Stamps Undergraduate Viewbook

S T U D E N T S choose Stamps

because they want an education that will prepare them for a L I F E T I M E O F C A R E E R S .

Not just the next one.

Because, it’s not hard to find an art school that will train you in traditional and technical skills.

What’s harder to find is an art and design school that trains you to be A T H I N K E R , A P R O B L E M S O LV E R , A L E A D E R .

That’s what universities do.

That’s what we do.

T H I S is art and design

at the University of Michigan.

The people who you can meet here... the ideas... there’s just so much that you can be exposed to. And it’s really only going to add to the experience and how you develop. That was the main reason I came here, because I knew I wasn’t going to be trapped in some art school bubble, with everyone around me in the same classes, doing the same type of work.

Max Collins

4 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Getting a foundation outside of art was really important to me. I would say most of my concepts have been built in standard academic classes. I find something that really inspires me. I’ll take a class on Native Americans or situations in Israel and they are so provoking, I can’t help but make art about it.

Sam Detch

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 5

How to get in: 50% : Your portfolio 50% : Academic work 6 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Average Stamps class size: 19 STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 7

Small School U -M

— has — U -M

— has —

95 top-ranked programs

A global network of 500,000+ alumni

(Only three other universities in the U.S. come close.)

STAMPS — is —

A Close Knit

Community

U -M — has —

1,000 +

of 600+ students, faculty & staff

student clubs and organizations

connected to the diversity and resources of a world-class university

U -M — has —

100s of Study Abroad Programs

It’s insane the amount of resources that are available to you. And you just need to want to harness those materials and those resources, and everything is at your fingertips.

Rose Jaffe

8 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

U -M

— is — Ranked

#1 in social media within public universities in the U.S.

Big University U -M — has —

The Big

U -M — is —

18 residency halls and 19 co-ops

U -M — has —

Home of the

House

#1 Solar Car Team in America

(The largest football only stadium in the world)

U -M — has —

U -M

— is —

220 degree programs

One of the Top 5 public universities in the U.S.

U -M — has —

19 academic units U -M — has —

Students from

every state & 114 nations

U -M — has —

45 sports clubs

U -M — has —

83% of undergrads are involved in community service or outreach

I looked at other art schools, but they often seemed narrow. There’s not much else you can take besides art classes. I liked being at U of M and being able to pursue my interests in literature and the sciences, as well.

Ben Schneider STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 9

Access to…

Collaborate with…

world-class printmaking, ceramics, metals and sculpture studios

engineers filmmakers

5 Stamps School galleries

dancers

state of the art digital media labs

climatologists

multi-camera HD video studios

architects

robotics institute

astrophysicists

virtual reality lab

playwrights

rapid prototyping facilities

urban planners

3D printers

musicians

CNC routers

art historians

3D modeling computers large format printers electronic music studios 24-ft astro-tec dome planetarium 7 U-M museums artificial intelligence lab motion capture facility MRI scanners museum of zoology collections anatomy labs professional audio recording studios entrepreneurship clinic 121 music practice rooms dance studios and more…

You

public policy makers journalists microbiologists nanotechnology researchers anthropologists curators sound engineers social workers chemists ecologists neuroscientists botanists computer programmers and more…

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 11

100%

of Stamps students participate in community-based creative work 12 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

25%

of

Stamps students are dual degree STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 13

The

Best College Town

14 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Stamps students exhibit in the heart of Ann Arbor at Work Gallery, a space dedicated to their work.

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 15

Ann Arbor by the numbers

#4

“Most Creative Cities” THE DAILY BE AST • 2012

#1

#4

“Top 10 College Towns”

“25 Smartest College Towns in US”

F OR B E S M AG A Z I NE • 2 010

DAILY BE AST • 201 1

The city has the flavor of Europe, the intellectual horsepower of an Ivy League community and an honest Midwestern spirit that is reflected in hyperactive volunteering and a boundless local food movement as intense as California’s.

#5

#2

MICHELLE KRELL KYDD

“Happiest Cities in America”

“10 Great Cities for Raising Families”

T H E DA I LY B E AST • 2 012

KIPLING E R • 201 0

#3

16 / STAMPS

#2

“Best Places for Recent College Grads”

“Most Educated Cities in US”

FOR B ES .COM • 2 010

AMERICAN COMMU NITY SURVEY • 201 0

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

#6

“Top Digital Cities” CE NTE R FOR DIG ITAL G OVE RNMENT • 2010

# 10

#2

“Greatest Main Street in America”

“75 Best College Towns and Cities”

TRAV E L A N D LEI S UR E.COM • 2 012

AMERICAN I N ST I T UT E F O R ECONOMIC RE S E ARCH • 201 0

#1

“Best College Sports Town”

#4

#7

FORBE S • 2010

“Best Cities in America to Find a Job”

“Most WellRead Cities in America”

U S N E WS • 201 2

A M A ZON.COM • 2 011

#1

“Educational Attainment in Communities with 100,000+ Residents” B USINE SS J OURNALS “ON NUMBE RS” • 2011

#2

#6

“Most E-Literate Cities in America”

“Top Art Destinations” midsize cities

T H E ATLANTI C .COM • 2 012

AME RICAN STY LE MAGAZ I N E • 201 1

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 17

Our Open Art & Design Curriculum... allows you to personalize your education encourages social responsibility and global citizenship gives you experience in cross-disciplinary collaboration emphasizes critical thinking and creative problem-solving

The program was perfect for me actually.

I loved not just focusing on making alone but including conceptual thinking as an important part of the curriculum.

Elizabeth Redmond

18 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Degrees to choose from BFA, BA, Dual Degree, or Interarts Performance BFA in

BA in

For students interested in an intensive studio-focused program.

For students interested in a broader exploration of academic resources.

A RT & DE SIGN

Stamps Studios

56%

ART & DESI G N

Stamps Studios Academic

44%

Dual Degrees W IT H

College of Literature, Science & the Arts

33%

Academic

67%

BFA in

I NTERARTS PERF O RMA N C E* For students with interests in both performance and art and design.

College of Engineering School of Music, Theatre & Dance School of Kinesiology

Stamps Studios

25%

School of Nursing School of Education Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning

Music, Theatre & Dance Studios

Academic

50%

25%

Ross School of Business *A joint program with the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 19

BFA

The YE A R 1

Y EA R 2

YE A R 3

Y EAR 4

Foundation Study

Explore Electives

Focus Your Interests

Senior Integrative Project

Explore media 2D, 3D, 4D

Begin exploring your unique areas of interest

Continue to tailor your courses to meet your goals

Independent research for Integrative Project

You’ll never have to declare a major

Study internationally

Take more advanced studios

Begin study in critical thinking & creative inquiry

Choose courses throughout the university.

