Join Us!
The artistic imagination allows us to have a visceral experience of possibility. In times where we understand that the future must be significantly different than the present (for the health and flourishing of 100% of life), then there are few better pathways to realizing this than art that illuminates this future. Art that gives us freedom for a moment to live within, be challenged by, discuss, and bask in possibility.”
—Tom Chi
DESIGN SCIENCE STUDIO
2023/2024 Program
In 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, we decided to launch into the world a pretty ambitious program: we aimed to select, mentor, scaffold and resource 144 creators from all over the world to build their capacity, amplify their voices and support their art and projects, aimed at propelling energy towards a more regenerative and just future for all life.
We imagined how it might unfold, but didn’t fully know what to expect, and what we lived through blew our minds. The first two coheARTs of the Design Science Studio changed our lives, and the lives of those of many who joined.
Want to pre-prepare your application? Make a copy of this template [https://bit.ly/coheartappprep] to prepare your answers!
This is a glimpse into what they experienced, through their words:
“The studio has been home for those who deeply care about the planet and a place to discover the infinite potential of creativity and connection. I'm honoured to have been a part of it.”
— Alana Bloom, Evolutionary
“ The greatest benefit by far was to discover we are not alone. That there is a method to this madness”
— Stephen Bau, Evolutionary
Want to pre-prepare your application? Make a copy of this template [https://bit.ly/coheartappprep] to prepare your answers!
Applications extended! Now DUE by 11:59pm PT on October 1, 2023.
Applications were due on October 1, 2023.
We have received extensive requests for a few more days
so we will keep applications open until
October 5, 2023 at 11:59pm PT.
We won’t be able to make any more exceptions because the coheART begins Oct 17! Apply today!
The Design Science Studio was launched as a decade long initiative. It is an educational incubator that catalyzes action toward the regenerative future that works for 100% of life. After the successes of our first two coheARTs, we plan to continue throughout the next decade or more.
The 2023-2024 Program runs from October 2023 to May 2024.
Main sessions are Tuesdays / Thursday’s 8am-10am pst
(for best international timing)
+ Other special sessions at a variety of times
(primarily on thursdays / Fridays for fireside chats and select
weekends for optional design sprints)
Cost is sliding scale $2800-$3800
on the low end that is approximately $230/mo paid over 1 yr
*with ample partial and full scholarships available
We require 2 mandatory hours of class a week. Additionally, there are two semi-optional hands-on work time and a whole lot of other activities to amplify the creative capacity of those in the program: masterclasses, fireside chats and convos that are completely optional but that will greatly enhance your experience.
We have carefully designed a curriculum that is woven with visionaries who are excellent in their fields, incredible speakers and practical work, along with immersions and hackathons.
These are the themes of the curriculum: Futurism, Artivism, Planetary Challenges, Opportunities and Solutions, World Building, Gamification, Culture and Art that Changes History, Participatory Design, Biophilic Design, Bucky's Principles, Creative Application Strategies, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Social Change, Ontological & Experience Design, Decolonization, Living Systems, Decentralization, Systems Change and more!
Our program is highly practical, it is designed to build capacity in creators. You can come with a project or create one while here. And we will also offer you the opportunity to commit your work and help world-changing companies and projects that we will bring as partners into the program. Our goal is all the same: to create culture shifting art. Art that changes history.
We will offer you incredible tools and platforms and work to amplify your brilliant ideas. In some cases, we will be able to provide some funding for your project as well, or to connect you with the necessary partners to make your ideas happen.
Our program looks nothing like a conventional curriculum or online school. We are highly experimental and we use design thinking, systems thinking, comprehensive anticipatory design science and many other wireframes and tools to create a space that generates as much of a learning experience as it creates a nourishing environment that accounts for all our human needs.
One of the most incredible pieces of feedback we received in our first and second coheARTs were that we managed to create a family, a tribal feeling that helped many of our (r)Evolutionary artists make it through these last extreme years of hardships.
