Matriarchal Design Futures (MDF) Bookstand 2125
Spaces of Learning
Venue: Co-Prosperity Chicago | 3219 S. Morgan Street, Chicago, IL
Typeforce: A semi-annual show of local, global, one-of-a-kind typographic creations.
I was invited by Matriarchal Design Futures to be a part of their first collaborative project, “Bookstand 2125,” celebrating the work of over 30 global contributors.
This collective project debuted at Typeforce 13 in Chicago on January 31, 2025. It was later featured at the Chicago Women’s History Center’s Annual Symposium on March 22, after which the collection remained on view at the Center’s headquarters on Michigan Avenue.
What is Matriarchal Design Futures?
Matriarchal Design Futures (MDF) is a non-capitalistic, non-hierarchical pedagogical framework that centers the practices and values of caregiving and nurturing. This framework is inclusive of all identities—caregivers, mothers, non-mothers, women, men, and nonbinary individuals alike.
MDF asks: What would happen if a matriarchal design pedagogy were embraced, our patriarchal conditioning unlearned, and solutionism abandoned in favor of unknowing—replacing human-centered design with a genuine approach to designing for the pluriverse?
What if we smashed the podium and instead created a non-hierarchical, non-linear approach to learning? Might we realize that the competitive, elitist structure of design education and practice could be replaced with something more caring and restorative? And if we begin this transformation at the root—at the very start of our students' studies—could the field shift from being singular and privileged to more open, collaborative, and anti-exceptional?
Can we make design school, and the design field at large, feel welcoming to all who wish to be there—not just those who already fit in? Is it even possible to decouple design from whiteness, consumerism, capitalism, growth, and competition?
MDF’s open-source workbook is a collective work-in-progress that invites participants to engage with reflective prompts and imagine new futures together. Everyone becomes a contributor to the evolving publication. Click Here
This book chronicles a century of conversations with design educators, researchers, and students, exploring how spaces of learning—both literal and figurative—have transformed over time. The term "spaces of learning" is both literal and figurative, encompassing traditional classrooms as well as informal learning groups, collectives and self-organized initiatives centered around specific issues. By examining these spaces, this book seeks to inspire intentionality and reflection in how we gather, teach, and learn.
A hundred years ago, the state of learning spaces was deeply flawed. What was taught in classrooms often felt disconnected from lived experiences. Students sat in spaces dominated by European theories, practices, and cultural voices, with little acknowledgment of race, class, or diversity. Representation was scarce—students questioned why all their teachers were white—and discussions of systemic inequities were largely absent. In those days, students struggled with the burden of student loans. Many international students faced an uncertain future, forced to leave the country due to restrictive visa policies after graduation.
The projects emerging from these spaces were frequently showcased in sterile, white cube galleries, stripped of context and connection. Graduates left with little understanding of the systems that supported or circulated their ideas in the real world. Today, by contrast, our learning spaces prioritize inclusivity, vulnerability, and meaningful progress. Projects are grounded in context, and students are encouraged to engage deeply with the systems that shape their ideas. This book reflects on these shifts and invites readers to consider how learning environments continue to evolve and influence the future of education.
