A First-Of-Its-Kind Event For All Things Design

Photo By Alex Lau

With Fashion’s Night Out now hanging on the rack, Boston is opening up the runway way for a different kind of style.

For the first time, the city will host “Boston Design Week,” a 10-day event that will highlight some of the areas best architects, fashion designers, and interior and graphic designers, and get residents better acquainted with the role that urban renewal efforts and various types of other artistic endeavors play in people’s everyday lives.

“Boston Design Week seeks to increase public awareness and appreciation of all aspects of design…and bring new audiences to a wide array of design industries and organizations,” said Tony Fusco, co-producer of the event, and cofounder of Fusco & Four, the art-based marketing and public relations agency that is hosting the inaugural series. “Our vision is to encourage the public to explore architecture, environmental and landscape design, urban design, interior design, fashion, graphic design and photography, product and industrial design, and studio design such as furniture, decorative arts, sculpture, textiles, jewelry and more.”

Announced Monday, the city-wide festival will be spread out around Boston and include lectures, galleries, and art displays, most of which will be free and open to the public. The event is scheduled to run from March 20-30. Although a schedule and list of featured events has not been posted, those interested in finding out what’s in store for the first-of-its-kind design festival can register on Boston Design Week’s website. The full calendar is expected to be posted by February.

The organizers have also issued a “call for events,” to invite curators and designers to host their own exhibitions, lectures, and receptions. The deadline to sign up is January 31.

Already, according to Fusco, they have had interest from Boston-based companies and firms, as well as organizations from as far away as England.

“We’ve been talking about putting on this festival for several years now,” said Fusco.  “Every designer and design organization we have spoken with was emphatic. This was something that they wanted. This was something that they felt Boston was missing. So we are working with them to make it a reality.”

Fusco & Four have partnered up with organizations such as the American Society of Interior Designers, Boston Architectural College, Boston Society of Architects, Boston Society of Landscape Architects, Design Museum Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and others to start pulling the strings together and produce the series.

“Our partner organizations, commercial design-related businesses, and individual designers will offer an incredible range of events and content for the festival,” said Fusco.

For more information, visit the Boston Design Week website.