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| WantedDesign | |
|---|---|
| Name | WantedDesign |
| Type | Design exhibition and fair |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Steven Learner; Anna Marrs |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York |
| Key people | Steven Learner; Anna Marrs; Giorgio Soavi |
WantedDesign WantedDesign is an international design platform founded in 2011 that convenes designers, manufacturers, curators, institutions, and critics through fairs, festivals, and educational programs in New York and beyond. The organization stages exhibitions, talks, installations, and collaborations that connect contemporary design practice with commercial production, academic research, and cultural institutions. Through annual events, partnerships with museums and universities, and initiatives supporting emerging talent, the platform engages communities across Brooklyn, Manhattan, and global design capitals.
WantedDesign was launched in 2011 amid the expansion of design fairs in the 2010s that included Salone del Mobile, Milan Design Week, and Design Miami/. Founders drew on networks linked to Cooper Hewitt, MoMA PS1, and Parsons School of Design to attract makers and sponsors. Early editions concentrated in DUMBO, Brooklyn and later expanded to Manhattan venues adjacent to Chelsea galleries and Flatiron District landmarks. Strategic collaborations were formed with institutions such as Brooklyn Museum and New York School of Interior Design while engaging international delegations from Studio Alchimia, Vitra, and Istituto Europeo di Design. Over the 2010s the platform adapted to shifts in exhibition practice influenced by events like COVID-19 pandemic and contemporaneous trade-show innovations exemplified by Milan Furniture Fair. Leadership transitions and programmatic expansions reflected broader trends in creative economies associated with UNESCO Creative Cities Network and cultural tourism in New York City.
The organization operates as a hybrid cultural enterprise coordinating curatorial teams, production managers, and partnership directors drawn from networks around Cooper Union, Rhode Island School of Design, Royal College of Art, and École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. Governance has involved collaborations with nonprofit partners such as AIGA and with corporate sponsors including Herman Miller, Knoll, and IKEA during thematic shows. Programming is curated through juries and advisory boards involving figures linked to Design Week, Dezeen, ArchDaily, and major museums like The Museum of Modern Art and Victoria and Albert Museum. Educational components have been run with academic partners including Parsons The New School for Design, Pratt Institute, and School of Visual Arts. Production logistics coordinate with trade organizations such as American Alliance of Museums and local authorities in New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
Annual fairs and curated exhibitions constitute the core activities, staged in neighborhoods and venues associated with DUMBO Arts Festival, Brooklyn Navy Yard, and event spaces near High Line. Shows have included curated pavilions highlighting studios from Scandinavia, Italy, and Japan, and thematic projects referencing movements associated with Bauhaus, Italian Radical Design, and Postmodernism. Programming often features talks with designers and institutions tied to Patricia Urquiola, Marcel Wanders, Nendo (design studio), Hella Jongerius, and critics from The New Yorker and Wallpaper*. Exhibitions have hosted collaborations with manufacturers such as Flos, Kartell, and Muuto and have showcased prototypes later produced by brands like Gubi and Hay (company). Special projects have been presented in partnership with festivals including Frieze New York and biennials such as Venice Biennale collateral events.
Participants have ranged from established studios and designers associated with Tom Dixon, Patricia Urquiola, Isamu Noguchi, and Paul Henningsen lineages to emerging graduates from Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, and Royal Academy of Arts. Projects have included collaborations that linked craft traditions from Madeira and Veneto with contemporary manufacturers like Artek and Carl Hansen & Søn. Curatorial projects have featured work by figures connected to Jasper Morrison, Enzo Mari, Shiro Kuramata, and contemporary collectives influenced by Metabolism (architecture). Residencies and mentorship programs have included partnerships with institutions such as SVA (School of Visual Arts), Zurich University of the Arts, and the Design Academy Eindhoven. Installations that gained attention were documented in outlets including Designboom, Architectural Digest, and The New York Times.
The platform has been cited in critical coverage by publications and institutions linked to Dezeen, Domus (magazine), Metropolis (magazine), and academic fora at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Supporters argue it fosters market access for independent studios and strengthens ties between New York’s cultural institutions, manufacturing networks in Italy, Denmark, and Japan, and international galleries. Critics have debated its role relative to larger trade fairs such as Salone del Mobile and the commercial orientation of design events discussed in critiques appearing in The New Yorker and The Guardian. Policy analysts and urbanists connected to NYU Wagner and Brookings Institution have noted its contribution to neighborhood cultural economies in Brooklyn and Manhattan cultural corridors. Overall, the platform is regarded as part of a global ecosystem linking education, production, and exhibition practices across prominent institutions and design capitals.
Category:Design fairs Category:Design events in New York City