SpeakerCo-founder and director of Droog, Renny Ramakers curates design exhibitions, is a judging panelist on various design boards, and leads lectures and workshops worldwide. She has advised on governmental advisory boards, among others as a member of the Dutch Council of Culture (1995-2001). As a critic, she has contributed to international magazines, books and catalogues, and has also authored several books. She is member of the board of THNK, the Amsterdam school for creative leadership.
Ramakers is trained as an art historian. During her studies she was more interested in a break than in continuity. After finishing her studies she decided to specialise in design and to make history herself by creating projects that can stretch the borders of design thinking.
As director of Droog, Ramakers recently created the Droog Lab. The ambitious mission of the Droog Lab is to define the next generation of global design by investigating local contexts. Lab destinations so far have been Dubai, the Canadian North, New York and Moscow. With “saved by droog”, presented in April 2010 in Milan, she wanted to consider leftovers of companies as raw material for creative interpretation. Currently Droog is investigating the possibilities of developing a creative platform for dead stock. Another current project is the creation of a platform for Downloadable design.
As curator, Ramakers creates highly interactive design festivals around the world, establishing new collaborations and experiences inspired by the location. Ramakers curated Pioneers of Change, a festival of Dutch design, fashion and architecture that took place in September 2009 at Governors Island, New York, attracting over 25 000 visitors in two weekends.
In all her projects Ramakers focuses on creating interaction with the public, new collaborations, tools and systems. She is challenged by highly innovative art and design projects that are embedded in the social context but that always have a twist. She believes that conceptual thinking with a focus on a different perspective not only solves problems but also opens up new directions and possibilities.