Ruth Ann Harnisch in conversation with Debbie Millman [Design Matters Live]
• – • L'Alliance New York Florence Gould Theater
About the speaker
CreativeMornings and L'Alliance New York present Ruth Ann Harnisch in conversation with Debbie Millman!
Debbie Millman and the Design Matters podcast is back by popular demand! Debbie will be returning to the CreativeMornings stage on Friday, December 5 to interview the extraordinary Ruth Ann Harnisch!
About Ruth Ann Harnisch
Ruth Ann Harnisch is an investor, philanthropist, social activist, and media producer. Since 1998, the Harnisch Foundation has given thousands of grants supporting a vast array of nonprofits. Ruth Ann is credited on nearly 400 documentaries and features that amplify underrepresented voices and spark social change. An Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy nominee—and two-time Emmy winner—Ruth Ann believes in the power of stories to shine a light on vital issues and catalyze action. She probably subscribes to your Substack.
About Debbie Millman
Named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, “one of the most influential designers working today” by GDUSA, and a “Woman of Influence” by Success magazine, Debbie Millman is also an author, educator, designer, and podcast pioneer.
Debbie is the host of the Webby award-winning podcast Design Matters, one of the first and longest running podcasts in the world; Chair of the first-ever Masters in Branding Program at the School of Visual Arts, Editorial Director of PrintMag.com, co-publisher of TheRumpus.net and the author of eight books. Debbie is the recipient of a Cooper Hewitt National Design Award and a Lifetime Achievement award from AIGA, the Professional Association for Design. She is currently a Harvard Business School Executive Fellow.
⏰ Please note that this event is scheduled to end at 10:15am.
🎵 Performance by Henry Ferland
Henry Ferland is an award-winning fingerstyle guitarist whose performances seamlessly integrate melody, harmony, bass lines, percussion, into a distinctive and dynamic solo style. His work draws on Americana, jazz, contemporary songwriters, and an expanding catalog of original compositions. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Henry overcame a year-long setback in 2023 due to bilateral Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and, after 2 surgeries, returned to establish himself as a noteworthy presence in the Hudson Valley music scene. Henry has appeared alongside artists such as Martin Taylor and Sean Rowe. In 2025, he won both adult categories at the International Home of the Legends Thumbpicking Competition in Muhlenberg, Kentucky, earning the title of Thumbpicking Grand Champion. Shortly thereafter, he performed with multiple GRAMMY winner Tommy Emmanuel.
Local partners
Global Partner — Adobe
Adobe empowers everyone, everywhere to imagine, create, and bring any digital experience to life. From creators and students to small businesses, global enterprises, and nonprofit organizations — customers choose Adobe products to ideate, collaborate, be more productive, drive business growth, and build remarkable experiences.
Global Patron — Harnisch Foundation
Harnisch Foundation believes in a fairer world that works better for everyone, with special attention on gender and racial equity.
Local Partner — Harvest
Harvest is a web-based time tracking and invoicing application relied on by thousands of people around the world, from freelancers to small businesses to departments of Fortune 500 companies. Harvest founders Danny Wen and Shawn Liu had searched for tools to help their agency scale with more efficient methods to track time and send invoices. Unable to find one, they invested their own time, energy, and money into creating what they knew was a better way to run the business—and Harvest was born.
Local Partner — MPB
MPB transforms the way that people buy, sell and trade photo and video gear. As the largest global platform for used photography and videography equipment, MPB is a destination for everyone, whether you’ve just discovered your passion for visual storytelling or you’re already a pro.
Founded by Matt Barker in 2011, MPB has always been committed to making gear more accessible and affordable, and helping to visualize a more sustainable future. MPB recirculates more than 485,000 used products every year, extending the life and creative potential of photo and video equipment for creators around the world.
Headquartered in the creative communities of Brooklyn, Brighton and Berlin, the MPB team includes trained camera experts and seasoned photographers and videographers who bring their passion to work every day to deliver outstanding service.
Venue Partner — L'Alliance New York
L'Alliance New York is an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to providing its audience and students with engaging French language classes and audacious multi-disciplinary programming that celebrates the diversity of francophone cultures and creativity around the world. A welcoming and inclusive community for all ages and all backgrounds, L'Alliance New York is a place where people can meet, learn, and explore the richness of our heritages and share discoveries. L'Alliance New York strives to amplify voices and build bridges from the entire francophone world to New York and beyond.
Additional details
♿️ Venue Accessibility Information
We’ll have an ASL interpreter for this event. Please email us at nyc@creativemornings.com if this is relevant for your needs.
Wheelchair access is available via the elevator in the main lobby of the building at 55 East 59th Street.
We are striving to improve the inclusivity of our programs and are seeking accessible venues to partner with to host our events, as well as captioning and ASL interpreter volunteers. If you can help with any of these, please send us an email at nyc@creativemornings.com.
Location
Hosted at
L'Alliance New York Florence Gould Theater
55 East 59th Street
New York, New York United States 10022
When
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Volunteer Lenny An
Volunteer Meredith Katibah
Volunteer Oriana Smith
Check-In Captain Sisi Recht
Volunteer Su Mazzoleni
Volunteer Whitney Doherty
Volunteer Abby Houston
Volunteer Brianna Torres
Volunteer Exa Kutler
Check-In Brian Link
Videographer Connie Liu
Volunteer Ella Joy
Volunteer Finn Evans
Volunteer Kevin Isomoto
Volunteer Krista MacDonald
Volunteer Laina Meyerowitz
Volunteer Leah Strigler
