EMERGING FALL 2016 Vol. 11, No. 1
From the Dean: Celebrating 10 Years of Design mission and values that define our college.
FROM THE DEAN
Dear Alumni and Friends of the College of Design, Just over 10 years ago, I cochaired a committee, with associate professor Kate Solomonson, tasked with bringing together the Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel of the College of Human Ecology and the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture to form the College of Design. We held many listening sessions where we heard from over 350 stakeholders about the ethics and values that should inform the work of the new college. The attributes expressed then still ring true today. Through research, education, and public engagement, we can work to advance innovation in sustainable, socially responsible design; engage with issues, opportunities, and problems that face our world; create synergies through interdisciplinary exploration; expand the understanding of design through various modes of inquiry; and, collaborate with partners to achieve our goals. As interim dean, I see evidence everyday of our work that meets those aspirations expressed a decade ago. This issue of Emerging showcases many initiatives by our students, faculty, alumni, and friends that demonstrate commitment to the 2 EMERGING FALL 2016
Our dedication to creativity and innovation is evident in our new product design major (page 10). The curriculum draws from the expertise and resources of our own college, the broader University, and the Twin Cities design community, challenging students to think beyond formal boundaries and find new applications for both emerging and commonplace technologies. We continue to take pride in being a multidisciplinary design college, and encourage our students and faculty to learn and take inspiration from their colleagues. Perhaps no other story in this issue demonstrates the power of multidisciplinary thinking better than that of our alumni and researchers’ work on the Rose, the first affordable housing project that aimed to meet the Living Building Challenge (page 14). The team brought not only expertise on energy efficiency, material science, and housing policy, but also the determination and skills to engage the broader community. They are on the forefront of developing the next generation of sustainable buildings and expanding the definition of sustainability by placing equity at the forefront. As Gina Ciganik (B.S. ’94 Housing Studies) said, “if only the elite can access sustainable, healthy places, then they are, by definition, not sustainable.” Our research echoes that sentiment, focusing on social elements of sustainability, such as public health
and community resilience—from the Metropolitan Design Center’s new plan for Mayo Clinic’s Destination Medical Center to a traveling Dakota Language Table that will facilitate learning about Dakota language, history, and relationship to place (page 7). In our classrooms and studios we continue to teach students how to advance the quality of human environments, with a focus on designing with rather than designing for. For example, an interior design studio learned about the environmental needs of people with autism spectrum disorder from an autism service provider, Fraser (page 16). And, a graphic design class designed screen-printed posters for rural grocery stores inspired by a firsthand account of operating a small business in greater Minnesota (back cover). I am proud of the contributions we’ve made to our fields and communities over the past 10 years. Looking forward, the value of design thinking, multidisciplinary problem-solving, and creativity will only increase. In the College of Design’s second decade, we will continue to expand our definitions and understanding of sustainability, resilience, and diversity; develop new technologies and identify their best applications; and prepare design professionals to solve the problems facing their generation. Sincerely, Becky Yust Professor and Interim Dean College of Design
EMERGING FALL 2016 VOL. 11, NO. 1 EDITORS Zach Curtis, Anna Jursik, Trevor Miller, and Amelia Narigon
DESIGNER
Elizabeth Kästner (B.S. ’07 Graphic Design)
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Matt Jaeger and Warren Bruland
COPY EDITOR
Sharon Grimes
COLLEGE LEADERSHIP
Becky Yust, interim dean; Marilyn DeLong, associate dean for academic affairs; Renée Cheng, associate dean for research and engagement; Kate Maple, assistant dean for student services; Trevor Miller, director of external relations
DEPARTMENT HEADS
Missy Bye, Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel; Joe Favour, Department of Landscape Architecture; Marc Swackhamer, School of Architecture
COLLEGE OF DESIGN ADVISORY BOARD
Stuart Ackerberg, Michael Alexin, Dan Avchen, Maurice Blanks, Roberta Bonoff, Mark Butler, Jay Cowles, Pat Cummens, Jo Davison, Kelly Gage, Mary McNellis, Tom Meyer, Sandy Morris, Dave Norback, Paul Reyelts, Mark Swenson, Gary Tushie, and Burt Visnick
OUR MISSION
Through a unique commitment to creativity and advancing technologies, the College of Design at the University of Minnesota leads, innovates, and educates in the full range of design fields by researching ongoing and emerging issues, exploring new knowledge, and addressing and solving real-world problems, all while adhering to socially responsible, sustainable, and collaborative design thinking. Emerging is published fall and spring semesters by the University of Minnesota College of Design for alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the college. This publication is available in alternative formats upon request. Please call 612-626-6385. Send address changes to design@umn.edu. Emerging is available online at design.umn.edu/emerging. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.
