+ Help Us Bring This Panel to SXSW 2026
Help Us Bring Our Panel to SXSW 2026
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Credits
Writer: Alberto Alvarado & Kristína Konečná
Visuals: SXSW2026
Help Us Bring This Panel to SXSW 2026
Our recent experience with shifting ground across multiple sectors has changed how we think about design and the role creativity plays when everything is uncertain. We’re ready to bring that conversation to SXSW 2026.
Our Topic
Designing on Shifting Ground: Creativity in Crisis
Across the country, communities are facing overlapping crises, from climate disasters to economic stress and political shifts. Creative professionals working in the public space are being pushed to show up differently. The old ways of solving problems are no longer enough. This is a call to listen more deeply, co-create with communities, and design for trust, especially when things are uncertain.
You’ll hear real stories and practical tools from professionals working in public libraries, civic agencies, and NASA. Together, we’ll explore how to keep momentum, stay connected to purpose, and design with clarity even in the middle of a crisis.
Key Takeaways
- Lead creative work through constant change
- Build campaigns that adapt and endure
- Stay resilient as a creative leader
- Use design to rebuild trust and connection
- Move forward with clarity in uncertain times
Why Vote for Us
This panel is built on real experiences, not theory. These are stories from leaders who have worked through crisis and uncertainty. It’s about how design and strategy can do more than solve problems. They can rebuild trust, restore connection, and help teams move forward with purpose. Your vote can help bring these lessons to the stage.
Meet the Speakers
- Rudy Manning, CEO and Founder of Pastilla
- Jessie Kawata, Sustainable Design Strategist / Formerly for Microsoft & NASA JPL
- Lisa Martinez, Chief Communications Officer, Sacramento Public Library Authority
- Leon Anderson, Director of Marketing and Communication for Portland Center Stage, Former president of Instrument agency
Each has led high-stakes creative work during moments of uncertainty and brings powerful lived experience to this conversation.
Voting is open from August 5 to August 24.
How to vote
Log in at panelpicker.sxsw.com
Search our session: “Designing on Shifting Ground: Creativity in Crisis”
Click the ♥ to cast your vote!
