Future Facing Design: A panel with Austin-based women artists and artisans

Dive deep into the processes, techniques, and stories that inspire the designs of Form Works exhibiting artists Yasmeen Arkadan, Rebecca Marino, Michelle Myers, and Mother of God Studio! Through a series of short presentations, this panel offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at design in motion. Whether you’re a fellow creative, enjoy design objects, or simply curious about how form and function intertwine, join us for a unique opportunity to engage directly with the makers, ask questions, and gain a deeper appreciation for the craft and artistry behind the works on view. This event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP below. 

About the Panelists

Yasmeen Arkadan
Specializing in stonework, Yasmeen Arkadan considers the disciplines of architecture and design at their intersection with craft. The artist collects architectural stone remnants and explores these materials within the framework of both natural and constructed environments. Using stone masonry and sculptural assemblage to conjure form, Yasmeen revisits how these found materials perform under new circumstances while still alluding to the histories that came to shape them.

Rebecca Marino
Rebecca Marino is a multidisciplinary visual artist and curator living and working in Austin, TX. Balancing fact and fiction, her work carefully constructs light-hearted attempts to objectify a personal interest in certain objects and places. These interests often stem from an ongoing fascination with both science and literature, and particularly where the two intersect. By acknowledging and investing in what is often overlooked or disregarded, there is a hope to reassign value.

Emiko Woodworks
Michelle Myers is a furniture maker based in Austin, Texas and the founder of Emiko Woodworks. Her work blends Japanese and Mid-Century Modern influences, focusing on clean lines, subtle curves, and fine joinery. Each piece is thoughtfully designed and built by hand, with an emphasis on quiet beauty, utility, and longevity. Myers values craftsmanship and materials equally, creating furniture meant to be lived with and passed on.

Mother of God Studio
Mother of God Studio is the partnership of self-taught ceramicists Diana Welch and Amanda Rivera. It is an experimental practice, exploring the different possibilities of what an object can become through collaboration. Founded in 2014, the studio focuses on creating collectible limited edition-pieces that live somewhere between sculptural and functional work.