Join us for four days of exhibitions, hands-on workshops, expert talks, live performance, and awards that celebrate human-centred design practice, material innovation, and design’s expanding role in society. Meet graduating students and faculty, hear designers working at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and wellbeing, get tactile and sonic in a studio workshop, and experience a live performance that turns material research into music and visuals.
NSCAD Design Shift Awards Presented by Verecan.
Full schedule
Monday, April 27
Exhibition — Soft Opening: Graduate Shows
Date: 04/27/2026 | Time: 3:00–5:00 pm | Location: Mary E. Black Gallery
NSCAD undergraduate and graduate designers present final degree projects alongside first‑year MDES work—bold, critical responses to contemporary challenges. Join us for three distinct exhibitions: Export, Afloat, and Grounded. The shows run through May 8.
Designtalk — In conversation with Paul David Rollmann
Date: 04/27/2026 | Time: 5:00–7:00 pm | Location: Bell Auditorium
On Monday 27th, we will have a conversation with Paul on vanishing textures and haptics in the age of digitization, and how airbag craftworks uses circular-economy practices to preserve craftsmanship across design, art, and music. Join us for this international Design Talk, with multi projector slideshow, featuring Paul’s work and photography simultaneously.
Register to reserve your seat.
Tuesday, April 28
Workshop — Material–Texture–Sound (hands-on)
Date: 04/28/2026 | Time: 10:00 am–3:00 pm | Location: Academy (A208)
Join us for a hands‑on workshop exploring how physical materials translate into sonic textures. Create audio samples, edit and process recordings, and experiment with mixing and synthesis to transform textures into musical material.
Wednesday, April 29
Hybrid Panel Discussion with Don Norman — The Changing Landscape of Design (round table)
Date: 04/29/2026 | Time: 6:00–8:00 pm | Location: Bell Auditorium
NSCAD University welcomes the legendary researcher, professor, and author Don Norman to a hybrid panel discussion with students and alumni. Together they will explore how design has evolved from aesthetics to systems-thinking: sustainable innovation, human-centered methods, and design education in a tech-driven world. Moderated by Jess Myra (BDes 2008). Featuring: Rachel Ladd, “Dekid” Zile Wu, “Juno” Junwen Hu (MDes 2025), and “M-A” Michael-Andreas Kuttner (BDes 1993).
Performance — Sound of Things (DJ set + visuals)
Date: 04/29/2026 | Time: 8:00 pm–12:00 am | Location: ArtBar
David Rollmann performs experimental recordings created during the Material–Texture–Sound workshop. Live, audio-reactive visuals in collaboration with NSCAD Expanded Media. There will be a cash bar.
Thursday, April 30
Designtalk — Design for Health and Wellbeing
Date: 04/30/2026 | Time: 4:00–6:00 pm | Location: Port Campus (Room 209)
Roberta Schultz will moderate an open discussion with NS healthcare professional, speaking about the intersection of Design and Healthcare.
Exhibition Opening Reception — Design Grad Show and Design Undergrad Show
Date: 04/30/2026 | Time: 7:00–10:00 pm | Location: Mary E. Black Gallery
NSCAD undergraduate and graduate designers present final degree projects alongside first‑year MDES work—bold, critical responses to contemporary challenges. We would be honored to welcome professionals from the design community to share this evening with us.
All Exhibitions run from Monday, April 27, to Friday, May 8. Open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Awards — Design Shift Awards Prize Ceremony
Date: 04/30/2026 | Time: 7:30–8:30 pm | Location: Mary E. Black Gallery
Gallery
Presented as part of NSCAD Design Week, the Design Shift Awards celebrate outstanding work by students and recent graduates at NSCAD University—highlighting practices that are critically engaged, forward-thinking, and responsive to real-world challenges.
Made possible through the generous support of the Verecan Group, this year’s awards feature an incredible panel of jurors:
- Shelagh McLellan — UX Manager for Crisis Resilience and Climate AI at Google
- Mike de Regt — Experience Director & UX Design Lead at Philips (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
- Lesley Palfreyman (BDes 2002) — Principal Product Design & Research Strategist
- Glen Hougan — Associate Professor, Division of Interdisciplinary Design, NSCAD University
- May Chung — Associate Professor and Design Chair, Division of Interdisciplinary Design, NSCAD University
Find more details About the NSCAD Design Shift Award, presented by Verecan.
Who should attend?
Students, faculty, designers, makers, industry and the public — anyone interested in learning more about how NSCAD’s students are looking beyond conventional strategies to formulate new and critical responses to modern problems.