IRINA SCHNEID
Impact Wrkshp
SAY IT LOUD - NOW Exhibitor
NEw Jersey/ USA Designer
Who or what inspires you professionally?
My students and my colleagues all inspire me professionally. I am also fiercely inspired by the growing community of participatory designers who are willing to rethink normative practices to better the lives of those affected by our work.
IRINA SCHNEID
Bio:
Irina Schneid is a licensed architect, educator, and social impact designer. An Adjunct Assistant Professor at Pratt Institute, Irina is deeply committed to expanding educational access and community outreach through her teaching and practice. She is the recipient of the 2021 IIDA Impact Stipend Award and the 2021 CTL Faculty Fellowship. In 2014, Irina founded Impact Wrkshp as a springboard for social impact to help emerging female designers harness their training towards social good.
How did you first learn about architecture and when did you decide that built environment profession was an area of interest for you?
I first learned about architecture from my art teacher - a former soviet architect, turned painter. The profession came later, in architecture school, when I fell in love with spatial problem solving- both the conceptualization and humanity of it.
What do you do?
I am an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Pratt Institute, Principal of Scharc Studio LLC, Founder and Design Director of Impact Wrkshp, and a mom of two. I teach, I design, I mentor, I paint, and I parent.
What excites you in the work you do?
Design as a form of advocacy, as a platform for community building and empowerment, as a lens by which to reimagine our everyday contexts. I am most excited by the shift in our industry towards a more equitable framework for practice and teaching.
Who or what inspires you professionally?
My students and my colleagues all inspire me professionally. I am also fiercely inspired by the growing community of participatory designers who are willing to rethink normative practices to better the lives of those affected by our work.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment or achievement?
My proudest professional achievement has been bringing Impact Wrkshp to life and kindling its growth from a seed idea into a deeply impactful advocacy organization and mentorship network for womxn in design.
Featured Project Name:
PS 5 Gallery
Featured Project Location:
Jersey City, NJ
Featured Project Completion Date:
November 20, 2021
Role in Featured Project:
Design Director. Our design team was comprised of impact fellows Katrina Macaro, Coco Allred, Ellie Bazurto, alongside several 5th and 6th graders from PS 5.
Featured Project Description:
PS 5 Gallery is a participatory design project which partnered elementary school students, parents, and staff with design graduates to bring an art gallery to life. Activating the entrance to a school auditorium, the gallery is composed of modular grid walls and milk crates that repurpose everyday objects to activate inquiry through art. An integrated learning lab serves as a portable classroom, while a living archive celebrates student process work with dedicated art folders for each student.