Explore a minor

Build your research skills

Midyear Senior Review

Take Stamps courses in art and design, history and contemporary practice

Sophomore Review

Apply for summer internships

End of year Senior Thesis Exhibition

Instead of being prepped to fit into a specific career path, going to Stamps gave me the tools to figure out what I really wanted to do, and the ambition to figure out how to get there.

Heather Anne Leavitt

20 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

They want you to be making smart art – not just pretty, hang it up in a gallery and it looks nice. It’s a school, it’s a university. They want you to learn to use your brain, and try to get outside of your little thinking.

Sydney Evans

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 21

Students work closely with 60 + internationally recognized faculty Plus

Our Faculty to Student Ratio is 1:16

One thing that is really special here is the opportunity to get to know your teachers on more than a superficial level. I think that's really unique.

Emily Coleman

22  /  STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Mentors & role models, faculty have received: Guggenheim fellowships* for exceptional creative work Endi Poskovic 2011

Heidi Kumao 2009

Holly Hughes 2010

Phoebe Gloeckner 2008

*Guggenheim Fellowships recognize exceptional creative ability in the arts or productive scholarship. Each year 220 fellows are selected from over 3,500 applicants.

Thurnau Awards* for teaching excellence Janie Paul 2013

James Cogswell 2008

Takeshi Takahara 2005

Sadashi Inuzuka 2012

Georgette Zirbes 2006

Vincent Castagnacci 1999

19%

Edward West 2010 * Thurnau Professorships recognize and reward U-M faculty

13% U-M Education

11% U-M Engineering

10% U-M LS&A

9% U-M Business

8%

U-M Music, Theater, & Dance

4%

U-M Nursing

2%

U-M Architecture & Urban Planning

for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education.

More Thurnau Professorships than any other U-M unit.

U-M Stamps

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 23

Being able to move fluidly among disciplines really helped my work. Because they encourage experimentation here, I was willing to go outside of my comfort zones.

Sarah Roarty

Be Yourself...

24  /  STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

I have friends who went to programs to study painting and stayed with painting. Here the program necessitates exploration. I could see that my friends in other schools were developing technical skills but being left in the dust in working cross media and conceptually. I think there is a confidence at this school. We’re not just training artisans, we’re training artists.

Kevin Stahl

Everyone Else is Taken

– OSCA R WI L D E STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 25

You'll meet high profile innovators from around the world

The Penny Stamps Speaker Series happens every Thursday. So, for all four years, you’re part of a classroom of over 700 people where you’ll learn from the world's most creative makers and thinkers.

Throughout the year, visiting artists and designers also come from across the globe for short and long-term residencies as part of the Witt Visitors Program.

C HRI SST I NA H A MILTON , Director of Visitors Programs

26 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Recent speakers: Author Lemony Snickets (Daniel Handler) Nike Shoe Designer Wilson Smith Video and Photographic Artist Mariko Mori

Author and Designer Temple Grandin Painter and Collagist Wangechi Mutu Creator of Fantastic Machines Francois Delaroziere

Dancer and Choreographer Bill T. Jones

Typographic Designers Matthew Carter and Roger Black

Filmmaker Oliver Stone

Industrial Designer Tim Brown

Graphic Designer Stefan Sagmeister

Outlaw Organist Cameron Carpenter

Performance Artist Marina Abromovic

Composer Philip Glass

Architect Bjarke Ingels

Director and Playwright Robert Wilson

Filmmaker Ken Burns

Brazilian Installation Artist Ernesto Neto

Cartoonist Lynda Barry

Photographer Sally Mann

Interaction Designer Massimo Banzi

Animator PES

Fashion Designer Zandra Rhodes

Interactive Digital Artist Paul Kaiser

Perfumier Sissel Tolaas

Museum of Modern Art Curator Paola Antonelli

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 27

Stamps is one of the only schools I know of where International Study is required. Becoming an artist/ designer is about altering your perspective. It's also about understanding the context of your creative work in relation to the world around you. There's no better way to learn this than immersing yourself in another culture.

SA NDY WI L EY International Engagement Coordinator

100% = the number of Stamps students who have an

international study experience 28  /  STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

W H E N I S TA R T E D A S A

G O I N G T O E T H I O P I A WA S

SPENDING 6 MONTHS IN

freshman I had no idea

a transforming experience.

New Zealand during my junior

I would end up in textile

It motivated me to have a

year was so transformative.

design. It wasn’t until I

greater understanding of

Returning to Michigan I had

studied abroad at Central

the global community, and

a new found appreciation

St. Martins in London

allowed me to be part of an

for other people and other

that I really began to

intercultural dialogue. We

cultures. I also felt compelled

understand that textile

were travelling as a group of

to use my art and design to

design could be a career.

artists, visiting a place with

share the experience with

Jennifer Skodack

such a rich cultural history

other people who were not

and such an astonishing

fortunate enough to be able to

palette of colors. It propelled

travel. Eventually this led to a

me into my junior year.

position as senior design editor

Ada Johnson

at National Geographic.

Oliver Uberti

W H I L E S T U DY I N G A B R O A D I N

I E N T E R TA I N E D T H E I D E A

I WENT TO VIETNAM WITH

Italy, I had to make most of my

of going into Industrial

the GIEU. It was my first

decisions without consulting

Design, but a semester in

time in Asia with a group

my parents and trusted friends.

Italy studying sculpture

of students. We travelled

It took courage to go about my

and falling in love with

around the country and

daily life in a foreign place and

cooking changed my path.

learned the history,

I became more confident in my

I came back, passionate

particularly about the

own choices. Also, living in a

about food, and eager

Vietnam War, which they

foreign country has given me

to express this passion

call the American War. I was

a personal, not just academic,

through my artwork.

able to help paint a mural at

reason to stay connected to the

Heather Anne Leavitt

an orphanage. Culturally

world. I now keep up with world

it was such an amazing

events because I am interested

spiritual experience.

and concerned about the

Dani Davis

people I met in Italy.

Emma Argiroff

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 29

Become part of a global community

STAMPS STUDENTS OTHER U-M STUDENTS

Travel with Stamps programs or with other U-M programs such as: Literature, Science & Arts Business Engineering Law Kinesiology Nursing

Theatre & Dance

Public Health Social Work The International Institute Rackham School of Graduate Studies Ford School of Public Policy 30 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

From her book A&D/Abroad

Medicine

Map concept and design by Hye In Jung

Music

Students

Travel to:

Argentina

Czech Republic

Greece

Kenya

Senegal

Thailand

Australia

Denmark

Hong Kong

Liberia

Singapore

Turkey

Bolivia

Dominican Republic India

Malaysia

Slovakia

Uganda

Brazil

Ecuador

Indonesia

Mexico

South Africa

United Kingdom

Canada

Egypt

Ireland

Netherlands

South Korea

Vietnam

Chile

Finland

Israel

New Zealand

Spain

Zambia

China

France

Italy

Peru

Switzerland

and more....

