Ai Weiwei: Button Up! and Summer Assembly: Earth Station are among the architecture and design events featured in Dezeen Events Guide this July.
Other events taking place during the month include New Designers, Architects of Liberation and Summer Assembly: Earth Station.
New Designers
1 to 4 July, UK
Annual graduate showcase New Designers returns to London's Business Design Centre for its 41st edition, spotlighting projects from over 200 universities.
The exhibition spans a range of design disciplines, such as fashion, furniture, product, interior, textile, graphic, jewellery, ceramics and gaming.
Alongside the display, the event hosts talks, workshops and awards programmes.
Ai Weiwei: Button Up!
2 July to 4 September 2026, UK
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei presents the Button Up! exhibition at Aviva Studios in Manchester, exploring 200 years of history.
Weiwei drew inspiration from Manchester's role in the industrial revolution, developing a showcase that addresses British imperialism and globalisation through the lens of the contemporary political climate and Chinese-British relations.
The exhibition also incorporates a 24-hour live performance by the artist.
Architects of Liberation
5 July 2026 to 2 January 2027, USA
Architects of Liberation is an exhibition hosted by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City that highlights the built environment in West Africa created between the 1950s and 1980s.
More than 450 models, drawings, photographs and other objects are on display, exploring architecture that reflects political independence across Benin, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
Isan Creative Festival
11 to 19 July 2026, Thailand
The sixth edition of Isan Creative Festival takes place in July, highlighting creativity in the Isan region of Thailand through exhibitions, workshops, talks and a market.
The festival takes place across four venues, with more than 200 events spotlighting art, music and cuisine.
The programme follows four key themes: Abundance, Adaptation and Connection.
Summer Assembly: Earth Station
12 to 17 July 2026, UK
Summer Assembly: Earth Station is a new summer school organised by Scottish organisation Architecture Fringe, hosting a five-day programme of discussions and workshops.
The event welcomes 40 participants to the Hospitalfield arts centre in Arbroath, Scotland, and is led by architect Marf Summers, artists Becky Little, Soph Dyer and Alison Scott, designer Akiko Kobayashi and craftworker Ben Williams.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year. The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.
Inclusion in the guide is free for basic listings, with events selected at Dezeen's discretion. Organisers can get standard, enhanced or featured listings for their events, including images, additional text and links, by paying a modest fee.
In addition, events can ensure inclusion by partnering with Dezeen. For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide and media partnerships with Dezeen, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.