November 11–13, 2026
Chavón La Escuela de Diseño, Santo Domingo and Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic
The call for proposals opens Tuesday, January 27, 2026 and closes Tuesday, March 31, 2026 at 11:59 PM (any timezone worldwide).
Since 2005, DEL has been a collaborative, international gathering of educators, researchers, artists, and designers examining the evolution of art and design education. The 2026 iteration centers on Global Networks (Redes Globales), emphasizing how art and design education transcends geographical, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries. The conference explores how practitioners recreate learning, teaching, and community across varied geographies, languages, and knowledge systems.
Sub-themes
1. Re(Thinking) Pedagogies Without Borders
Addresses innovative teaching models spanning countries and disciplines. Examples include cross-university collaborative projects, multilingual curricula, and local-global teaching approaches.
2. Re(Imagining) Community and Identity
Engages local/regional contexts through place-based, heritage-conscious education. Examples encompass community design projects, accessibility initiatives, neurodiversity in studios, decolonial approaches, and underserved community engagement.
3. Re(Making) Materials and Craft Futures
Examines making and material experimentation’s role in art/design education. Examples include craft tradition integration, sustainable materials, and digital fabrication-artisanal practice intersections.
4. Re(Connecting) Networked Practice
Utilizes systems, archives, and networks for teaching and professional development. Examples feature curatorial practice, online systems, archival research, machine learning, and data visualization.
5. Re(Engaging) Digital Pedagogies
Critically engages digital tools intersecting art, design, and education. Examples include AI/machine learning in creative practice, VR/AR classroom applications, and cross-border networked collaboration.