“DSS is an ideas incubator, a connector of dots, a synchronicity machine, a weaver of worlds. DSS and LSC was the shining light that kept me motivated and moving forward throughout an otherwise dark and daunting year. The inspiration and support from the team and fellow (r)Evolutionaries was a huge blessing.”
— Helena Sheridan, Evolutionary
“ I got validation as an artist, designer, writer, event organizer, leader, friend, and human being with influence, capacity, and agency by providing opportunities, permission, and encouragement to try everything.”
— Anonymous
Pessimism is a luxury for a less urgent time. Our program is fast paced, filled with information and tools and it will require your commitment and attention, but don’t worry, we’ve had from twenty to seventy year olds go through the program successfully. We are here to help you in every step of the way.
We have two big showcase moments that you will prepare for: one at the end of the year and one in April. Historically, our online showcases have seen up to 750 attendees, 200 talks and multi-day events filled with art and celebrations to welcome the Regenaissance.
During the program you will also have multiple other opportunities to show your work primarily online and occasionally, in person! We have been building a strong alumni program that continues our collective commitment through the decade. With 288 graduates and counting, the Alumni (called Evolutionaries) are a family of kin along this quest to protect and restore our spaceship eARTh.
In years past we received almost double the number of applications than the amount of people we could accept. It was a hard process. This year we anticipate the same if not more. We will carefully review each and every applicant, and consider from all angles to select this next coheART.
The cost of the program covers our operational costs. All the money is spent on the team that is necessary to give you this incredible experience. We are able to offer partial and complete scholarships. Please understand that as committed as we are to accepting as many scholarships as possible, we have to find a sustainable balance for the organization.
The Design Science Studio coheART is like your dojo. You’ll come here to practice, to connect, to grow, to learn, to create. It’s a commitment to the betterment of the planet and its ecosystems. It’s us working together to do everything we can to regenerate this planet and the future of humanity. We can’t wait to welcome you into our family.
The Design Science Studio team
More questions? Read the FAQ below!
FAQs
Who is the team? How was the program created?
The Design Science Studio was born out of the minds of Roxanna Shohadaee, the founder of habRitual, Amanda Joy Ravenhill, former director of the Buckminster Fuller Institute and Faith Flanigan, former BFI director of operations.
Together they have more than 30 years of experience combined trying to solve some of the world’s biggest problems through multiple interdisciplinary educational and inspirational programs, experiences, at scale conscious festivals and all kinds of initiatives.
The primary active stewards of the second year of the program were Roxanna Shohadaee and Nicolas Alcala, and a brilliant team of incredible multidisciplinary creators and system thinkers who are committed to our collective mission.
Roxanna Shohadaee is currently the Director of the program and Amanda Joy, Faith and Nicolas are all active advisors of the program in coheART 3 alongside an advisory council and many other incredible team members and Alumni who are in active stewardship of the Design Science Studio including: Bliss Alberts, Tyler Hanson, Marieam Shohadaee, Stephen Bau, Mark Smith, Veronica Anderson, Ceci, Mariette and many more!
You can learn more about them on the Team’s page. They have been involved in some of the most interesting initiatives in the world to amplify and experiment for creative solutions for the planet and are bringing their entire knowledge and network into this program.
A board of key advisors, partners, visionary speakers and collaborators complete the DSS family. They are some really mind-blowing experts and doers whom we’ve found on our journey and that have taught us endless things and shared deep wisdom with us.
How do classes happen?
Classes happen online, usually at 8am Pacific Standard Time on Tuesdays (mandatory) and Thursdays (recommended). We use well known platforms like zoom for the classes and then a broad range of tools for our work.
We also use Hylo as our social network to connect, Miro for brainstorming and Topia and New Art City as our virtual showcase worlds.
We recommend that you have a computer to be able to interact with all the tools we will offer. A good internet connection during the class also helps a lot.
Once you get accepted, we will walk you through all the necessary things you need to know.
What happens if I can’t attend the classes? Can I still participate?
