Autumn Conversations offers a warm, welcoming space to connect, learn, and spark conversation across our creative communities.

This season’s theme: Design & Discovery

Imagine having the freedom to play, create, and discover beyond client and commercial constraints. What can we learn about ourselves, our values, our passions, and our design practices through this kind of exploration?

Engaging in play and discovery outside of our daily work can spark new ideas, refine our craft, and even open doors to unexpected opportunities, career shifts, or personal growth, helping us shape our design journey.

Join us at the upcoming Autumn Conversations to hear from three designers in three different locations as they share the stories behind their side projects, hobbies, or community involvement that led to transformative discoveries.

Design Assembly Conversations are all about connecting people to people and people to ideas. The format for the evening will include talks from our featured speakers followed by a Q&A session. Speakers to be announced! We look forward to seeing you there.

Featured Speakers:

George Hajian | George Hajian is a designer, artist, and educator based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Born in Beirut, Lebanon, with Armenian ancestry, he emigrated to Aotearoa in 2001. He completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Graphic Design at Massey University before pursuing an MFA and a Doctorate in Fine Arts from Elam School of Fine Arts, University of Auckland. With a diverse background in design and publishing industries both in New Zealand and Lebanon, he teaches Communication Design at the School of Art and Design, Te Kura Toi a Hoahoa, AUT. In his art practice, George uses collage and screen printing to question and disrupt the signifiers of the so-called “masculine.” In addition, he collaborates regularly with historian Brent Coutts to publish the limited-edition Queer Art Narratives publication series. He also dabbles in calligraphy and can read/write in three different scripts: Armenian, Arabic, and Latin.

Emma Kaniuk | Emma Kaniuk is an independent creative director and designer who works world-wide on projects spanning the fields of publishing, art, biotech, finance, short films and social change, amongst others.

Carol Green | (she/her) is a freelance illustrator, often specialising in drawing people. In a previous life she was a front-end web designer and teacher. She’s from the UK but has been based in Tāmaki Makaurau since the end of the last century. ( PHOTO CREDIT Matt Crawford )

Ticket Prices:

Members: $20 (+GST and BF) with discount code

Non-Members: $45  (+GST and BF)

Thank you to our event sponsors:

https://www.daylight.nz/

https://www.bjball.co.nz/

https://www.finerycocktails.co.nz/