There has long been a disparity between the number of men and women involved in Design and Entrepreneurship.
The Time is Now is an Interactive panel discussion which will discuss how we can encourage and support young female design entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.
We have four wonderful speakers including Karishma Kusurkar and Aileen McEwen who will be joining us for this event that is part of Creativity Month 2018
Speaker Number One
Karishma Kusurkar is a designer-entrepreneur focused on inventing new products with her brand Karishma's World. As co-founder of Belfast Design Week & The Design Salon, Karishma is passionate about raising the profile of Belfast as a design destination. She is an avid collector of postcards and a huge fan of podcasts.
Speaker Number Two
Aileen McEwen is a painter and is also pursuing a career in collections management in the museums and heritage sector. Her paintings explore ideas of illusion, desire and memory and are full of the historic spaces she works in.
Speaker Number Three
Karen Miano is the Co Founder of DIAxDEM.
“I Remember distinctly when I started out in the creative industry, specifically in music management, being told that my place within the industry would eventually sit and fit into being a facilitator. Now I have no problem with that, but the issue is that men tend to dictate women's narratives within the creative community and we get lobbed into being the facilitators 7 times out of 10. I think all that is changing. Women are much more receptive to relatability and art (in whatever form that may be) is a huge way of connecting and bringing us together to share stories and ask questions. I hope to work on connecting the two roles of Facilitator & Creator, and to inspire young people of colour to feel empowered to follow their creative spirits!"
Speaker Number Four
Geri Doherty is a TV/Film industry professional wth extensive experience as a costumier / stylist. Is a founding member and producer of Melt Fashion Collective, advocating for NI underground creative talent with the aim of nurturing expression of self, fashion as an art form and grounding a DIY/inclusive ethos. She loves all things spirtual and is obsessed with perfume.