Held in conjunction with the American Craft Council, this is the third in a series of symposia traveling to three of the nation's leading schools for craft media. It is dedicated to exploring the next generation of craft artists and their burgeoning influence on the larger culture and art market. Three panelists from around the Pacific Rim—Derek Chen (San Francisco), Robert Foster (Canberra, Australia), and David Trubridge (Aotearoa, New Zealand)—will discuss their own businesses, focusing on cooperative design practices, new technologies, and the role of traditional craft processes and sensibilities. An open discussion will follow.

David Trubridge is New Zealand's best-known furniture designer and regularly exhibits in Japan, North America, and Europe. His process combines innate craft knowledge, sculptural abstraction, and computer design technology. He runs his own manufacturing workshop and a studio-incubator for recent design graduates.

Robert Foster established F!NK in 1993 to manufacture contemporary and innovative objects designed by Australian artists. Most of the manufacturing processes take place in the F!NK studio, and each object is individually hand finished, giving it its own unique characteristics.

Derek Chen is the founder of Urbana Design, which produces sleek tabletop items and contemporary furniture, blending technology and handcraftsmanship. His work has been covered in numerous media outlets, including Wallpaper, the New York Times, and InStyle.

The Design and Craft Lecture Series is funded by Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, the Wornick Endowment Fund, and the American Craft Council.