On the cover: Photo by Megan Miller (Interior Design) of a decorative plate.
3M Scotchlite tape increases visbility of you, and for you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A CUMULUS SHOWCASE Evgenia Hutson, Nicole Johnson, Morgan Jensen, and Jaemin Hyun (all Retail Merchandising) created a window display for the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) Shop that shows off local merchandise while referencing the latest WAM exhibition, “Clouds, Temporarily Visible.” z.umn.edu/emgf16b
BEYOND HOMEWORK
ADAPTIVE ATHLEISURE Tabitha Andelin (Apparel Design) debuted a new active wear line down the runway at Circle of Design. As this year’s featured student, she received guidance and feedback from local designer Gina Moorhead of House of Gina Marie. z.umn.edu/emgf16a
FASHION WITH A CAUSE Last summer the City of Minneapolis, Step-Up Youth Employment Program, Target, Minneapolis Community Education, and our Apparel Design program hosted a runway show featuring works by local emerging designers. z.umn.edu/emgf16c1 4 EMERGING FALL 2016
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GRAVITY-DEFYING GEAR
HYPERNATURAL SITES
THRIVING NEIGHBORHOODS Two projects from the Design Duluth studio were named finalists in Knight Cities Challenge: industrialPark by Aaron Ausing (Architecture), Brian Olsen (Landscape Architecture), and Jiawei Li (Landscape Architecture); and Opening the Can of Worms by Katie Loecken (Architecture), Al Rahn (Landscape Architecture), and John Rasmussen (Landscape Architecture).
Apparel design juniors in Lucy Dunne’s studio used their garment construction skills to build wearable tech solutions for NASA astronauts, including a self-closing buckle for space harnesses.
SHIFTS IN THE SUBURBS
GREENER COMMUTES Sarah Sularz’s (Landscape Architecture) master’s capstone project laid out parks and trails connecting residential communities to SouthWest Transit, creating a multimodal transit plan to decrease reliance on automobiles.
What happens when you invite biology students into the architecture studio? Last spring students in a master of architecture biomimicry module expanded their knowledge, vocabulary, and design toolkits by collaborating with graduate students from the College of Biological Sciences (CBS). Blaine Brownell and Marc Swackhammer have taught the seven-week Hypernatural studio in past semesters, but this was the first time biologists attended class on a regular basis. Brownell was “surprised by how well they assimilated into our quirky design culture. Originally, I thought we would have to explain our design methods or the critique process more, but the biologists jumped right in and found a natural fit with our group.”
M. Arch student Savannah Steele drew on past chemistry classes and an ongoing fascination with plants and animals as her team developed a design using live bamboo rather than conventional building materials. “We proposed lots of ideas; there were many failures! We had to surrender to bamboo, and the vast complexity of biological systems more generally,” she explained. “Learning so much from the CBS students was humbling.”