Costa Rica

Germany

Jamaica

Poland

Taiwan

Cuba

Ghana

Japan

Russia

Tanzania STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K  

/  31

Make a real difference

32 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Part of the curriculum here at Stamps is engaging with communities, whether it be high school students in Detroit, Alzheimer's patients, or a village in Tanzania. Students go into these classes thinking they’re going to make a difference and they do. But another profound change is what happens inside, when their worlds expand.

C H A R LI E MI C H A E L S Coordinator, Detroit Connections

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 33

I was always civic minded to a certain extent. But things really changed for me when I took a Stamps Design for Social Change class. That’s where I saw my career path and what I could do. I could do design and I could do it in a socially conscious way. I hadn’t understood that that was possible before.

Dylan Box

It was a Stamps foundation course on environmental issues that changed everything for me. It introduced me to a topic that I became super passionate about—local food and organic agriculture—and this topic began to drive my creative work. I started taking courses about environmental topics throughout the University.

34 / STAMPS

Alyssa Ackerman U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Led by socially engaged and committed faculty, Stamps students...

Lead ceramic workshops with visually impaired kids

Conduct art workshops with Michigan prisoners

Visit Michigan farms to learn how to design sustainable food solutions

Work with students in Flint on short videos

Travel to Madagascar to design and build water pumps

Create sustainable designs for an off-the-grid artist house in Detroit

Build a screenprinting business with Detroit high school students

Create collaborative work with elders with dementia in U-M hospitals

Work on public sculptures for the Michigan metropark system

Travel to Tanzania to build environmentally-friendly cook stoves

Design portable tents for a homeless community in Ann Arbor

Work with Iraq veterans to tell stories through video

Travel to Ghana to teach locals how to make charcoal from industrial waste

Create a community billboard out of an abandoned building

And more…

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 35

Senior Integrative Project During senior year every BFA student is given 1 individual studio 2 faculty members dedicated to helping you realize your goals

+

1 year to complete a self-directed Integrative Project Toward the end of my junior year, I started working on my Integrative Project (I.P.). I was given the opportunity to make whatever I wanted. I just put all of my effort into it. Now I realize what it takes to make the work you want.

Until my senior year I felt like an art student.

Now, as a senior in I.P., I feel like an artist.

Adam Morath

36  /  STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

During my senior year, I experienced a whole new level of confidence about myself and my work. I’ve switched from asking for permission to saying this is really what I want to do, and understanding that it will ultimately be my choice.

Emily Coleman

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 37

Senior Studios

38 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 39

Careers...

80% = Stamps students whose first jobs were related to art & design.

40 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

100% = CEOs* who cite creativity as a top hiring priority. * a recent poll of Fortune 500 CEOs

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 41

How to prepare Networking and internships are going to be a vital part of preparing for graduation. Career counseling starts in your first year. It’s my job to set you up and help you find your way.

J O HN LUTH E R Career Development Coordinator

My senior year I served as photo editor for the student run magazine, Shei. That’s an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had at a smaller university. I worked as a designer for all three U-M student newspapers. I’ve also had internships with two firms as a designer and a photographer.

Adam Morath

42 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Internships were critical. My two design internships provided me with the experience of collaboratively working on real projects for real clients. I got insights into how the industry actually functions. Without these internship experiences, my resume would have read 'worked on an organic farm in Northern Michigan.

Alyssa Ackerman

Our students have interned with...

Interlochen Arts Camp

Cranbrook Art Museum

Inner Concept Media Studio

Proteus Design

J Walter Thompson

Domestic Violence Project, Inc.

L.E.G. Productions

Publicis Hong Kong

American Greetings

DETNY (shoe design)

Liz Claiborne Inc.

Rubies Costume Co.

Ann Arbor Film Festival

Doner Advertising

Mad Magazine

Saatchi and Saatchi (Taiwan)

Anna Sui Corp.

Donghia Furniture & Textile

Mars Advertising

San Diego Union Tribune

Anthropologie

Duncan Fuller Interiors

Massachusetts Audubon Society

Surface Magazine

Apple

Endgame Entertainment

Moosejaw Mountaineering

The Rockport Company

Arnold Worldwide

Food Network Magazine

MTS Seating

Toledo Museum of Art

ArtsAlliance

GE Medical Systems

MTV Networks

Universal Images

Band of Angels

Gemological Institute

MOCAD

U-M Hospital & Health

Betsey Johnson

General Motors Design Center

NBC News

U-M Matthaei Botanical Gardens

Campbell-Ewald

Glacier National Park

New Line Cinema

Vogue

Coach

Graphis

The New Museum

Whirlpool Corporation, Global

Conde Nast

iDL Merchandising Solutions

Pixel/Starcom MediaVest

And more...

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 43

After graduation...

I’m now an account manager at Google I work as a graphic designer for Nike

I’m now a lead designer at Synata in San Francisco

I started my own business in color correction for feature films

In school I was interested in environmental conservation and design. That led me to a position as Annual Giving Programs Manager for the Matthei Botanical Gardens

I spent a year in the Peace Corps doing graphic design in Zambia

I fell in love with motorcycles, so now I’m the lead creative for Electric Moto Industries

I’m at National Geographic as an art director

I'm art class coordinator for a Manhattan Jewish Community Center

I am currently a fashion photographer in New York, NY. My photos have been in Elle, Cosmo, Seventeen, Surface and Glitterati magazines.

I created my own “art cake” business in Ann Arbor I opened a painting studio in Detroit and sell my work at national galleries I am the arts coordinator at an afterschool youth program My first job was with Dish Network, and recently I became a Project Manager at IPC Systems in New York

44 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

I found a job as a pattern-maker in an Italian luxury footwear factory I recently became an art director at Quack! Media I’m in my final year of an MFA program at University of Iowa I’m interested in photography, film and graphic design, and I’m now an art consultant with the Carrie Fell Gallery in Vail, Colorado where I also get to ski and snowboard.

Finding your path → Alumni stories

You connect one dot and then another and suddenly the path becomes clear

46 / STAMPS

ALU MNI STORIE S

Graphic Designer for Film and Television Megan Greydanus BFA ‘07

I really ended up finding the perfect job for me.

It wasn’t a clear path, like when you go to medical school and there’s a certain logic to your trajectory.

I had to trust that it was out there. I had to make it

How Megan connected the dots: M Y D R E A M was always to be a creative director

myself and pave the road, but eventually I found it.

It’s all about talking to people, networking and

at an advertising agency. I didn't even know there was such a thing as "graphic designer for film and tv."

having a passion for what you do. When I found out

A F T E R G R A D UAT I O N I worked for advertising

about this field, I really sought out people, whose

firms, but advertising wasn’t what I had expected.

