2026 Theme

Re(Des): Global Networks

DEL Conference 2026 will be on November 11-13, 2026 and hosted by Chavón La Escuela de Diseño in Santo Domingo and Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic. Since 2005, DEL, focused on emerging topics in art, design, and higher education and has been a collaborative, international gathering of educators, researchers, artists, and designers exploring how art and design education can evolve within and beyond the digital age.

This year’s conference embraces the idea of Global Networks — Redes Globales, a recognition that art and design education transcends physical, cultural, and disciplinary borders. At the intersection of local traditions and global practices, DEL 2026 will explore how educators, students, and practitioners in art and design re-create forms of learning, teaching, and community across geographies, languages, and ways of knowing. 

Submissions open: January 2026

Submissions close: March 2026

Conference Sub-themes

1. Re(Thinking) Pedagogies Without Borders
   Exploring innovative models of art and design teaching that bridge geographies, languages, and disciplines.
   Examples: Collaborative projects and networks between universities across different countries; bilingual/multilingual approaches to teaching; curriculum models that address local-global dynamics.
2. Re(Imagining) Community and Identity
   Engagement with local and regional contexts—how art and design education responds to place, culture, heritage, and identity, including issues of access and inclusive learning.
   Examples: Community-led design projects, accessibility and access, neurodiversity in studio teaching, decolonial and indigenous approaches to art and design, underserved communities.
3. Re(Making), Materials, and Craft Futures 
   The role of making, craft, and material experimentation in art and design education.
   Examples: Integrating craft traditions into contemporary design studios; sustainable materials; intersections between digital fabrication and artisanal practices.
4. Re(Connecting) Networked Practice
   Using systems, archives, and networks for innovative teaching and professional practice. 
   Examples: Curatorial practice, online systems, archival research, machine learning, data collection, or visualization. 
5. Re(Engaging) Digital Pedagogies
   Critical engagement with digital pedagogies as they intersect with art, design, and education
   Examples: AI and machine learning in creative practice; VR/AR in the classroom; networked collaboration across borders.