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CSBR JOINS NATIONAL RESILIENCE INITIATIVE
RETHINKING RESILIENCE
The American Institute of Architects Foundation, along with the American Institute of Architects and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, announced that they have selected our Center for Sustainable Building Research as the Upper Midwest hub of the National Resilience Initiative (NRI) network. Established in 2013 as a Clinton Global Initiative commitment, the NRI network consists of six university-based design centers—located at the University of Minnesota, California Polytechnic State University, Hampton University, Mississippi State University, the University of Arkansas, and the New Jersey Institute of Technology—geared toward helping local communities become better prepared to move forward from the impacts of natural disasters and climate change. Center for Sustainable Building Research director Richard Graves explained that “as the state’s public education and research institution, the University of Minnesota serves to generate and preserve knowledge, understanding, and creativity to benefit the public. It seeks to apply expertise to respond to changing environments and solve community problems. Transforming communities in a dynamic and changing world to be resilient and sustainable is the critical problem and challenge for the next 20 years.” z.umn.edu/emgf16d
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FROM INEQUITY TO INCLUSION
Hiding in Plain Sight: A Street Kid’s Journey from Female to Male, by Ph.D. candidate Zane Thimmesch-Gill (Human Factors and Ergonomics), was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. Read an interview with Thimmesch-Gill at z.umn.edu/emgf16e.
“Because a huge issue in social services is a lack of resources, design can make a huge impact. Design combines creativity with multifaceted resources to upend the status quo and imagine a new way to provide services, or built environments, or processes.” — Zane Thimmesch-Gill facebook.com/uofmdesign
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SEE & BE SEEN Seventy percent of pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, and many college students don’t know how to dress for visibility. Graphic design students in the Identity and Text and Image classes helped 3M develop an identity and infographics for a public health campaign promoting safety and visibility. The classes took a trip to the 3M Innovation Center at sundown to watch Scotchlite Reflective Material in action from inside moving vehicles, then created posters to communicate the importance of visibility and reflectivity to fellow college students. 3M marketers and engineers will integrate designs by Lihui Chen, Kelly Lynch, Erin Keefer, Bri Prodahl, Aaron Chung, and Allison Sterneman (all Graphic Design) into future campaigns.
EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPES In an increasingly digital world, it’s easy to lose our sense of place. Rebecca Krinke (Landscape Architecture) works with community engagement and public art to explore connections between land, people, emotions, and ideas. With support from a Knight Foundation grant, Krinke and her partners in the Healing Place Collaborative—a Dakota-led group of artists and professionals exploring how the Mississippi is a place that can heal and is in need of healing—will create an adaptable Dakota Language Table that will travel throughout the Twin Cities to host conversations about Minnesota as Dakota homeland. Through interactive mapping and educational programming, the Dakota Language Table will facilitate learning about Dakota language, history, and relationship to place. Because the project combines the latest geographic information systems and online communication technologies with hand-drawn maps and face-to-face interactions, it has the potential to engage a wide range of participants. The results are a rich representation of our emotional landscapes with the potential to foster empathy and strengthen communities. z.umn.edu/emgf16f
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3M Scotchlite tape increases visbility of you, and for you.
BE REFLECTIVE 3M SCOTCHLITE REFLECTIVE MATERIAL
Over 4,000 people are killed by vehicles a year and over 50,000 are injured. Be aware of your surroundings and wear reflective clothing at night.
Without reflective material, it’s difficult to be seen at night SEE & BE SEEN
With 3M Scotchlite Reflective material, you’re able to communicate to drivers that you are in fact there and greatly increases your own and others safety when outside at night.
Scotchlite Reflective Material
CARLA BEIRO | GRAPHIC DESIGN | COLLEGE OF DESIGN
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DESIGN-BUILD: WARGO NATURE CENTER HERITAGE LAB
MAKER CULTURE
It’s one thing for your final project to stand up to final reviews, but quite another for it to withstand heavy outdoor use by generations of children. This spring and summer, associate professor John Comazzi (Architecture) taught a design-build graduate module in partnership with Anoka County Parks and Recreation Department to fabricate and install learning kiosks at the Wargo Nature Center Heritage Lab for local schools and summer camps. Comazzi explained that more and more architecture degree programs are incorporating courses beyond the traditional design studio— including professional practice, environmental technologies, and 8 EMERGING FALL 2016
structural design. “With this type of integration, designbuild offers unique opportunities for students to formulate strong connections across multiple content areas,” he noted. This particular design-build also challenged the students to work with clients, developing professional skills while refining their design strategy. “In preparation for our public presentations with our community partners, the students worked in groups to formulate a narrative about their respective designs,” Comazzi said. The Heritage Lab program introduces students in grades 1 through 6 to Minnesota history, with themes including voyageurs; American Indians in Minnesota; pioneers and settlers; and milling, mining and lumbering. “The goal is to provide them with a handson, fun, educational opportunity that will connect them with the area around them and make history interesting,” said Krista Harrington, Wargo Nature Center program supervisor.
