Nathan Shapira Design Archive at SFSU

"We do not Design for Society, or for that matter, Design in order to Design Society.
"We Design because Society and Ourselves are in fact Design.
"We do not Design for Living.
"We Design to LIVE!"
- Selby Mvusi, 1963

https://www.facebook.com/ricgomes57/posts/pfbid02gTpjCVSPCqmVCWnG6CDwLVeEMeeoyL8W93g6YWM5H3FmNfGVrMMKx2ARuds2y7BFl

Sculptor, Artist, Poet, Academic and Activist - Selbourne Charlton Sobizwa “Selby” Mvusi (1929 - 1967). Mvusi was among the first Black South African artists to experiment with non-figurative abstraction. His work, such as the famous oil painting "Parents of the World—Adam and Eve," often explored humanistic and universal themes. He founded the first department of industrial design in Africa at the University of Nairobi in the mid-1960s. He believed that design was a "plastic realisation of human consciousness" and was essential for Africa to participate fully in the 20th century. He was a globetrotting academic who taught at institutions such as Clark College in Atlanta and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. Source: SAHO, Wikipedia, Unisa Press, Drum Archive, BAHA

"Onsite + Remote WORK for Units"
SPRING 2026 Independent Study/Internship Opportunity:
Student Interns & Research Assistants
DES 576: Practical/Directed Experience: Internships, or DES 699 Independent Study

Seeking Interns and Research Assistants for Shapira Design Archive Project (NSDA) – HUM 112
(See ATTACHED .PDF Flyer and Promotional Video Link: https://vimeo.com/136050538 )

Project Description
The designated Research Assistant will be working with Prof. Ricardo Gomes to pursue the documentation, organization, and development of the archive artifacts; collaborative design research projects; inclusive design promotional development creative strategies.

Qualifications: The role and responsibilities of the Research Assistant Internship will require the student to be capable of working independently, reliable, engaging, and have organizational skills. Basic foundation competency in CS graphic software applications is a Plus+ in addition to organizational, promotion/marketing, and design research capabilities

SPRING 2026 Designated Tasks:

(1) NSDA Podcast development, promotion (Feb. 9th-May 11th), and launch (May 18th, 2026)

(2) Promotional Graphics and Information Design for the Design Archive:
Podcast/Website + Promotional Collateral + Publications + Social Media

(3) SFSU LIB Special Collections Display of Nathan Shapira Archive March 2-13, 2026

(4) Planning, Development, and Promotional Graphic/Information Design Campaign, “30th Annual Design Alumni “Hybrid” Portfolio Nite,” March 18th, 2026

(5) Planning, Development, and Promotion of Epsilon Pi Tau, Beta Beta Chapter International Honors Society Nomination, Initiation, and Awards Ceremony, April 24th, 2026

(6) Planning, Drafting & Preliminary Editing for Fall 2026/Spring 2027 Design for All Institute of India Guest Editor Online Publication


Preferred Internship/Independent Study Research Assistant Hours: (Minimum of 6-8 “Hyperflex” hours per week)
Approx. 3-4 Onsite/In-Person + plus 2-3 hour Synchronous/Asynchronous Hours)

NSDA Facebook Site https://www.facebook.com/nsda.sfsu/

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1214404627156862

Interested SFSU students contact: Prof. Ricardo Gomes [email protected]

Prof. Nathan Shapira with the legendary Walter Landor at the Landor Design headquarters in San Francisco, 1990.

The School of Design at San Francisco State University had the opportunity and pleasure to host a “Design Talk” by Omari Abijah Souza, the visionary founder of the State of Black Design
conference, and the author of "An Anthology of Blackness: The State of Black Design,: Design Against Racism: Creating Work That Transforms Communities."
Prof. Omari Souza (Assistant Professor of Communication Design at the University of North Texas) gave a highly successful Design Talk to the School of Design and the SFSU Community.
Omari's groundbreaking "State of Black Design conferences" aim to celebrate, promote, and amplify the voices and contributions of Black designers, fostering a more equitable and diverse design industry."
"Kudos" to DES Director Mari Hulick for establishing the initiative to collaborate with Omari Souza

Celebrating & Remebering Nathan Shapira‘s Memorial Birthday (May 28th)…
…in conjunction with Our Memorial Day +
EPT Beta Beta Chapter Honors Society Initiates + Class of 2025 Graduation Celebrations

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152777085951143&set=a.10152777066641143&type=3&mibextid=wwXIfr