MCAD Sustainable Design Beach Retreat

This post begins a four-part series.

In early October, five members of the MCAD Sustainable Design community gathered on the Oregon coast for a reunion and retreat to reflect on their shared journey in sustainable design, spark new ideas, and strengthen their community.

Author: Angelina Malizia '22 is a consultant, designer, and community builder based in Portland, Oregon. Her work centers on circular systems, material reuse, and the human connections that make sustainability tangible.

In attendance were Denise DeLuca, previous director; Sarah Hashiguchi ’23; Shanna Ruyle ’15; and Stefanie Koehler ’13.

Gathering the Tides—Part 1

In early October, five members of the MCAD Sustainable Design community gathered on the Oregon coast for a reunion and retreat. We came together not for lectures or deadlines, but to remember what it feels like to expand through presence, community, and connection to nature. When I look back on the experiences that made me want to grow as a designer, this one place stands out. Given the opportunity, I always want to share it with the community of thinkers and creators who inspire me. To bring fellow designers here, people who are actively rebuilding connections, felt like the most natural thing in the world.

The farmhouse that held us is not a polished retreat center. Its carpets don’t match. Its dishes are chipped, and the spring runs dry more often than not. It does however have a heartbeat. My grandparents, Mary and Bob Anderson, bought this place with eleven other families in the 1960s. They were civil rights activists who believed that community was something you build, sometimes with protest signs, sometimes with hammers and shared meals. Together, those families transformed a collapsing farmhouse and eighty-eight acres of mixed wild coastal forest and wetland into a living experiment in collective care and adventure.

I grew up among this extended family, helping split firewood, wash dishes, and learn forest management. The house is held together by the labor of many hands and the steady rhythm of returning. In this fast-paced world, where we move across the planet many times in a lifetime, this home has always been a constant. I hope it will be known for generations to come.