Makeshift: Accountable Tech by Design
Date: Tuesday + Wednesday, May 20-21, 2026
Time: 9:00am – 8:00pm
Location: SVA Interaction Design, School of Visual Arts, 136 W 21st Street, Ground Floor
$25 Suggested – Free for SVA students
MakeShift 2026 is 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. Presented by MFA Interaction Design, Superbloom, and Helpful Places.
Community-led talks and workshops to showcase the relationship between design, technology, and power. One of the core projects will involve developing a community-driven open-source communication standard for AI, Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR).
MakeShift 2026 attendees will include experts (including the New York City design community) working to explore accountable design in practice, interrogate algorithmic systems, build community-based alternatives, and more.
Join DSI alumni Candice Walker (MFA DSI ’26) at Makeshift 2026 for her co-creation workshop. The Jersey City Equity Nexus (JCEN) app is an interactive digital platform designed to combat housing displacement by bridging the gap between complex municipal data and community action. Combining data visualization of rent-versus-income trends with a “Co-Design Wireframe Kit,” the project empowers Jersey City residents to visualize neighborhood changes and access resources. JCEN transforms cold statistics into a community-led advocacy tool, fostering a collaborative approach to urban planning and ensuring that long-term residents have the agency to stay in their homes. This workshop is a part of Candice’s 2026 Thesis Project When I Think of Home WITH JC.