Continuing our series of posts highlighting some folks on the Epicenter Board of Directors: Our newest Board Member Kirsten Southwell, an independent designer and artist, is a familiar face as a past Epicenter Frontier Fellow and ongoing collaborator. Below is a brief interview with Kirsten about her background, work, and involvement with Epicenter.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?
I studied Graphic Design at NC State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. During my last two years of school, I had an internship at a non-partisan policy organization, the Institute for Emerging Issues. I started to get really interested in policy initiatives, eventually winning a Design Ignites Change grant to do community workshops in rural counties of North Carolina.
After college, I moved to Portland, Oregon to work for Second Story studios (now a part of Razorfish) that specialized in immersive experiences in the built environment, mostly for museums and institutions. I then moved to Chicago to work in-house for the Art Institute of Chicago, starting as an Interaction Designer and eventually becoming the Creative Director, Visual Design overseeing a team of designers.
Wanting to expand my strategic practice, I pivoted to lead service design projects at Fjord, a part of Accenture Song, which eventually gave me the experience necessary to work for myself.
Since going independent, I have revisited the greatest hits of my professional history—service design for Illinois Medicaid, experience design for Disney, and strategy for The Newberry Library—while having more time to invest in communities I care about, including holding a board position for SEGD and serving as Vice President of my local Park Advisory Council.
Kirsten at the first Green River Rocks (2017). Work from Kirsten’s Fellowship (2016).
What’s your connection to rural Utah? Green River specifically?
I was a Frontier Fellow at Epicenter in 2016 where I created a body of work about mining history and how attitudes about excavation have shaped cultures of places like Green River. After my overwhelmingly positive experience living and creating work in Green River, I continued to return, becoming involved in Green River Rocks since 2017. Through the festival, I’ve continued the cultural exchange of learning more about the natural history of the Colorado Plateau while offering any assistance any way I can, including a riveting gem faceting demonstration!
Where are you from and where do you now live?
I am originally from the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, where most of my family continues to live today. That said, I love living in Chicago, for many reasons including that I can take the Amtrak train directly into Green River.
What made you want to join the Board of Directors at Epicenter?
I deeply appreciate rural places and feel they hold some of this country’s richest pockets of culture and history, with Green River significant among them. On the board, I look forward to becoming more intimately involved with all aspects of Epicenter’s mission and providing guidance with hands-on support along the way.
Do you have a favorite animal, plant, and/or mineral?
I am an avid birder! My spark bird is the Black Crowned Night Heron but always look forward to seeing seasonal waterfowl, like Coots and Mergansers. I think my favorite mineral would have to be the Oregon Sunstone, not just because sunstones are beautiful and full of glitter, but because it’s one stone I know intimately from mine to faceting and gem setting.
Stained glass piece by Kirsten