Eventually I became a freelancer so I could choose my own projects.

work I loved, to ask them: how can I do this? More often than not, this led to an actual job.

T H E N A F R I E N D S U G G E S T E D I could work as a

graphic designer for films. I got connected with the Production Designer on the movie, Flipped, in Ann Arbor. He hired me, and I loved my first experience working in film.

THAT LE D TO MORE WO RK for art directors and

production designers, producing graphics and brands and logos for films being shot in Michigan.

I M E T A LOT O F P E O P L E F R O M L . A . And, as

my connections grew and filming in Michigan slowed down I realized I needed to make the move to L.A. It was a great decision.

I N 2 0 1 1 I WA S N O M I N AT E D for an award from

the Directors Guild for my production design work on the film, Drive.

B AC K , I learned how to think conceptually at Stamps and to look at the big picture. When I present my work I have reasons for my choices. I’ve built up a lot of trust around my work because art directors see that I’m thoughtful about my choices.

LO O K I N G

STAMPS A L U M N I S T O R I E S

/ 47

Co-Founder Wedge Detroit: a socially conscious design firm Dylan Box BFA ‘12

So much of what I’m doing in Detroit comes out of networking with people.

Here everybody is willing to help

How Dylan connected the dots:

you out. People are excited to meet

I knew I liked art—I built things and took photographs—but I never thought it could be a job. The Engineering program is great, but there wasn't much hands-on work or learning.

out. This is what I love about Detroit—

I C A M E I N TO U - M as a mechanical engineer.

M Y F I R S T Y E A R , a friend toured me around

Stamps and I took a foundation class. I saw the possibilities for a creative degree.

AS A SOPHOMORE, I transferred into the school.

B U T I T WA S N ’ T U N T I L I took the “Design for

Social Change” course that I realized what I wanted for my career… to make work that made a real difference to communities.

T H E N , A S TA M P S P R O F E S S O R helped me set up an internship in rural India where I built water purification systems.

W H E N I C A M E B AC K , I did my senior thesis

project in Detroit. After seeing the amazing work being done there, I knew it was where I wanted to be. Other people were also interested in Detroit, like Ellen Rutt, another Art & Design student, but also Laura Willming from engineering, and Ajooni Seth in public policy, who I met while working at TEDXUofM. O N E DAY T H E L I G H T B U L B W E N T O F F and

we saw the need for our skills in Detroit. There are plenty of communities, businesses, and startups looking for designers and creative thinkers. So we formed Wedge.

48 / STAMPS

ALU MNI STORIE S

you, to support you, to let you try stuff

there are so many creative people who want you to succeed. It’s amazing.

How Elizabeth connected the dots: I T A L L S TA R T E D with lessons my parents taught me. I was raised in a home my parents designed and built, heated by passive solar energy and a wood burning stove. We grew our own food. It made me appreciate nature as a resource.

S C H O O L , my interest was in designing multi-functional devices that were sustainable and required conscious interaction by users.

THROUGHOUT

F O R M Y S E N I O R T H E S I S P R OJ E C T I wanted

to find a way to utilize the energy exerted by humans moving around. I designed an interactive floor surface that could capture that energy to generate electricity when someone stepped on it.

T H E N I U S E D T H E M O N E Y I received from a

Stamps undergraduate award to fund the project further.

A F T E R G R A D UAT I O N , I submitted my project

to the Metropolis Magazine Next Generation Design competition and I was awarded runner-up.

I W E N T O U T to San Francisco to accept the prize, I met people from a flooring company called Mohawk. They gave me funding to develop a prototype for a spot on the Discovery Channel.

WHEN

N OW, I R E A L LY LOV E being an entrepreneur.

It’s a logical outcome of a degree in art and design, particularly the multi-disciplinary program at Stamps. I have a company of my own that is solving real world problems!

I never imagined my senior thesis project could become a career.

But my thesis was the starting point for the company I founded, Powerleap, an emerging clean-tech company that harvests energy from the human body to generate small amounts of usable energy. Now we’re embedding our technology in floors, seating, hospital beds, shoes, and more to allow them to be "smart"- meaning they can communicate by wireless radio without batteries or wires. It's a very synergistic system!

Founder of Powerleap, a company that makes devices that track human activity Elizabeth Redmond BFA ‘06 STAMPS A L U M N I S T O R I E S

/ 49

Textile Designer at Target Jennifer Skodack BFA ‘08

I had NO IDEA I would end up in textile design and didn’t even know that was a career path when I started as a freshman. All I knew was that I was pretty good at drawing and painting and that I really liked art.

How Jennifer connected the dots: I C O M E F R O M A U - M FA M I LY so I always knew

I wanted to go to Michigan. I liked the program too because I wasn’t ready to declare a major when I graduated from high school.

WHE N I F I R ST G OT TO STAM PS I experimented

with different media. I took textiles and then advanced weaving.

B U T I T WA S N ' T U N T I L I studied abroad at

Central St. Martins in London that I discovered textile design could be a career.

I FOUND MY FIRST JOB online— as a fabric spe-

cialist on a Target engineering team. It was very technical, working with overseas companies on

A F T E R A Y E A R , I applied for a design position

how to engineer the fabric. But I missed design.

at Target and I got it.

I ' M N OW A T E X T I L E D E S I G N E R . We work

in teams with the fashion designer and the technical designer.

A L L O F T H E Stamps courses in critical thinking

had a big impact on me. So much of my job is not just about creating, it’s about problem solving – trouble shooting quality concerns or creating a great aesthetic at an affordable price.

I LOV E M Y J O B because, basically, I get to paint

and draw every day. Then I transfer the designs and work with them digitally.

50 / STAMPS

ALU MNI STORIE S

How Ben connected the dots: W H E N I C A M E TO S C H O O L I appreciated

being able to take the studios I wanted and not being fenced in by a major. I was encouraged to pursue my interests, no matter what they were.

Lead Singer, graphic designer and writer for the music project, Lord Huron Ben Schneider BFA ‘05

M Y S E N I O R T H E S I S P R OJ E C T fused writing,

painting and music.

A F T E R G R A D UAT I O N , I found a job in New York

City as an artist’s assistant, but it wasn't for me.

I M OV E D TO L A , and became an Art Director,

writing commercials and radio spots. I was still messing around with music, but nothing serious.

T H E N I W E N T B AC K to Michigan for a vacation

and ended up recording an album there.

S H O R T LY A F T E R the album was finished, it

started to get noticed. At some point, I realized I had to go for it.

I D E C I D E D TO Q U I T M Y J O B and I began to

develop the music and the band.

N OW, A S T H E L E A D of Lord Huron, it really

is a multidiscipinary project—the paintings, the graphics, the sounds all work in tandem and I work on them concurrently. For me, it’s not just music and it’s not just visuals. It’s both of them being created and influencing each other.

