What is a Think?

A Think is a seed of an idea, a beginning. When a “Think” Happens, it creates an opportunity for growth and becomes a catalyst for passionate people to make a difference in the world.

WHAT WOULD A MAJOR ART EXHIBIT, MUSEUM, OR CULTURAL CENTER IN YOUR CAPITAL CITY LOOK LIKE?

CALL FOR ENTRIES

COMING SOON

The Design Collective for Cultural Diplomacy is pleased to announce an international design competition celebrating the arts, architecture, and cultural leadership where a small group of passionate people can make a difference in the world. This will be an open invitation for submissions from people with a passion for art and design — offering a platform for artists, architects, and cultural leaders to showcase their innovative ideas.

We encourage designers to plan to participate and share their unique visions with the world. The Design Collective for Cultural Diplomacy looks forward to reviewing your innovative submissions!

More information and a submission portal will be available soon.

Deng Malual Library & Education Center

This library and learning center is a symbol and resource for enlightenment and hope through literacy and general education. It will provide vocational training in agriculture and information technology to offer the indigenous people resources for self-determination and self-sufficiency.

Goodwill of Greater Washington Affordable Housing & Retail

One of the busiest on the US East Coast, this enlarged and improved Goodwill retail operation becomes a mixed-use space with the inclusion of multi-family residential affordable housing.

National Community Church Capital Turnaround

Preserving the corner facades built in 1908, this site was transformed from an abandoned eyesore to the retail mission of a dynamic church featuring an event space that has become a popular venue for culture, music, comedy, and performances of all genres and faiths.

John Dau Peace Hospital

In an effort to transform otherwise inaccessible medical and social healing within a region experiencing peace for the first time in decades, this phased plan deploys valuable resources with modular efficient buildings, separated to limit the spread of disease and linked by beautiful tent structures offering shade as a symbol of culture and as a witness to a vision for the future.

Tibetan Resettlement Community

This new resettlement community, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, was developed for the Tibetans who have existed in exile in northern India since 1959. Designed to be culturally sensitive to the way people live, work, grow their food, and worship, the site is along a mountain ridge bound by a reserve forest and an agribusiness parcel. His Holiness the Dalai Lama attended the dedication ceremony.

National Museum of the American People

Located at the Banneker Overlook site in Washington, DC, the National Museum of the American People tells the story of the making of the American people. The building’s image represents four chapters, and the museum forms the binding between the National Mall and the revitalized Southwest Waterfront. Over 400,000 SF includes exhibitions, collections, education resources, and genealogical research. During the day, the textures of the four iconic concrete “chapters” of the book will constantly change with the movement of the sun’s shadow while nightly film projections on these surfaces will reinforce the museum’s theme.

Thinks in Action

These projects showcase a commitment to the community and demonstrate a passion for design. Each one began as a Think, an opportunity to transform the future. These projects include a range of Thinks — from a regional clinic in the heart of the Nile Sudd, the largest wetland on earth, to a performance venue in Washington, DC that has become a catalyst for progress in the neighborhood.