Cumulus Expansion : Discussions from the Pivot Conference

A roundtable discussion regarding Cumulus— the only global association to serve art and design education and research— was held at the recent AIGA Pivot conference and included Professor Peter Stebbing (Germany) representing Cumulus, and Professor Paul Nini representing the AIGA Design Educators steering committee, along with other conversation participants.

The discussion group was presented an overview of Cumulus and its history as an international association of universities and colleges of art, design and media, including the group’s recent expansion beyond its original base in Europe to include programs and schools in Asia and the Americas. Cumulus serves as a forum for partnership, transfer of knowledge and best practices

Discussion also included the 2011 Cumulus Education Conference held in Denver September 29 to October 2nd and hosted by the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. This was the first Cumulus event to be held in the US.

Special mention was also made of current AIGA President Doug Powell’s presentation on AIGA’s new Design for Good initiative at the recent Pivot conference and how this initiative aligns well with Cumulus’ concern for socially-responsible design education.

Finally, the groups talked about how AIGA Design Educators Community and Cumulus might collaborate in the future, including the idea of a joint, international, education conference. It was decided that the AIGA DEC steering committee and the Cumulus board would continue discussions as we move forward.