I think you need to really stick with what you’re interested in.

Chances are what you’re interested in is going to lead you somewhere, even if you can’t always see where in the moment.

Then, learn how to promote yourself.

You’re your own brand.

STAMPS A L U M N I S T O R I E S

/ 51

Creative Work →

by Stamps students

Cornelia Stiles From an “altered head” assignment in the photography course, Making Pictures.

54 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 55

A group assignment in Studio:3D asking students to scale up a selected stuffed animal as an inflatable sculpture. Materials used were simple plastic drop cloths and packing tape.

56  /  STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Anastassia Fulmer An Exodus of Sorts woodblock print “Exploring the theme of water, the fish also appear to be birds flying through clouds.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 57

Jaclyn Caris Let's Cross Over “A book and an app that was inspired by my study abroad in Florence, Italy. The book is a travel guide and journal meant for other study abroad students to use while traveling in Florence. The app is for travellers anywhere in the world and allows users to document all their trips through journal entries and pictures.”

58 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

I N F A T U A T I O N a W o r d o f M o ut h sto ry s l a m

Wo r k Ga l l e ry 2 17.12 6 9pm

Hannah Hillier Word of Mouth One of a series of posters for events at the Stamps Work•Ann Arbor exhibition space in downtown Ann Arbor.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 59

Allison Carron Impact “An exploration of the body, focused on themes of sin, guilt, punishment, and atonement. For this performance I was blindfolded, wearing all white in an all white space. I offered a bag of black chalk to members of the audience who threw the bag at me leaving black residue on my clothes, the floor, and the wall, mimicking bruises. After the bag hit and fell I would then search for it (still blindfolded). Once the bag was found I would return it to an audience member and the exchange would be repeated over and over again.”

60 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Danielle Battaglia Quintessence: Visualizing a Torodial Universe “An attempt to discover the great order of all things. Studying the theories of Plato, Stephen Hawking, Einstein and others on subjects such as black holes, white holes, wormholes, sacred geometry, Klein surfaces, physics, higher dimensions and space-time, I have come up with a form that could be the basic design of our universe: a torus.

To visualize this concept I installed this 3D model in the MIDEN, a 3D virtual space where one can experience the model on a new level, by moving through the space in three dimensions.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 61

Ariana Wescott Dear Diary, I love you.

“The prompt for this assignment was time-based.

Five days a week, for 13 weeks, we spent five to ten minutes daily doing something of our choice. I chose to keep a visual diary of single panel comics to explore both personal journaling and self-portraiture.”

62 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Margot Robert Tier Tower

Ian McGreevy Ghostly Host

Video Games In this Stamps course students design, build and publish their first video game for iOS, creatively interpreting the theme of a labyrinth. Each student has two weeks to design, build, test and publish to the Apple app store, and each student was individually responsible for the art, code and soundtrack of his/her game.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  63

Alison Blomstrom Studio photography assignment exploring projection.

64 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Stephanie Casing Finding beauty in an ugly situation: A series of works assuaging my fear of illness in loved ones paper and photography “Brain scans and transmission electron micrograph images lend themselves to beautiful possibilities.

These works are my attempt to come to terms with the possibility of illness in my family and friends.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 65

Hillary Butterworth Self in the Eyes of Others charcoal and gesso “I do not construct the basis of the Other’s thoughts about me, for he grounds them with respect to his freely chosen project, his individual ends, and his subjectivity. Due to my inability to access this subjectivity, he holds a secret—the secret of what I am.”

From Jean Paul Sartre's Being and Nothingness

66 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 67

Cornelia Stiles Nature By Numbers “The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers found in nature.

Each drawing uses the sequence to celebrate the resulting beauty of these natural patterns.”

68 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Claire Jones The Wake/Please Don't Feed the Animals “I was eight years old when I hopped out of a car in Northern Michigan and I met the glazed empty eyes of a deer bound to a truck. This is an abstract interpretation of the grotesque style of taxidermy, exploring animals as natural or as objects.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 69

Hye In Jung A&D/Abroad A redesigned identity and visual communication system for the Stamps international program including printed booklets and student travelers’ kit.

70 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Samantha Levy Biophilia “A series of screenprinted zines and prints to gratify human beings’ fascination with the strange, humorous, unbelievable, or grotesque.

The project emulates feelings surrounding the Age of Exploration—everyone rushing to expose the next great species, to reveal something to the public that they had never seen.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 71

Making It Move Using electronic sensors, electrical actuators, and computers/microcontrollers, students in this course create works that combine traditional and electronic media to create kinetic sculptures, lightworks, functioning electrical prototypes, and interactive environments.

72  /  STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Rachael Cross ArtBot From the course Making It Move, a motion and light-activated robot that creates charcoal drawings.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 73

Carisa Bledsoe Can I Get In Your Head?

“Part of a site-specific mini series looking at intersections of identities and perspectives.

Through the use of projected text, film, and live performance, this work delves into the ironies of what we allow ourselves to see vs. what we are truly seeing.”

74 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Carlo Lorenzetti Chair From the course Furniture Making.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 75

Penn Greene Negotiating Balance “The design and construction of a small, versatile kayak intended for a user wanting to travel as light as possible for long periods of time. It is a negotiation of two highly dynamic elements – the human body and moving water.”

76 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Paul DiStefano Whirling Dynamics “The goal of these works is to show a different rhythm in each piece, while being aware of the harmony that the drawings create as a series. When people view my drawings I want them to see how rhythm can be created in the world other than through a song.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 77

Tarah Douglas Jahyne screenprint on fabric Large scale prints inspired by a character created during my time studying abroad in India.

78 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Anastasia Skekloff Created in a Stamps foundation course.

The assignment: to make a lamp out of plastic sheets using techniques such as bending, sawing, drilling and gluing.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  79

Emerson Schreiner Just Before oil on canvas

80 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Ian Matchett From the Continuity of Revolution IP Project oil on canvas “My project focuses on continuity and connection between revolutionary movements by looking at how organizers and radicals of the past relate to those of the present. When the past is forgotten, or remembered only as a distorted caricature, our ability to unify and act in the present is crippled.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 81

Ellen Rutt A Wicked Problem “A collection of digital collages that illustrate the complexity of sustainability and over consumption.”

82 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Ellen Rutt A Wicked Problem

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 83

Erin Murray Face Necklace ceramic and silver

Taylor Bultema ceramics

Erin Murray Baby Teapot porcelain

84 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Diane Thach Dress paper receipts, shoe laces, ribbon An assignment for the course A Stitch in Time. I was working at a cafe where we were required to print out these receipts for the customers, who then threw them away. I hated how wasteful that was and decided to use them to make a dress, turning the waste into something both useful/functional, and beautiful.