The students’ structures will enhance the Heritage Lab experience. “The stations are designed to be interactive and hands-on and the presenters are in time-period appropriate costumes. The students may participate in activities like being in a one-room schoolhouse with pioneers or learning what it was like as a Civil War nurse and being at a field hospital or visiting a trapper’s camp during voyageurs,” Harrington explained. YMCA’s Camp Heritage will also integrate the structures into day camp programming. The design-build process gave its community partners a fresh perspective on their day-to-day work at the park. “The ideas and collaborative process that the students went through really served as a kick-start to get me out of my normal thought process. It made me start to question what we do and how to begin to widen our horizons,” added Wargo Nature Center operations supervisor Lisa Gilliland. z.umn.edu/emgf16g
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DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVES
JERSEYS, FRAMES, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP Ryan Carlson (B.S. ’01 Graphic Design) was never formally trained in wicking fabrics, business best practices, or bicycle engineering; but since its launch in 2005, his company Twin Six has expanded from on-trend cycling apparel to a full line of accessories and gear—most recently, a line of bicycles. z.umn.edu/emgf16h
“There was never a business plan. At the end of the day, you just have to know how to solve problems. We are designers in pretty much every sense of the word: we solve problems and we make things up.” — Ryan Carlson design.umn.edu
“Visualization is always important in architecture. Unlike a sculptor or a weaver, we don’t actually make the thing. We have to represent it completely—to ourselves, to our clients, to the people who are going to build it. And so any change in our ability to represent buildings means there is a potential for a great change in architecture. Virtual reality (VR) reintroduces the personal viewpoint that has been denied to nondesigners by traditional drawing methods. Everyone looks at things differently, depending on their backgrounds, what they’ve seen before, how they understand things. VR allows that to happen, as opposed to just showing them a rendering of the new office from a particular viewpoint.”
AIRSTREAM ATELIER Kathryn Sterner Sieve (B.A. ’11 Apparel Design) founded Winsome Goods with an emphasis on sustainability, craftsmanship, and connecting people to the story behind their clothes. Now she’s taking her studio on the road. With the support of hundreds of Kickstarter backers, she transformed an Airstream trailer into the Winsome Mobile Studio to bring her design process and limited-run collections across the continent. Follow along at z.umn.edu/emgf16k.
In honor of his retirement, we asked Lee Anderson (Architecture) what’s next for virtual reality and how it could transform design. Read the interview at z.umn.edu/emgf16i.
TABLES OF THE LAKES Forget coffee table books. Graduate student Kevin Tousignant (B.E.D. ’13 Landscape Design & Planning) builds tables that are conversation starters in their own right. Tables of the Lakes began as a yearning to see his designs come to life. “An unfortunate part of being a landscape architecture or architecture student is accepting the fact that you’ll be producing an incredible amount of work that will never be built,” he explained. “This project was a way to incorporate the design and technical skills I acquired from the MLA program and to apply them to a small scale project that I could see through to completion.” The result? Tables designed from topographical maps of the Chain of Lakes. z.umn.edu/emgf16j
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PRODUCT DESIGN
Introducing our da Vinci Degree
Peyton Garcia (Product Design) has loved both art and science since childhood. “They seemed so unrelated, I always figured I was going to have to make a choice when I went to college; art or science? It wasn’t until I got to the U that I found out I didn’t have to choose.” Her classmate and president of product design club, Miranda Meier (Product Design), had a similar experience. “It was hard to find a field that encouraged me to be creative while also challenging my mind to come up with ideas that would solve problems and help people. Product design is the best of both worlds.”
