Nine Things to Look Out for During Boston Design Week 2016

The Boston Print Fair/ Photo courtesy of Robert Four

Boston Design Week is back in its third year—and it kicks off tomorrow.

From March 30 to April 10, arts, style, and everything aesthetically appealing will be celebrated in the city and beyond. The 12-day festival produced by Fusco & Four will feature more than 80 programs and events spanning the design spectrum, including topics like urban gardens, sustainable fashion, and modern home decor.

Below, we’ve selected our nine picks for can’t-miss events during Design Week 2016. All programs are open to the public—most are free of charge, though some will require an RSVP. For a complete list of events, see the 2016 calendar.

1.
The Boston Print Fair: Art & Design of the 20th and 21st Centuries

The treasures at the Boston Print Fair run the gamut: there’s fine jewelry and furniture, contemporary art, affordable prints, museum-quality pieces, and more. Peruse the works, chat with dealers, and perhaps find a print or drawing that belongs on your gallery wall.

$15 weekend admission, April 7-10, the Cyclorama, 539 Tremont St., Boston, ad2021.com.

2.
Mass Art’s Annual All School Show

This exhibition of student-curated work never fails to impress. It displays art from all of the college’s majors and design fields, including film, ceramics, illustration, jewelry and metals, painting, fibers, and more.

Free, March 28-April 8, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, various campus locations, 621 Huntington Ave., Boston, galleries open 9 a.m.- 5 p.m., bostondesignweek.com.

3.
Artisan’s Asylum Talk & Tour

Interdisciplinary design firm rukamathu.smith will speak about their latest work at the Artisan’s Asylum to kick off Design Week on Wednesday. The 40,000-square-foot facility will also be open for tours, where you can see 160 studio spaces and 12 fabrication areas.

Free, Wednesday, March 30, 6 p.m., Artisan’s Asylum, 10 Tyler St., Somerville, RSVP at artisansasylum.com.

IMAGE COURTESY OF SAFDIE ARCHITECTS.

4.
Film Screening: Moshe Safdie, The Power of Architecture

Accompanying the BSA Space exhibition, Moshe Safdie’s The Power of Architecture tells the story of the architect’s life and work, from notable designs like the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.

$12, Friday, April 1, 6 p.m., BSA Space, 290 Congress St., Boston, RSVP at architects.org.

5.
Design Center Showroom Show and Sample Sale

You can shop directly from the showrooms at the Design Center’s annual sample sale. There, design enthusiasts can choose from lots of luxurious furnishings at discounted prices, and enlist the help of a “designer on call.”

Free, Friday, April 1, and Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., Boston Design Center, One Design Center Place, Boston, RSVP at bostondesign.com.

6.
The Heritage of Handcraft as an Inspiration to Marimekko Print Design

The iconic Marimekko patterns we know and love were influenced by hand-printing in the 1950s and 1960s. The Finnish textile company’s Artwork Studio Manager, Petri Juslin, will be at Marimekko’s Newbury St. store to discuss hand-printing’s influence on the designs of past and current prints.

Free, Wednesday, April 6, 1-2 p.m., 140 Newbury Street, Boston, no RSVP required, bostondesignweek.com.

7.
European Furniture and Decorative Arts Lecture

Prior to its auction on Friday, April 8, Skinner Auctions is hosting a European furniture and decorative arts lecture. Expect to learn about all of the rare items Skinner often showcases, like fine art, musical instruments, furniture, tableware, and more.

Free, Thursday, April 7, 6 p.m., Skinner Auctions, 63 Park Plaza, Boston, RSVP to events@skinnerinc.com.

Photo courtesy of Robert Four / By M.Torres

8.
Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston​

Can Brutalism be beautiful? The concrete style of architecture has been woven into a the story of a legacy that Boston is just beginning to appreciate, according to the authors of Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston. This discussion at the Cyclorama will explore the architecture’s heritage, and will be followed by a book signing.

Free, Saturday, April 9, 3 p.m., the Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts 539 Tremont Street, Boston, resigter at eventbrite.com.

9.
Historic Design

It’s open house day at the American Textile History Museum, where you can tour all of the exhibits that are temporarily closed to the general public. There’s also a behind-the-scenes tour that includes a look at historic textile sample books. Be warned: there’s a limit of 20 people to this tour, and it’s first come, first served.

Free, Sunday, April 10, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., American Textile History Museum, 491 Dutton Street, Lowell, no RSVP required, bostondesignweek.com.