Dasha Ortenberg believes deeply in design’s ability to stimulate critical thought, highlight the weirdness of individuals, and reveal uncanny overlaps of (sub-)cultures. Having emigrated as a refugee from the Soviet Union as a child, her pursuit of education and career is driven by cognitive dissonance. In seeking to reconcile her own deep gratitude to the United States with a recognition of its profound inequities, she works to unveil and promote stories of the country’s places and people – both deeply problematic and beautiful.

Dasha holds degrees in Art History and Linguistics (UC Berkeley), and Architecture (Harvard). In her independent projects, pedagogical pursuits, and work for art and architectural practices she seeks to augment both organization and experimentation. She has contributed to and lead projects critically engaging the built environment and the profession of architecture with organizations including Hood Design Studio, Anderson Brulé Architects, SEED, and the Women In Architecture Committee of AIA Silicon Valley. Her 2013 speculative project, A Franchise of Difference, transformed documentation of interviews and sites from a 7,000-mile road trip into a proposal for a business franchise that promotes diverse cultural industries.  As a member of the 2018 ZERO1 American Arts Incubator cohort, she developed and led “The Rhetorical City” workshops in Casablanca, Morocco. She is currently a Senior 3D Designer at the Exploratorium.