Lorenzo Imbesi
Full Professor in Design,
Sapienza University of Rome.

President 2022-2025, Cumulus Association 

CUMULUS PRESIDENCY

. Let’s build the future together

I have been serving on the Board of Cumulus since 2016 for two terms and I have witnessed directly the fantastic global growth of our Association in scale and in scope. Cumulus now reaches more than 350 members in 63 countries, taking its position as one of the most relevant international associations and a point of reference for design education worldwide. The richness of our Association stands in the plurality and the diversity of its members, spanning from large to small educational institutions, public to private, Universities to Colleges, Academia and Schools of Art, Design and Media.

. Who I am

For those Cumulus members who do not know me, I am a Full Professor of Design at Sapienza University of Rome, where I am Chair of the International Relations Board. Prior to my position at Sapienza, I was a Design Faculty and a Graduate Chair at Carleton University in Ottawa (Canada) where I initiated the Program’s membership at Cumulus and expanded its network to Northern America. My professional and private life brought me to travel extensively and to live in different continents, so developing a special curiosity in meeting and sharing different cultures.

. It is time to celebrate Cumulus heritage

I have been co-chairing the ReVeDA Working Group on design research since 2013, and I co-curated the project ‘Design to feed the world’, featured in Cumulus conference in Milano in 2015. Then I learnt about the value of bottom-up initiatives from Cumulus members. This inspired me to start a Design Research Map at Cumulus worldwide, which will be published in a Cumulus Think Tank book. My vision is to develop a large repository of data for design educators, researchers, and scholars. Since Cumulus already celebrated its 30th anniversary, we need to start writing its history, collecting all the projects, people and the stories, taking advantage of online and visual media channels.

. Co-designing the future of Cumulus

Cumulus has always been a peaceful and a united association, built through the values of democracy, openness, inclusivity, co-design and integrity. Now Cumulus is at a milestone: because of its heritage and size. The next three years will be important for its overall future. The new President and Board of Cumulus will work for understanding the right speed and protocols for decision making, balancing progressive and strategic management, with human respect and empathy, and always striving for the unity, the democracy and the progress of our Association. We need to co-design together the future of Cumulus, its organization and its governance, managing a transition phase with inclusive working sessions to start a positive dialogue with everyone.
So, what is your dream for Cumulus?

ENDORSEMENTS

I would like to thank the many Cumulus members from any part of the world, and also some eminent leaders from our sister associations, who sent me an enthusiastic endorsement both with a letter and a video.