Jeff Zhu, right Vienna Vitek, left From a foundation course assignment asking students to use 2D materials (cardboard and foamcore) to make 3D forms. The challenge lay in the stiffness of the sheet materials clashing with the needs of organic forms and their fluid motions.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  85

Alicia Kolvacheck Anatomy wood “Anatomy is a puzzle and learning tool for all ages. For children it offers the chance to develop hands-on understanding of how our bodies work. For adults it makes a fun gift. For interactive games and explanations of each of the organ pieces go to anatomypuzzle.com”

86 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Levester Williams Space of Whiteness porcelain, arduino, wire, and wood “An installation deconstructing the notion of a post-racial and equal American society through the exploration of whiteness in its physical and psychological forms.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 87

Jean Lin Japanese Verbs Matching Game ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››› Jean Lin From a Stamps Drawing 1 course.

The Assignment: to design a game based on Pexeso, a Czech matching game. All games had the same grid.

88 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Sydney Markus From a Stamps foundation course.

The assignment: to camouflage a cube. The project was preceded by a color study project where students learned to mix color, identify hues, tints, and shades, and match color— skills that helped them to create the camouflage.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 89

Cole Montgomery laser cut poster Assignment: To consider the use of words in public spaces and their power to inform, motivate and persuade.

To create work that speaks to his/her own creative practice and then to place the piece in a public space around the School.

90 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Hannah Dow Temp Tools “A set of biodegradable camping tools that can be fitted onto sticks found in the woods. They are made using an all-natural composite material and regional flower seeds, encouraging an active re-contribution to nature.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 91

Stamps Galleries

92 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 93

94 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 95

Margaret Hitch poster design TEDx U of M 2014 Posters to promote the 2014 TEDx U of M conference.

96 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Sophia Greenbaum Spilt Milk!

“Package and product design for a milk container with reusable udder cup. These environmentallyfriendly products incorporate both wit and humor to promote the brand, Spilt Milk. The udder-shaped cup is 3D printed in ABS plastic.

Mootrition Facts and creative copy are included on the back of the organic milk package.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 97

Melania Plasko Infinity Cloak From the IP Project: Embody “A series of five fantastical sculptural garments that utilize technology such as LED lights, phosphorescent wire, and Arduino micro-controllers to extend both the functionality and appearance of clothing. I have also created a narration (including short stories, poems, and collaged images) that further develops each individual garment’s character, personality, time period, and scene. In this photograph, I am the clothing designer, the photographer and the model.”

98 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 99

Richard Liverance The Hatbox 3D animation “From storyboarding to finished animation, my goal was to learn every part of the 3D animation pipeline and simultaneously tell a story that is entertaining and visually exciting.”

100 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Zoe Allen-Wickler, Ashley Marie Allis, J'Vion Armstrong, Ashley Boudrie, Stephanie Boxold, Anna Jonetta Brown, Jaclyn Caris, Emily Cedar, Annie Cheng, John Foley, Paris London Glickman, Molly Lester, Rich Liverance, Lonny Marino, Olivia Meadows, Thabiso O Mhlaba, Maggie Miller, Kaisa Ryding and Sarah Schwendeman.

Teleporter Travel Tale 3D animation Animation stills from a 2-semester collaboration with the staff of the U-M 3D lab that took students through the 3D animation production pipeline to produce the animated short, Teleporter Travel Tale.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  101

Justin Hein Self Portrait pen and ink on paper

102 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Zack Moscot 5G Individualized Eyewear “The project uses handcrafted and digital fabrication techniques to generate ergonomically designed frames using consumers’ individual facial and head measurements. With a balance of hand and digital craft, 5G Individualized Eyewear uses Individual Parametric Measurements (IPM) to create frames designed to fit each person.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 103

Kevin Dunnell CAD skills are used to design and cut parts for this laminated plywood table.

Alana Hoey How We Sit plywood, paracord “How We Sit is an experiment to find out how unconventional materials transform our experience with everyday furniture. Strangers sitting in silence and close friends alike feel even the smallest shifts in weight, balance, and curiosity from one section to another.”

104 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Shaili Das Cement cast components combine with wood to create gardens.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 105

Typefaces that are heavy and bold, with hard edges are often understood as ma Delicate, whimsical and curly typefaces considered feminine. Male typefaces are and implacable, while female typefaces a ing and elegant. While wildly bright and male animals more readily attract a par group of females, certain typefaces attra types of people, based on cultural assoc with the type’s form.

Erica Neumann Evolutionary Type “A history of typography through the lens of biological evolution presented in a 10”x15” handmade book illustrated with typographic imagery.”

ale hisms deer

FIGURE 3

TRANSITIONAL FIGURE 3

In typographical terms, the word TRANSITIONAL "transitional" refers to the In typographical terms, thetransition word from Garalde to Didone typefaces, and thus "transitional" refers to the transition from these faces incorporate characteristics Garalde to Didone typefaces, and thus of each. appeared in the 18thof theseTransitionals faces incorporate characteristics each. Transitionals appeared in the 18th high contrast between thick and thin strokes, and generous high contrast betweencounters. thick andSerifs thin are generallyand sharp and bracketed, theare strokes, generous counters.and Serifs serifs of lowercase ascenders are generally sharp and bracketed, andslightly the oblique. cross bar on the are lowercase serifs of The lowercase ascenders slightly “e” is horizontal. was designed oblique.

The crossFIGURE bar on 3the lowercase usingis Baskerville and Bell Bold. “e” horizontal. FIGURE 3 was designed using Baskerville and Bell Bold.

FIGURE 5

SCRIPT5 FIGURE

Script typefaces imitate cursive writing SCRIPT Script typefaces imitate cursive writing

sual scripts. FIGURE 5 was designed usingSnellscripts.

Roundhand. sual FIGURE 5 was designed using Snell Roundhand.

Female and male sexual dimorphisms in chicken and deer

FIGURE 4

DIDONE FIGURE 4 Formally DIDONEknown as Modern, Didone typefaces emerged during late 18th and Formally known as Modern, Didone early 19themerged centuries.during Such typefaces typefaces late 18th and early 19th centuries. Such typefaces abrupt contrast between thick and thin strokes.contrast Ascenders and foot serifs abrupt between thick andon thin strokes. Ascenders and foot serifs on Letters are set in narrow width. FIGURE 4Letters was designed Didot, Modern, and are set inusing narrow width.

FIGURE Bodoni.

4 was designed using Didot, Modern, and Bodoni.

