Michele Washington

Greetings All, I’m Michele and live in New York City, where I work as a design researcher, strategist, and designer with nonprofits, cultural institutions, and startups. I also have an MFA in Design Criticism from the School of Visual Arts, in NYC and I write about design criticism; this is where I got my start in podcasting through a class taught by a former producer of Studio 360. Besides my other work, I’m a Columbia University Community Scholar Fellow. For this program, my project Curious Story Lab entails producing a podcast and short doc series that focuses on POC's that are creative thinkers that are Architects, Designers, Makers, Futurists, and Curators, Storytellers, and more. Right now, I've gone through most of the planning stages, spent several months researching to develop my topics and themes, which has led to starting my interviewing phase since I'm planning to launch Spring 2020. Additionally, I’m also available to consult with members in need of design research, strategy, and branding services for any projects that you’re developing. I also teach in the MA Faculty Exhibition Design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where I teach Branding and Design, which integrate how Human-Centered Research and Design Thinking. Our area focuses on delivering successful solutions for branded experiences, retail, pop-ups, wayfinding, and interpretive museum exhibitions. Currently, I serve on the board of the Sing Sing Prison Museum, Adhoc team of the architecture and design archival at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History & Culture, IXDA NYC Local Leader, and SEGD educational committee, and the Design Journey Advisory Board. My writing and visual essays have appeared in the AIGA Design Journey website, American Passin It Down Cookbook, Print Magazine, IRAAA Webzine, and the Design Crit Chapbook. I enjoy making quirky objects out of found materials and writing about design, food, and pop culture