What becomes possible when an emerging creative is given an opening to the field and the opportunity to experiment?
As part of DesignTO’s ‘Expand What’s Possible’ Campaign, we’re looking at the people, projects, and ideas that demonstrate what an investment in design can make possible, not only today, but years into the future.
If we want design to contribute to a better future, we need to create opportunities for the people who will shape it.
Creating Space to Discover What Comes Next
DesignTO Youth provides free programming for equity-deserving young people, creating opportunities for mentorship, creative exploration, professional development, and public presentation. Since 2019, more than 220 youth have participated in the program.
But numbers alone don’t capture what can grow from this opportunity.
Past DesignTO Youth participant Jasmine Vanstone developed ‘Nourishing Roots’ through the program, bringing together her interests in food, cultural memory, collage, storytelling for the first time.
“There is still so much I want to discover through this work, and that sense of possibility began with having the support and physical space to experiment with an idea before knowing exactly what it would become.”
That installation became the seed for ‘Dutch Pot in Diaspora’, Jasmine’s ongoing multidisciplinary project, which has since grown to encompass publishing, artist residencies, participatory workshops, community conversations, and collaborative performances.
As Jasmine puts it, “Experimentation needs somewhere to happen.”
Emerging artists and designers don’t always know where an idea will lead. Providing mentorship, resources, visibility, and space to experiment gives them an opportunity to take risks, ask questions, and discover what their practices can become.
For Jasmine, one experimental installation became the beginning of an ongoing body of work.
When you support DesignTO’s ‘Expand What’s Possible’ Campaign, you help create the conditions for discoveries like these and invest in a new generation of creative voices.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 this October. Every contribution helps us continue bringing people together to design a better future.
