The event. Design South Dakota is a new way to help rural communities create a better future by design. In late March, 2009, a team of design and community development professionals will spend three intense days (called a design “charrette”) working with the people in the Deuel County, SD region to gather and illustrate local ideas. The event will help Deuel to build a shared vision for the future, and to demonstrate ways to turn those ideas into reality in their regional community.

The team. 15+ professionals from all walks of design and community development will set up studio in Clear Lake to work on the design:SD team. These volunteers from all over the state of South Dakota care about rural places and the future of our state’s small communities. They will work long and hard together for three days to help the people of Deuel County think about and design the future.

And you. The focus of the three-day event will be ideas from local people. The design:SD team will listen to and interact frequently with local folks during the “charrette.” They will build and illustrate local ideas as they go, and make changes along the way based on local input. The event will help the Deuel County region to dream about the future, and recognize how important design is to that future. A charrette can bring people together and energize them toward a shared vision–a better way to see our community.

The organizers of the design:SD project are forever grateful to the members of the Minnesota Design Team for their support and encouragement.

You can reach the design:SD team by contacting either of the project co-chairs: Alan Wieskamp (at 605.336.1160 or wieskampal@teamtsp.com) or Joe Bartmann (at 605.610.4240 or joebart33@gmail.com).