The Alaska Design Forum (ADF) was founded in 1992 as a non-profit organization of architects, artists, and designers formed to broaden the range of discussion of the design of the built environment. The goal of ADF is to motivate people to discuss, think, and ultimately act to create a built environment that inspires the soul and protects the body. Alaska is in a unique geographic, climatic and social setting. We as individuals and as a community constantly strive to develop a unique and appropriate design response.

As an educational group, ADF presents programs that expose the community to leading edge design and art ideas and encourages discussion on the relevance of these ideas to life and design in our state. We do this in whatever forum seems appropriate, however the core of our program is the annual lecture series. Each year eight or nine designers and artists visit our state and lecture in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau. In addition we have also:

• commissioned original art installations and artist-in-residence programs.
• presented avant-garde performances of dance and music.
• sponsored design competitions, including "Imagine Anchorage."
• published Simultaneous Landscapes, a journal of Alaska design and culture.
• promoted informal discussion groups, which has been codified as our Third Tuesdays program.
• organized workshops and forums of particular relevance to the north.
• in 2006, ADF was recognized as a recipient of Mayor's Arts Awards 2006

You can view our Archive of our past ADF activities