MAY 20–21, 2026
Join us for MakeShift 2026, the inaugural convening for designers, technologists, researchers, and advocates. This collective work means reimagining how digital systems are designed, governed, and made legible in their communities.
On May 20-21, we will host community-led talks and workshops to showcase the relationship between design, technology, and power. One of our core projects will involve evolving a community-driven open source communication standard for AI, Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR). MakeShift 2026 attendees will include experts (including the NYC design community) working to explore accountable design in practice, interrogate algorithmic systems, build community-based alternatives, and more.
Digital Trust as Public Infrastructure: How can we embed trust into the way that systems and institutions make use of technology? Examples could include community engagement strategies, ways to make data usage more transparent, or policy efforts to center trust in public decision making.
Accountability as a Design Practice: How can we use design to shift power away from big tech companies and reclaim agency? Examples of topics include reparative design, practices of accountability, or discussions of community ownership or oversight of emerging technologies.
Power And Participation: Who gets to participate in how emerging technologies get deployed, and how can we as a community make that participation as inclusive as possible? Examples could include participatory design workshops, explorations of open-source tools and communities, or discussions of digital sovereignty and community agency.
Track 1 - Community-led Sessions
We are hosting workshops, roundtables, and community gatherings that explore questions around AI accountability, civic technology, digital governance, public infrastructure, and participatory design. Check out the full Program and remember to RSVP.
Track 2 - The Design Exhibition
We asked designers to submit creative projects responding to the DTPR standard—an open-source framework designed to make technologies operating in shared spaces more transparent and understandable.
Join us for a project showcase and public reception on Wednesday, May 21, from 4:30pm to 8:00pm. All projects will be exhibited throughout the duration of MakeShift. Learn more about the projects on the Exhibition page.
Register Now: tinyurl.com/makeshift2026
Admission: Suggested $25 USD
SVA students and sponsors: Free
Graphic design by Kathy Choi