Shemar Stewart: From SEED to Sasaki

February 10, 2023

Shemar Stewart first joined the Sasaki Foundation’s Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program as an intern in 2018, and has served as a teaching assistant every summer since. The SEED program inspired him to switch his major to architecture, and he has used his experience to guide more students through the program. Shemar just graduated from UMass Amherst and is now starting a year-long internship at Sasaki. Estefany Benitez, Sasaki Foundation Program Manager, recently sat down with him to talk about his SEED experiences and career path so far.

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Meet Groundwork Somerville’s New Urban Farm

January 11, 2023

We recently connected with Emily Reckard-Mota and Juliana Soltys from 2022 Sasaki Foundation Design Grants project Groundwork Somerville’s New Urban Farm. Groundwork Somerville is designing their new farm, office, and marketspace to provide a unique gathering space for the community to engage with the local food system, grow culturally relevant crops, and empower youth to become environmental leaders.

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Meet Chinatown Energy Literacy Campaign

December 19, 2022

We recently connected with Lydia Lowe and Jen Stevenson Zepeda from 2022 Sasaki Foundation Design Grants project Chinatown Energy Literacy Campaign. As part of a larger community-owned energy microgrid project, Climable, Chinatown CLT, and Chinatown Power, Inc. are creating a multi-lingual clean energy literacy campaign for Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood and an interactive webpage where visitors can access useful information about understanding their bills and utility options, or how to access alternative energy and efficiency options.

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SEED students design classroom gardens for Boston Public Schools

August 30, 2022

This summer, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our fifth annual Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program. SEED is a six-week paid internship for high school students from the Boston area. With the help of teaching assistants, Sasaki design mentors, and partner organizations, the students learn about careers in the design field and develop their own projects.

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November 18, 2024
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Second Annual Celebration of Design a Success
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November 18, 2024
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Second Annual Celebration of Design a Success
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Anna Scherling
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On Thursday, November 14, 2024, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our second annual Celebration of Design at 110 Chauncy in Downtown Boston. The event saw 100+ attendees and raised $28,000+ to support our mission of equity in design. Thanks to your generosity, we funded a Design Grant, 6 Design Grants finalist honorariums, a public event, 14 DESI youth interns for a semester, and 26 SEED students for a week.
Thank you to our 2024 Celebration of Design event sponsors, BR+A Consulting Engineers, Naveo Credit Union, and Suffolk Construction.
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Our theme, Hideo 2024: Go for the Gold, celebrated Hideo Sasaki’s career, the Sasaki Foundation’s work, and the design community. We highlighted the Olympic connections we uncovered: Sasaki, the firm Hideo founded, has worked on four different Olympics: Lake Placid in 1980, Los Angeles in 1984, Atlanta in 1996, and Beijing in 2008. And did you know architecture was once an Olympic competition? We also recognized the diversity in Boston's design community with 20+ countries represented at the event.
The Sasaki Foundation's work was also front and center. Since kicking off our own programming in 2018, we have pushed forward our mission of equity in design:
 

625+ students introduced to careers in design through our design education programs
$316,000 awarded to community-led projects through the Design Grants
235+ events hosted to connect communities and design professionals
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Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Mary Anne Ocampo welcomes 2024 Celebration of Design attendees
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five-time SEED alum Shemar Stewart bids to sponsor SEED students at the paddle raise
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In addition to learning about Hideo and the Sasaki Foundation, event attendees enjoyed an evening of food, drinks, and fun. In-kind sponsor Baker's Best Catering provided delicious Paris-inspired eats, with local drinks from in-kind sponsors Downeast Cider House, Remnant Brewing, and Samuel Adams.
Guests participated in Olympic-sized competitions and Olympic Village flag pin trading, with trivia challenges and scavenger hunts to earn even more pins inspired by Hideo, Sasaki's historic projects, and the Paris 2024 Olympics. A raffle included fabulous prizes donated by a long list of Greater Boston small businesses.
Thank you to our additional in-kind sponsors Sasaki, EventThem, and Arielly Photography for supporting our event experience.
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At a special medal ceremony, we awarded gold to four of our incredible volunteers:

Melissa Teng: Community-led Design Award for a community partner of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation focused on equity in the design process, engaging young people in design, and amplifying community voices.
Jared Barnett: Excellence in Design Education Award for a design education volunteer with the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who demonstrates a passion for building a more equitable industry and a desire to work with youth.
Hyeji Sheen: Leadership in Design Equity Award for a volunteer with the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who works across all pillars of programming, truly championing our work in the community, with young people, and within the design industry.
James Miner: Hideo Sasaki Leadership Award for a supporter of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who gives selflessly, truly believes in the power of collaborative design, and has proven to be a champion in our mission to build a more equitable design industry.

Thank you to the Sasaki Fabrication Studio for 3D printing our Hideo 2024 gold medals!
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2024 Celebration of Design award winners Jared Barnett, Hyeji Sheen, and James Miner (not pictured: Melissa Teng)
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A special thanks to the Hideo Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees, DESI teaching assistants, and design education student alums who volunteered at the Celebration of Design. And thank you to all who made this event a success! We look forward to your continued support throughout the year, and hope you’ll join us again for next year’s third annual Celebration of Design on November 13, 2025. And if you were unable to attend this year, it is not too late to contribute! Donate now through November 30.
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SEED students design for local nonprofits and organizations
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                    [post_title] => Second Annual Celebration of Design a Success
                    [post_excerpt] => On Thursday, November 14, 2024, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our second annual Celebration of Design at 110 Chauncy in Downtown Boston. The event saw 100+ attendees and raised $28,000+ to support our mission of equity in design. Thanks to your generosity, we funded a Design Grant, 6 Design Grants finalist honorariums, a public event, 14 DESI youth interns for a semester, and 26 SEED students for a week.
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November 18, 2024
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November 18, 2024
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Second Annual Celebration of Design a Success
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Anna Scherling
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On Thursday, November 14, 2024, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our second annual Celebration of Design at 110 Chauncy in Downtown Boston. The event saw 100+ attendees and raised $28,000+ to support our mission of equity in design. Thanks to your generosity, we funded a Design Grant, 6 Design Grants finalist honorariums, a public event, 14 DESI youth interns for a semester, and 26 SEED students for a week.
Thank you to our 2024 Celebration of Design event sponsors, BR+A Consulting Engineers, Naveo Credit Union, and Suffolk Construction.
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Our theme, Hideo 2024: Go for the Gold, celebrated Hideo Sasaki’s career, the Sasaki Foundation’s work, and the design community. We highlighted the Olympic connections we uncovered: Sasaki, the firm Hideo founded, has worked on four different Olympics: Lake Placid in 1980, Los Angeles in 1984, Atlanta in 1996, and Beijing in 2008. And did you know architecture was once an Olympic competition? We also recognized the diversity in Boston's design community with 20+ countries represented at the event.
The Sasaki Foundation's work was also front and center. Since kicking off our own programming in 2018, we have pushed forward our mission of equity in design:
 

625+ students introduced to careers in design through our design education programs
$316,000 awarded to community-led projects through the Design Grants
235+ events hosted to connect communities and design professionals
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Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees Chair Mary Anne Ocampo welcomes 2024 Celebration of Design attendees
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five-time SEED alum Shemar Stewart bids to sponsor SEED students at the paddle raise
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In addition to learning about Hideo and the Sasaki Foundation, event attendees enjoyed an evening of food, drinks, and fun. In-kind sponsor Baker's Best Catering provided delicious Paris-inspired eats, with local drinks from in-kind sponsors Downeast Cider House, Remnant Brewing, and Samuel Adams.
Guests participated in Olympic-sized competitions and Olympic Village flag pin trading, with trivia challenges and scavenger hunts to earn even more pins inspired by Hideo, Sasaki's historic projects, and the Paris 2024 Olympics. A raffle included fabulous prizes donated by a long list of Greater Boston small businesses.
Thank you to our additional in-kind sponsors Sasaki, EventThem, and Arielly Photography for supporting our event experience.
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At a special medal ceremony, we awarded gold to four of our incredible volunteers:

Melissa Teng: Community-led Design Award for a community partner of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation focused on equity in the design process, engaging young people in design, and amplifying community voices.
Jared Barnett: Excellence in Design Education Award for a design education volunteer with the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who demonstrates a passion for building a more equitable industry and a desire to work with youth.
Hyeji Sheen: Leadership in Design Equity Award for a volunteer with the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who works across all pillars of programming, truly championing our work in the community, with young people, and within the design industry.
James Miner: Hideo Sasaki Leadership Award for a supporter of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation who gives selflessly, truly believes in the power of collaborative design, and has proven to be a champion in our mission to build a more equitable design industry.

Thank you to the Sasaki Fabrication Studio for 3D printing our Hideo 2024 gold medals!
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2024 Celebration of Design award winners Jared Barnett, Hyeji Sheen, and James Miner (not pictured: Melissa Teng)
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A special thanks to the Hideo Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees, DESI teaching assistants, and design education student alums who volunteered at the Celebration of Design. And thank you to all who made this event a success! We look forward to your continued support throughout the year, and hope you’ll join us again for next year’s third annual Celebration of Design on November 13, 2025. And if you were unable to attend this year, it is not too late to contribute! Donate now through November 30.
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SEED students design for local nonprofits and organizations
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the power of design

belongs to all of us

2019 SEED high school internship

Incubator at Sasaki | Watertown, Massachusetts

the power of design

belongs to all of us

Team at the Incubator at Sasaki

Watertown, Massachusetts

the power of design

belongs to all of us

Team at the Incubator at Sasaki

Watertown, Massachusetts

the power of design

belongs to all of us

Patron touching art in the Please Touch the Art exhibit

Mosesian Center for the Arts | Watertown, Massachusetts | photo courtesy Matt Jatkola

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation works to advance equity in the design of the environment. We sponsor research and programs that empower communities and strengthen education in design.

Events

Design Professionals Trivia Night

February 13, 2025

What makes the BU Bridge unique from every other bridge in the world? In what year was America’s first subway built? Do you know the answers to these questions or other obscure facts? Join us on February 13 at our design professionals trivia night hosted by the Sasaki Foundation and the BSLA, and powered by SMRT Trivia! It’s time to show off all the random knowledge you collected over the years, while enjoying an evening out with friends. Tickets are only $30 and include food and drinks. All proceeds will benefit the Sasaki Foundation and the BSLA. Grab your friends and register today!

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What we do

Our values build on more than six decades of work by Hideo Sasaki, focusing on the following priority areas.

1

Research & Grants

Large-scale, complex challenges require cross-disciplinary thinking. That’s why we convene experts and innovators from all backgrounds. Our research and grants bring issues of inequity in design to the forefront.

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2

Community Learning

Informed and engaged residents are central ingredients of a successful community. That’s why we host public programs that amplify a diversity of voices and address socially relevant topics as we work toward systemic change.

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3

Design Education

A thriving design industry relies on a pipeline of diverse, talented, and passionate practitioners who infuse new ideas and disrupt established patterns. That’s why we provide youth with opportunities to discover and explore careers in design.

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History

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation is named after Hideo Sasaki, a Japanese American landscape architect who came of age in WWII. Hideo was a pioneer of modern design, a leader, and an educator. He articulated—and proved—the value of interdisciplinary design while breaking down the traditional barriers between practice and teaching.

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation was established by Sasaki, a multidisciplinary design firm founded by Hideo, with support from Hideo’s family and friends. Continuing Hideo’s legacy, we sit at the intersection of research, practice, education, and community-driven processes. We advance equity in design, inviting diverse partners to co-create change.

 

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Hideo Sasaki

1970s