative processes and so I started POP!sicle Artist Marketing (now defunct) to help them with marketing, grants, opportunity identification and whatever else they needed. I would also teach the Business of Art courses at various colleges and had my students from a cross-section of creative fields write a grant. In all three of these cases, I found helping people locate the resources they needed to complete their projects really rewarding.
When I was director of development and operations at Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, I found funding to have banners created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment (and women’s activism in Rhode Island) that was meant to travel through the state. It was a really great process to conceptualize the project … and then see the banners on display throughout the state (though a lot of the schedule was thwarted by COVID). The banners are now in the R.I. Secretary of State archives. This was a great example of using design to make engaging public educational materials in a way that was visually appealing, informative and engaging.
PBN: You have an educational background. How will you further expand design educational opportunities, especially DESIGNxRI’s catalyst program, across the state?
BROWN: In order for DESIGNxRI to expand offerings to more people throughout Rhode Island, we’ll need more funding and sponsors for the amazing programs we already offer, like the Catalyst Program.
It is my vision to create design pipelines or fellowships for students, possibly even starting as seniors in high school, to work with professional designers, gain work experience and get paid. This model would open up opportunities for marginalized communities who may have never considered design as a career option and put less burden on employers to train young hires.
I’d also like to tap into our local colleges and universities to form additional [partnerships] in this area. There is so much creative energy, and we are the only organization of its kind in Rhode Island, so these kinds of partnerships seem really organic and essential to me.
PBN: In what areas do you see growth opportunities in the local design sector?
BROWN: There are so many growth opportunities as more and more people realize how good design can make their lives easier, more comfortable and beautiful, and address specific challenges. One area that is really interesting is designing for people with disabilities. This area, in particular, has a real and tangible impact on people’s daily lives.
We sometimes forget that everything we touch was created by a designer and take many of these things that have made our lives easier, more accessible [and] beautiful for granted. There’s also some really interesting space for creatives who don’t fit into a traditional design mold but are creating in ways that follow design thinking and making.
A lot of this shift has to do with an older generation starting to retire and leaving space for younger designers and creatives with new and innovative ideas to step into the sector and shift the paradigm. It is my hope that there can be some intergenerational learning, mentoring and sharing within the sector.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