106 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

FIGURE 6

SLAB FIGURESERIF 6 Also SLABknown SERIF as Egyptian, Slab-Serifs became popular in the 19th century Also known as Egyptian, Slab-Serifs when many pre-existing fontscentury were became popular in the 19th redone withpre-existing wider serifs fonts for display when many were and advertising These redone withpurposes. wider serifs fortypefaces display and evolved from Didone, but are often advertising purposes. These typefaces bolder, having large, square, bracket-less evolved from Didone, but are often serifs. FIGURE 6 wassquare, designed using bolder, having large, bracket-less Rockwell. serifs. FIGURE 6 was designed using Rockwell.

h jagged or asculine. are often e rooted are charmadorned ticular act certain ciations

Daryl Alexsy Domestic Tourist “The first project I created after moving back from Berlin, this series was intended to reacquaint me with Detroit and to show the rest of the world its beauty. But the images revealed more about my true feelings of being home again.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 107

Shadowland Students in a Stamps foundation course design a shadow theater in the video studio that uses three stages with interactive lens-based materials, color and form.

108  /  STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Collin Fulton video studio performance

A performance in the Duderstadt Center which has professional audio and video studios, a virtual reality den, motion capture facilities, 3-D modeling and more.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  109

Dressing Up and Down Each student in this course received a Snuggie. The assignment: to draw/ come up with 10 ideas for how to alter the Snuggie into a wearable sculpture.

110  /  STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Bianca Ng

Angel Shen

Letter Forming – an assignment in a Stamps foundation course, students were asked to recreate a specific letter ten different ways using found materials and objects.

Katie King

Ji Yoon Lee

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 111

Ronan Lynam Duck & Friends digital prints “A series of personified animal portraits satirizing our narcissistic fascination with human portraiture.”

112 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Zoe Widmer Blurred Lines A project exploring how society views gender, the importance of the visual to gender identity, and how gender effects how we treat one another.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  113

Alice Bouvier McCarthy The Definitive Guide to Typotopia “This book serves as a travelogue to the fictional country of Typotopia, an island populated entirely by letters but with some of the societal quirks and blemishes of the real world.”

114 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Sonia Tagari Part of a Stamps foundation course. The assignment: create a map of a place, idea or set of information.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 115

Lonny Marino Entrapment paper and fabric “The folded paper collar prevents movement in the upper part of the body. The mask straps tightly on the face. The long, gramophone shaped protrusion is crossed with web-like threads to symbolize the words one might say that are also trapped within the structure.”

116 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

↑ Alexander Schlosser From the course Electronic Books.

Students produce a complete “multitouch” (interactive) book, consider possible futures of the book (printed and digital) and the impact of technology on artists/authors and readers.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 117

Alexandra Seiler Binary Complex acrylic on masonite “I don’t feel my digitized connection to the world in the same way I can feel my analog experiences. Using the grid to construct a space for both digital and analog information, I am embracing both forms of information and sorting through with discretion.”

118 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Nichole Homfeld digital media The assignment: make an expressive or metaphorical portrait of someone you know, using collage, without showing the person's face.

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K  

/  119

Beiatrix Pedrasa Talisman Project

Gabrielle FitzGerald Talisman Project From a Stamps foundation course. The assignment: each student is asked to create a wearable talisman for a classmate.

120  /  STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Emma Berger Drop the Needle intaglio, woodblock, ink & watercolor “These etchings expand on the existing culture of screen-printed gig posters. The prints are signed by the bands and auctioned off to

Paula Friedrich From a Stamps foundation course.

The assignment: create a map based on a personal experience with a place.

support Brandi Carlile’s Looking Out Foundation and Charity: Water.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 121

Christopher Boomer Adrift film “My project deals with my thoughts and perceptions surrounding the notion of isolation among individuals - how little we truly know about so many of the characters that we encounter, however intimately or briefly, in our everyday lives.”

122 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Corinn Lewis Camp Take Notice Visual Identity System digital prints on paper “Camp Take Notice (CTN) is a democratically self-governing community of homeless people currently residing in Ann Arbor, MI. For this design, it was important to me to create a visual language that Camp Take Notice could use to tell its story.

I was inspired by Ghanaian Adinkra symbols and Hobo symbols from the early 1900’s.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 123

124 / STAMPS

C R E AT I V E W O R K

Hannah Hillier Everything Will Be Okay “When my father died two years ago, many people didn't seem to know what to say to me. I had the urge to show them what I wanted to hear.”

STAMPS C R E AT I V E W O R K

/ 125

STAMPS School

Undergraduate Program Details Foundation Studio Courses

University Academic Courses

During the first year, all Stamps students complete a series of required Foundation Studio courses that provide a foundation of skills in a wide variety of physical materials and processes.

Students in the Stamps School participate in the rich intellectual and academic life of a top tier university. The Stamps School requires liberal arts coursework, but also allows for elective choices. Liberal Arts Requirements are designed to ensure a basic familiarity with the three traditional components of liberal arts — humanities, social sciences and natural sciences; to enhance analytical reasoning; to encourage empathy with other cultures; and to understand contemporary environmental issues.

• Studio: Drawing 1 • Studio: Drawing 2 • Studio: 2D • Studio: 3D • Studio: 4D • Methods of Inquiry

Elective Studio Courses During their second year, students begin taking the Elective Studio courses that allow them to explore and develop specific areas of interest.

BFA students take 14 elective studios courses (42 credits). BA students take 8 elective studio courses (24 credits).

Art & Design Academic Courses Stamps requirements are designed to engage students in both the history of art and design and the current practice of emerging artists and designers.

Students must take five required Stamps Academic courses (16 - 18 credits).

• 3 courses focused on non-studio approaches to art and design • 2 Art History courses of your choice

BFA students are required to complete a total of 30 - 32 academic credits.

BA students are required to complete a total of 60 - 62 academic credits.

Requirements: • First Year Writing • Upper Level Writing • Social Science • Natural Science • Analytical Reasoning • Environmental Studies • Race and Ethnicity • Academic Electives

Penny Stamps Lecture Series The Penny Stamps Lecture Series brings respected emerging and established creative innovators to the School to conduct a public lecture and engage with students. Students must enroll in the 1-credit/semester Lecture Series and attend the weekly lecture each semester through all four years of the program.

Integrative Project In the 12-credit Integrative Project, over the course of their final year BFA seniors use the techniques, concepts and skills they’ve learned to plan, conceptualize, and build a single project of their choosing. With the help of faculty advisors, they manage their own creative process and schedules, and work in their own dedicated studio spaces. Each project culminates in a final presentation that engages the public through exhibition, publication or performance, and is supported and documented through a written thesis, website, and digital portfolio.

126 / STAMPS

U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

Milestone Requirements Sophomore Review At the end of their second year students present their work to date before a committee of three faculty members.

International Experience The international experience prepares Stamps graduates to enter the globalized economy; makes them more competitive for graduate study, fellowship opportunities, and employment; and helps them to become informed global citizens.

Minors The flexibility of the Stamps curriculum allows students to pursue any minor offered at U-M. Most minors require the completion of 16 - 18 credits (5 - 6 courses).

