Local Projects: Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Visiting Designer Lecture - Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Stephen Baker and Kate Watson of New York-based Local Projects will deliver the Henry L. and Natalie E. Freund Visiting Designer Lecture as part of the Sam Fox School’s Public Lecture Series at WashU.

Local Projects is an exhibition and media design firm for museums and public spaces connecting people to stories through innovative design. They are a woman-led, multi-disciplinary design studio best known for technologically advanced work that drives emotional engagement.

Founded 20 years ago, the NYC based studio consists of a team of experienced design, creative technology, project management, and operations professionals. Utilizing unique capabilities and creative process, they produce best-in-class, groundbreaking projects around the world.

About Stephen Baker

Stephen Baker is a creative director and designer focusing on experiential design spanning architecture, interaction design, and emerging technology. Stephen’s credits at LP include collaborations with the National Public Housing, Sydney Jewish Museum, IBM, Manchester United, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, and more. Prior to joining Local Projects, Stephen developed an immersive mixed-reality pavilion for the Tokyo Olympics, a large, building-scale artwork for the San Francisco Symphony, a suite of live data visualization artworks for IBM’s headquarters, and a large-scale interactive visualization on Neuroscience for Columbia University. Stephen holds an MFA from Parsons School of Design in New York, and a BFA from the University of Michigan.

About Kate Watson

Kate Watson leads strategy at Local Projects – collaborating with clients to strengthen and define their vision, uncover fresh insights, and drive business. She started in the art world as a curator and critic before expanding into creating interactive experiences with cultural institutions and brands. Her work today spans user experience, project visioning, trend research, brand positioning, content strategy, and placemaking. She holds an MPS from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program and a BA in art history from Sarah Lawrence College.