Community

Workshop

Image from the Workshop

In February, a workshop on data physicalization led by Colombian designer José Duarte, director of Easydataviz, was held. Over the course of multiple sessions, participants gathered to explore how data can move off the screen and into physical, tangible forms that invite reflection and conversation.

Rather than focusing on charts or results, the workshop centered on process. Playful, participatory approaches to data helped surface lived experience, question assumptions, and create space for dialogue. These ways of working became foundational to the development of our civic data intervention and fiber artwork project.

The workshop brought together students, faculty, and community members from various disciplines and experience levels. United by curiosity about data, making, and community, this mix of perspectives shaped the conversations and reinforced the importance of allowing the project’s direction to emerge collectively instead of being defined by a single field or voice.

Across the sessions, participants:

  • Learned core concepts of data physicalization
  • Studied examples of civic and participatory data projects
  • Experimented with materials, metaphors, and spatial forms
  • Worked collaboratively to translate abstract ideas into physical prompts

Activities encouraged sketching, prototyping, discussion, and iteration. The emphasis was on exploring how questions are asked, not just what answers might look like.

About the workshop leader

José Duarte is a Colombian designer and the director of Easydataviz. His work explores the relationship between data and citizenship through playful and participatory interventions in public spaces. These projects aim to spark meaningful conversations, close information gaps, and activate communities.

His approach is not about producing flawless charts worthy of The New York Times, but about inviting communities to engage in something far more powerful: critical thinking as a catalyst for change.

Over the past 16 years, he has designed more than 200 participatory, data-driven interventions in cities such as Mexico City, Barcelona, Paris, Santiago, Lima, Brussels, and Berlin. These projects have opened civic conversations around peace, the environment, public health, armed conflict, the future, mobility, and safety.

To learn more about José Duarte and the methods that shaped this workshop, visit https://www.easydataviz.co.

Community Making Days

Community Making Days are times when participants can contribute directly to the making of the fiber data artwork. Activities include sewing, embroidery, dyeing, stenciling, and conversations about the project. Rather than formal instruction, these days emphasize shared labor and time. Materials are provided, guidance is offered, and participants are encouraged to work at their own pace while talking with others about belonging, memory, and place.

During each session, attendees can:

  • Learn basic fiber and textile techniques related to the project
  • Help fabricate components of the final data artwork
  • Contribute stitches, marks, or patterns connected to the project’s themes
  • Spend time in conversation with others while making

No prior experience is required, and participation can be brief or extended.

Dates and Locations

Belonging: Community Day 1
Saturday, April 25, 2026
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center

Belonging: Community Day 2
Saturday, May 2, 2026
10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
THRST Coffee Shop, 1500 Colcord Ave Suite C

To RSVP or learn more, contact Rachel Wilkerson at .