If youve ever wanted to learn cutting-edge concepts from internationally known designers, youll have the opportunity to do so Nov. 6-7 during West Virginia Universitys open forumDesign Dialogue: Conversations about 21st Century Innovation and the Role of Design in Education, Community and the Economy.

All events related to the collaborative, multidisciplinary forum are free and open to the public.

Speakers include Alessandro Guerrierodesigner, architect and president of the Nuova Accademia de Belle Arti (NABA) in Milan, Italyalong with James Hillman, originator of the field of archetypal psychology.

Guerriero and Hillman will take part in a discussion onMetro Harmony: Designing the Livable Cityat 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (Room 200A) of the WVU Creative Arts Center on the Evansdale Campus. A reception and design exhibition will follow at 5:30 p.m. in the centers Douglas O. Blaney Lobby.

In addition, Guerriero will participate in a roundtable discussion Wednesday, Nov. 7, titledThe Future of Design Education and the International Context.The discussion begins at 7 p.m. in the Tanner Theater of the Monongalia Arts Center in downtown Morgantown.

Organized by Dan Weiner, director of the Office of International Programs at WVU , the Nov. 7 event will also include Dan Boyarski, head of the School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University; Marco Cabassi, owner of NABA ; Brunello Morrelli, vice president for international affairs at NABA ; and members of the WVU Disegno Italia Steering Committee. A public reception will follow.

Guerriero is a designer who established Atelier Alchimia in the 1970s, one of the most vital groups in the evolution of Italian avant-garde design. He was the founding member of Domus Academy, the Milanese postgraduate design school, in the late 1980s, and in 2003, he was appointed president of the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan and of the Cultural Association NABA Futurarium.

Hillman is a distinguished lecturer at Yale, Princeton, Chicago and Syracuse universities. He is also an author whose many books, includingCity and Soul,have been translated into some 20 languages.

Design Dialogueis a forum for local, national and international thinkers from a number of design fields to come together to present ideas and to discuss topics related to the design revolution of the 21st century. These include innovations in design education, the value of integrated aesthetics in metropolitan design, New Urbanism and city planning, business design, livability issues, the economic impact of green design and the power of design thinking.

Specific design issues, from those affecting the local campus and Morgantown to broader issues affecting the state and region, will be explored. The discussion is also taking place on the Web athttp://designdialogue.blogs.wvu.edu/.

Supported in part by funding from the Myers Foundation and the Division of Art in the College of Creative Arts, the initiative is also being led by other academic units at WVU including the Division of Design and Merchandising and Landscape Architecture Program in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences; the Institute for Public Affairs in the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences; and the Office of International Programs in the Office of the Provost.

For more information, contact Kristina Olson at 304-293-4841 ext. 3138 or Kristina.Olson@mail.wvu.edu , or Weiner at Daniel.Weiner@mail.wvu.edu .