STAMPS School

Undergraduate Admission Information The Stamps School of Art & Design offers four undergraduate programs: BFA in Art & Design; BA in Art & Design; Dual Degree programs with eight other university schools and colleges; and the Interarts Performance BFA.

of 3 drawings from direct observation. Each piece in a portfolio should be there for a reason — for example, to show a particular skill, to demonstrate range, or to highlight creativity.

A Strong Portfolio Includes:

4) Choose a Program: After logging into the

For questions call the Stamps School at 734 764 0397 or email stamps@umich.edu

At least 3 drawings from direct observation. If you have in the past copied from photographs or other flat copy, you can improve your portfolio with drawings from observation.

Include sketches as well as finished drawings.

Stamps School’s SlideRoom portal, you'll see a list of the School’s programs. Undergraduate applicants should choose the program labeled U-M Stamps School of Art & Design BFA/BA Portfolio and click “begin.”

• 2D media: Design, drawing, painting, photography, printmaking, and mixed media

5) Complete the Art Supplement: Answer

• 3D media: Fibers, ceramics, metalwork, sculpture and installations

6) Complete Submission: SlideRoom checks

How to Apply 1) Submit a completed Common Application:

• Common Application • U-M Member Questions • Counselor Recommendation • Academic Teacher Recommendation • Art Teacher Recommendation • Common Application Essay • $75 application fee (or fee waiver request) • Common Application Art Supplement: Upload a portfolio of your work using the Stamps School of Art & Design SlideRoom link provided in the Common Application under “Art Supplement.” Applicants should upload a total of 12 - 15 items. Read our portfolio guidelines for details.

2) Request an official copy of your transcript

from your high school.

3) Send test scores directly to the University of

Michigan-Ann Arbor: • ACT (U-M code is 2062) and/or SAT (U-M code is 1839) • MELAB, IELTS or TOEFL (U-M code is 1839) test scores are required of all speakers of English as a second language.

For detailed application information — including additional requirements for Interarts Performance, Dual Degree, Transfer and International applicants — go to: stamps.umich.edu/prospective/undergraduate

Portfolio Guidelines All applicants should submit a portfolio of 12 – 15 examples of representative and current work in a variety of media to indicate your range of experiences. Include only your best work, work that demonstrates media skills as well as evidence of creativity, imagination, and risktaking. Every portfolio must include a minimum

• Digital media: computer animation, video, audio, interactive art and internet-based projects • Performance, conceptual work, or other work not easy to categorize

Submitting Your Portfolio Applicants register and submit their portfolio on the SlideRoom website as part of the Common Application Art Supplement.

After starting the Common Application and choosing the University of Michigan as your college, submit your portfolio using the following steps: 1) If you intend to apply to the Stamps School

of Art & Design, please answer “Yes” to the question below: Do you intend to submit an art supplement so that your special talent in one or more of the arts will be considered as part of the admission process to the University of MIchigan?

This will turn on a section called “Art Supplement” at the bottom of the left sidebar.

Then submit your portfolio via the Common Application Art Supplement.

2) Click the link: In the Art Supplement section,

click the “University of Michigan Art Supplement Site” link to open the Stamps School’s SlideRoom portal.

3) Login to the School’s SlideRoom portal:

After the Stamps School’s Slideroom portal opens, you'll be prompted to login to an existing SlideRoom account or create a new account.

questions and add your creative content.

to see if your Common Application has been submitted. Once you have submitted your Common Application, you can proceed with submitting your portfolio in SlideRoom.

SlideRoom charges applicants a $10 transaction fee to submit a portfolio. Students who receive a fee waiver for their Common Application will also receive a fee waiver for their SlideRoom submission.

Applicants may upload images (jpg), video (mov, wmv, flv), music (mp3) or PDF documents. For good image quality and fast upload, your image files should be sized no larger than 1400px on the largest dimension. Please keep video files under 60MB each. If you'd like to submit a larger file, upload it to Vimeo or YouTube, and submit the video's URL instead.

Use the description fields to help us understand your work.

• If the work was a class assignment, describe the assignment and how your work solved the problem.

• If the work was self-directed, tell us why you made it, and describe your ideas and concepts.

• Explain why you chose to include this particular work in your portfolio, what it means to you and what you were trying to achieve.

• Discuss any research and preparation you did for your final work.

STAMPS U N D E R G R A D U AT E V I E W B O O K

/ 127

How to Apply: www.stamps.umich.edu/prospective/undergraduate

Stamps Design Team Editor

Photography

Kate West

James Rotz Carl Greene

Art Direction Kate West Katherine Weider-Roos Carl Greene Design Carl Greene

Nicholas Williams Katherine Weider-Roos John Baird Marissa McClain Collin Fulton

Photo by Alison Blomstrom

If there were an option to start over from scratch, this is the program that would be built. The Stamps School of Art & Design and the University of Michigan have created an opportunity to lead the academic conversation in art and design in this country.

A re-accreditation review of the Stamps School by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), elicited this response from the review team.

Learn more at: www.stamps.umich.edu

Follow us on: Instagram Go To → instagram.com/umstamps

Twitter → twitter.com/UM _ Stamps

Tumblr → umstampsschool.tumblr.com

Facebook → facebook.com/umartanddesign

Contact us: University of Michigan • Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design • 2000 Bonisteel Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2069 • T E L . 734 764 0397 • FA X . 734 936 0469

University of Michigan Regents

Nondiscrimination

Mark J. Bernstein, Ann Arbor

Policy Statement

Julia Donovan Darlow, Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan, as an equal opportunity/

religion, height, weight, or veteran status in

Laurence B. Deitch, Bloomfield Hills

affirmative action employer, complies with all

employment, educational programs and activities,

applicable federal and state laws regarding

and admissions. Inquiries or complaints may be

nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The

addressed to the Senior Director for Institutional

University of Michigan is committed to a policy

Equity, and Title IX/Section 504/ADA Coordinator,

of equal opportunity for all persons and does not

Office of Institutional Equity, 2072 Administrative

discriminate on the basis of race, color, national

Services Building, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1432,

Katherine E. White, Ann Arbor

origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation,

734-763-0235, TTY 734-647-1388. For other

Mary Sue Coleman, ex officio

gender identity, gender expression, disability,

University of Michigan information call 734-764-1817.

Shauna Ryder Diggs, Grosse Pointe Denise Ilitch, Bingham Farms Andrea Fischer Newman, Ann Arbor Andrew C. Richner, Grosse Pointe Park

Our thanks to Susi and Reid Wagstaff, whose generous support of Stamps Communications makes publications like this possible.

Scratch to create your own unique unique cover cover and and share share at: at: instagram.com/umstamps instagram.com/umstamps hashtag: hashtag: #umstamps

stamps.umich.edu