April 7, 2021

NYCxDESIGN is pleased to announce that Elissa Black has been selected as executive director to steward the newly formed nonprofit at a critical moment in the organization’s evolution. Driven by clear passion and purpose, Black has been deeply involved in New York City’s cultural and design world for more than 15 years with leading roles as managing director and interim executive director at Van Alen Institute and as senior manager, special initiatives, at the Guggenheim Museum. In those organizations, she brokered high-profile collaborations between public entities and private organizations, bringing dynamic cultural programming to life in New York and internationally. Black will bring this expertise to NYCxDESIGN as it navigates this next chapter as an organization poised to promote and support New York City’s diverse creative community of designers, makers, manufacturers, schools, cultural institutions and events.

“My professional experiences have underscored how design elevates entire communities,” said Black. “When you bring design disciplines together, radically listen and enable collaborations across the spectrum, collective design-thinking can remake, reimagine and positively impact the seemingly most intractable of societal issues.

“Together we can address issues that range from community resilience and recovery, to social justice and racial equity, to climate change and equitable public space, to access and inclusivity. NYCxDESIGN is perfectly poised to harness and promote the collective power of New York City’s design community. In this period of rebuilding, my focus as executive director will be on creating new and expanded opportunities for design in the city at large, and for the local communities we serve through this spirit of unity and cooperation.”

NYCxDESIGN started as a city-led initiative in 2013 and through grassroots efforts evolved into an influential entity with an international cachet, unifying New York’s creative capital under one umbrella and drawing significant exposure and opportunities to the city’s design disciplines, people, events, and related industries. Its signature event, The NYCxDESIGN Festival, attracts visitors from around the world to see NYC’s design scene take center stage at shows like ICFF and WantedDesign and in showrooms, studios, and special installations across the boroughs. As the driving force behind community engagement and participation, NYCxDESIGN’s Steering Committee includes volunteer representatives from NYC’s design schools, museums, cultural institutions, design districts, design centers, associations and trade shows.

Black will work closely with her team, led by Valerie Hoffman, program director, a new Board of Directors, and the Steering Committee on NYCxDESIGN’s core events, engagement, and programming, as well as strategic new initiatives.

“I’m energized by this opportunity to work with Elissa, who brings such valuable experience from notable New York City creative institutions,” said Hoffman, who has been with the organization since 2017. “Her community-driven career and collaborative approach will lead to meaningful growth for NYCxDESIGN across programming, operations, and strategic revenue models to ultimately expand NYCxDESIGN’s opportunities to support the design community. Activations that educate and inspire, spotlight New York talent internationally, create increased and equitable access, and inspire positive change are all efforts that I look forward to continuing to pursue with Elissa’s expertise at the helm.”

Black is a graduate of the Teachers College, Columbia University Master’s program in arts management and was previously an adjunct professor in that program teaching fundraising and organizational sustainability. Black also holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Juris Doctor from the University of Sydney, Australia. She has called New York City home for the last 17 years.