Yes… and. We require mandatory attendance to at least the main class once a week in a somehow consistent way to continue being part of the program. If your work or other things make it impossible, we will require from you that you at least watch the recordings and respond to a few asynchronous questions after each class. How much you participate in all the other optional tools we put at your disposal is up to you. Many of our (r)Evolutionaries found this program life-changing and committed a good amount of their week for many months to advance their projects and pARTicipate. Some others couldn’t, but showed up with their projects to the showcases and when they could.
Our goal is that we respect the time and commitment of those who decide to show up and also of those who apply and want and can commit, so we will do our best to find that balance between what we would want and what you can, and come to a middle point that feels yummy for everyone
How much does the program cost? How do scholarships work?
We’ve calculated the cost of the program based on the expenses necessary to make it happen with the minimal team possible and paying fair but very modest wages. The program fee of all participants doesn’t cover all that is needed to keep it running but it’s our commitment to try to keep it as affordable as possible and to find alternative ways to finance it. Maybe one day it will be fully funded for participants by a generous donor.
For now, the cost of the entire program is a total of $2,800 per participant.
This comes down to $230/month approximately if paid over 12 months, with the option to extend into the alumni program.
What you get in return is:
7 months of weekly classes
A continued practice and multiple tools to make your ideas happen
A consistent community of practice to support your ideation to expand your mind, your creativity and your sensemaking of the world
A thoughtful scaffolding for your projects and multiple platforms to amplify your voice
Masterclasses, fireside chats, showcases, funding opportunities, connections...
We understand that we have participants from all over the world. For some, this might feel like a bargain compared to other high level courses that offer way less content and time for way more. For some, it might feel like an impossible obstacle based on their possibilities.
We encourage you to find creative ways to find the necessary funds to attend the Studio if you are really committed to it. We will happily think with you how this can be achieved in your particular case. Just reach out. And know that we are constantly trying to find ways to lower our participant fees and support each and every one of you creative geniuses out there.
In the meantime, what we can offer are a limited amount of scholarships. You can apply for a full scholarship or a partial one. The main thing you need to know about them is that these are meant for people with very limited resources. We will likely ask scholarship applicants for proof of income, unemployment or other things to be sure that all receiving the scholarships are the ones most needing them.
The partial scholarships will be granted on a case by case basis. They suppose a specific discount of the base price and they will be assessed one by one and discussed with the participants that have been accepted to the coheART. Take them more as a little potential financial help if you are in need, but when applying you should do so understanding that it might not be granted and you should be ready to pay the full price if that’s the case.
What are all the benefits of the program?
We will let our alumni share with you their experience, so you get this question answered first hand.
“This program gave me Hope and truly opened my heart again. We were given so many tools and teachers - so much richness.”
- Stefanie Schwartz, Evolutionary
"I had quit higher education for deeper education, and I am proud to be the first intake- hence the first graduate- of the Buckminster Fuller Institute + HabRitual Design Science Studio. The story of my becoming cannot be told without the mention of my fellowship with the Design Science Studio."
- Umair Zia, Evolutionary
"It is really a broad range of topics. It is an incredible experience with amazing people. You will learn as much as you want, and that can be a lot. If you believe the world can change for the better, the experience confirms it."
-Melissa Lockwood, Evolutionary
“I am feeling that this is the beginning of something beautiful and my heart soars considering the possibilities of what might be accomplished by the collaborative efforts of the Design Science Studio... I am eternally grateful for this opportunity to participate...Thank-You Thank-You Thank-You…”
- Rock Ridgeway, Evolutionary
And what about the teachers and activities?
Through our work and practice we’ve been fortunate to meet and work with some of the most brilliant minds of our generation and from generations before. Humans committed to their mission who have dived deep into the world’s mechanics and done the work to figure out how to learn and teach some of those principles to others.
This program is woven with an incredible array of visionaries who share their work and learnings with our students. Some of them worked directly with Buckminster Fuller. Most of them are doers, putting their hands where their words are.
They have and will continue to inspire our coheARTs for years to come and we can’t wait for you to meet them.
This is a selection of some of our past and present speakers, teachers, visionaries and mentors.
