Mark Dudlik

Here is the welcome letter we have posted next to the entrance of the Phoenix Design Museum.
____________

The Phoenix Design Museum is a pop-up concept meant to highlight Phoenix and its unique culture and community. We’ve put together a collection of exhibitions in the oldest warehouse in Phoenix on an extremely limited budget and with the hard work of a small team of dedicated, passionate individuals.

This warehouse is owned by Michael Levine, whose devotion to the historical preservation of buildings in downtown Phoenix is inspirational, to say the least. In working with him on this project, the entire team has been motivated, learned about the history of our city and grown to appreciate stories that are not told often enough.

We are working with Mookesh Patel and the White family to catalogue the late Ken White’s archives, which include journals and teaching materials, in addition to the posters on display in this space. This collection’s importance to the history of design is immediately evident in the work shown, and the impact will be even more clear when we’re able to share his entire story.

We spent countless hours over the past month and a half cleaning and restoring portions of this 106 year old building. Late nights and hard work because we care about design, we care about the history of our city and giving new voice to the power of our citizens. This museum, open for a month only at a time in different locations, is meant to be an ephemeral experience, an added story in the timeline of the history of this building and the history of Phoenix.

Not only do we realize this is not like other museums, we embrace it. We create experiences beyond just being inspired by the work being shown, but by the place you live in, the community you are a part of.

The museum is also a collaboration across the country, showing the breadth of influence that design can have in bringing people together. This project will be done in Chicago, as an extension and partner of the museum in Phoenix

We hope you appreciate the time and effort that went into this pop-up. We also hope you take home something to your city and find ways to use design to better your community and those around you.

And most of all, we hope to see you when we do it all again.

Signed:
Mark Dudlik
Tanner Woodford
Andrew Coppola
Jim Nissen
Kris Olmon
Raquel Raney

This year, Phoenix Design Week registrations cost $125. Last year, they were $40. You might ask, quite rightly, why such an increase?

We charged $40 last year by pulling a number out of the air based on some guessed figures and hoped-for attendance. We had no idea what it would cost to put on Design Week, and no idea what kind of support we’d get from sponsors.

This year, we were able to look at receipts from last year and base our cost on that.

Design Week registration fees are based entirely on what it costs for us to put on the same conference as last year, with the same number of attendees, even if we don’t get any sponsorships. That’s it. It’s the minimum we can charge without losing money (which a few of us did last year).

This conference is not meant to be profitable. The price-point is based on keeping the event sustainable and self-sufficient. The costs will fluctuate, the sponsors are either there or not, but we will be able to put on a 400 person conference for $125 registration. Even still, we’ve had early-bird prices of $99 going on since June. We’re doing everything we (responsibly) can to make this event accessible.

The content we bring in is huge too, compared to other conferences. HOW is $1275 to attend. Literally 10 times as much. Buying the webcasts AFTER the event is $149, even if you bought the conference ticket. HOW is great, the content is great, but the price can be staggering. We’re bringing similarly great content, with a local focus, and doing everything we can to make it affordable. There are other conferences, even in town, that have less content and cost 6 times as much. Plus, this year, we’ve been able to secure Adobe offering two days of training. There is more value in attending Phoenix Design Week than most conferences in the country. Seriously. Your bucks are banging like rabbits.

Phoenix Design Week is not meant to be a profit machine, and its not meant to be exclusionary. Its for the community, by the community. We’re doing the best we can to make this stay true, for years to come.

See you there? – http://phxdw.com