Alex Soulsby: Creating Meaningful Opportunities for Young Learners

Alex is an internationally recognised creative education practitioner with an extensive career that stretches over twenty-five years. His work encompasses an extensive portfolio of international education development, creative project management, artist mentoring and educational policy-making.

In the UK, Alex played a key role in steering influential campaigns such as ‘Youth Arts Transforms Lives – FACT,’ benefiting from input and direction from the late Sir Ken Robinson as chair. His projects have twice been shortlisted for the UK National Charity Award and contributed to the Royal & Derngate Theatre and Arts Centre’s recognition as the UK’s Regional Theatre of the Year and Guardian’s Arts Centre of the decade

His work has featured in publications including The Times, The Guardian, Scotsman, RSA Magazine, the BBC, and the International Baccalaureate magazine, along with mentions in various academic journals. Recognition of his contributions to education and work with young people, recently resulted in a nominated and elected fellowship at the Royal Society of the Arts.

He is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for young people by bringing schools, creative minds, and educators together. His approach being, not just to work with, but to deeply embed schools in their communities and to reimagine the educational landscape for the betterment of young learners.

Dan Vlahos – Dynamic Media, Critical Thinking, and Design Pedagogy Design Education Talks

Dan Vlahos is a Boston-based design leader, educator, and researcher. He is currently a Senior Lecturer at Bentley University and is serving on the AIGA Boston Board. Vlahos is also a member of the Boston Society of Printers, the Design Management Institute, and was a founding member of Design Museum Boston (now CoDesign Collaborative). His interdisciplinary design work has been recognized by the AIGA, the One Club, Print, How, and the Interactive Media Council. Vlahos began his career in Arnold Worldwide’s Volkswagen Design Group and later served as Creative Director for Shepley Bulfinch architects. His past clients include Harvard University, Duke University, Educators for Social Responsibility, and the Industrial History Center. Vlahos received a BFA in Graphic Design from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and returned to MassArt’s Dynamic Media Institute to complete his MFA in Design in 2017. Vlahos’ research explores empowerment, complexity, dynamic media, sustainability, and creative learning. In 2020, Merrimack College’s Interdisciplinary Institute named Vlahos a Presidential Fellow, and in 2021, Vlahos entered into the Design Incubation program as a Writing Fellow. In 2023, he became a USGBC LEED Green Associate and an AIGA Design Leader (DL). In 2024, Vlahos was named an AACSRE Emerging Fellow, and in June 2025, his short motion-graphics-based film Towards a Dynamic Discipline of Design premiered at the MODE Summit in Prague.Link to website: https://danvlahos.comLink to Towards a Dynamic Discipline of Design motion graphics film: http://dynamicdesign.filmSince its inception in 2019, Design Education Talks podcast has served as a dynamic platform for the exchange of insights and ideas within the realm of art and design education. This initiative sprang from a culmination of nearly a decade of extensive research conducted by Lefteris Heretakis. His rich background, intertwining academia, industry, and student engagement, laid the foundation for a podcast that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of educational discourse.See all of our work on on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschoolFollow us on twitter at @newartschoolRead our latest articles at https://newartschool.education/and https://heretakis.medium.com/Equipment used to produce the podcast:Rodcaster pro IIRode NT1 5th generationElgato Low profile Microphone ArmMonster Prolink Studio Pro microphone cableThe rest of the equipment is here 👉https://kit.co/heretakis/podcasting
  1. Dan Vlahos – Dynamic Media, Critical Thinking, and Design Pedagogy
  2. Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning
  3. Nikolaus Hafermaas – Berlin Unplugged: Design, Education, and the Courage to Disrupt
  4. The Future of Learning with Christian Dominique: AI, Neuroscience and the Art of Wellness in Education
  5. Design in Motion: James Grady on Creative Process and Emerging Technologies

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