Rebecca Mushtare & Doug Bartow of AIGA Upstate New York: 45,000 Square Miles of Community

Описание: Rebecca Mushtare and Doug Bartow had a problem: how do you build design community across 5,000 square miles of upstate New York? The answer was equal parts strategic and scrappy—portfolio reviews in multiple cities, educator dialogues, and at one point, nine simultaneous “Cocktails for Creatives” meetups happening across the state on a Tuesday night.

In 2016, they traveled to Raleigh expecting to feel behind. Instead, they found chapters in Colorado facing the exact same challenges. This is a conversation about building hubs when you can’t be in one place, using Zoom before it was cool, and why that random student email deserves a reply. Also: the story of a very crowded glass room that Rebecca may or may not remember.

Key Takeaways
Geographic challenges are universal: Upstate chapters aren’t behind—they’re dealing with the same hub-building problems as other large-state chapters.
Networking compounds over time: The person you meet at a portfolio review might help you land a job a decade later.
Virtual events were necessary before they were normal: Upstate New York was doing multi-location FaceTime meetups years before COVID made it standard.
Faculty relationships sustain chapters: Students come and go, but faculty stay—and they bring new students into the community year after year.
AI is a tool, not a designer: Use it for spreadsheets and color palettes, not for the creative work that makes you human.
Accessibility isn’t optional anymore: WCAG compliance deadlines are real, and design thinking can lead the way.
Key Moments in This Episode

07:40 – Nine cocktails, simultaneously: How upstate New York activated hubs across Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Albany, and beyond
09:30 – The human pyramid moment: When Doug realized this retreat was going to push him way outside his comfort zone
12:20 – “We’re not that bad”: Meeting other geographic chapters at Raleigh and realizing upstate wasn’t behind after all
16:45 – Staying connected through students: Why recruiting students into chapter roles keeps the community alive
20:10 – The Get Out the Vote posters: How a Raleigh conversation led to exhibitions at the Women’s Rights National Historic Park
24:40 – AI isn’t going to replace designers: It’s CorelDRAW all over again—a tool, not a threat
27:00 – Designing for accessibility: Why WCAG deadlines matter and how color-blind designers use AI for palettes
30:50 – Paying it forward: Why answering that random LinkedIn message matters more than you think

About Our Guests

Rebecca Mushtare is Deputy Dean of Graduate Studies and Professor of Interaction Design at SUNY Oswego, specializing in accessibility and data visualization. As Education Director for AIGA Upstate New York, she organized student conferences, educator dialogues, and portfolio reviews across the state.

Doug Bartow is Design Director for the New York State Design System at NYS Office of Information Technology Services. He served as President of AIGA Upstate New York and has been running portfolio reviews in the Albany area for 17 years—including helping coordinate nine simultaneous cocktail meetups across New York State.

Featuring
Guest Rebecca Mushtare
Guest Doug Bartow
Host Erik Cargill
Host Rachel Elnar

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Theme music: Loose Ends by Silver Ships Plastic Oceans
Produced by Chapter 2 Media
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