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Linda and Ted Johnson are curious minds themselves, both come from a diverse University of Minnesota academic background and have been ongoing champions of the College of Design’s most innovative initiatives, including the Virtual Reality Design Lab and the Digital Design Center. For more than 15 years, their generosity has funded programs and facilities that enable design students and faculty to work on the frontiers of creativity. Their most recent $1 million gift will expand the new product design undergraduate major: an interdisciplinary, practice-based program that integrates elements of engineering, business, and the humanities.
The Johnsons remember conversations with former dean Tom Fisher when the College of Design was newly formed. They resonated with his belief that, in Ted’s words, “processes and methods used in design disciplines could be applied more broadly across business and society,” and were intrigued by the idea of adding a product design program to the college. After meeting assistant professor Barry Kudrowitz (Product Design), they were completely on board. “I was hooked by his description of product design as a ‘da Vinci’ program. Frankly, it’s the kind of degree I would have enjoyed very much!”
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Kudrowitz joined the faculty in 2011 to launch the product design minor, envisioning an industrial design program that incorporates humanities, engineering, and entrepreneurship to attract and foster polymaths like Garcia and Meier, who could never pick a favorite subject because they loved them all. His classes, including Creative Design Methods and Toy Product Design, filled up quickly with students from across the University. “It was clear there was a demand from students,” Kudrowitz said. Over 100 students registered for the product design minor in its first year alone. “Prior to this program, there were no other degree programs in industrial design or product design in the state of Minnesota and the multitude of companies in the Twin Cities that develop products were hiring their designers from other states,” he explained. Product design assignments are hands-on, teambased, and a community of practice. Students immediately apply what they learn, testing ideas in the Digital Fabrication Lab and soliciting feedback from their classmates, former students, and the many industry representatives who participate as teammates, critics, and sponsors. By finals week, they have completed impressive projects for their portfolios and built meaningful professional relationships. The program is the first of its kind in the nation. “We are training a new type of designer who understands basic engineering, who can create computer programs, who has basic entrepreneurship training and has taken courses in anthropology. This program is for people who want to strengthen both their creative design skills and their technical design skills,” Kudrowitz explained. Thanks to strong stakeholders in the College of Science and Engineering, the College of Liberal Arts, and Carlson School of Management, students in this program will have the opportunity to collaborate with students in different disciplines and will become wellrounded designers. The program teaches students to take ideas from concept to reality, and how to succeed in the market. In other words, its graduates will be prepared not only to imagine the future, but to physically create it. design.umn.edu
Its inaugural class displays a genuine desire to transform the world while helping its human inhabitants. Garcia plans to use functional design to make people’s lives go more smoothly, “I’d love to design everything from some sort of cool new paperclip organizer, to the way people experience their daily commute to work. Anything to eliminate inconvenience as much as possible!” Meier dreams of working with a startup alongside other problem solvers. “Technology is such an influential field in our society and is an inevitable part of our future. I want to design with intention to make the transition into the tech world easier for everyone,” she said. The Johnsons are thrilled to support a program teaching the skills and perspectives crucial to the product-making field. “Whether the products are physical or virtual, the principles of good design are required. A product design program that teaches the skills, methods, and processes for inventing the future is exactly what we need today.” COLLEGE OF DESIGN FALL 2016 11
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DESIGN ALUMNAE SERVE ON UMAA COLLEGIATE COUNCIL Three College of Design alumnae—Janice Linster (B.S. ’83 Interior Design), Maureen Kostial (B.S. ’71 Costume Design), and Betsy Vohs (M.Arch ’04)—have been appointed to the University of Minnesota Alumni Association Collegiate Alumni Council. Members of the collegiate council advise the UMAA board on alumni engagement and advocate for the needs of the alumni societies they represent. z.umn.edu/emgf16l
Keep in Touch
Here are five (free) ways you can support the College of Design. You’ll expand your professional networks, enhance college visibility, and improve current student experiences. • Share your career news and accomplishments. • Let us know when your contact info changes. • Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. • Recommend us to future design students. • Post job and internship opportunities. Lori Mollberg Director of Alumni Relations 612-625-8796 lmollber@umn.edu
Zach Curtis External Relations Assistant 612-626-6385 zbcurtis@umn.edu
Support Design
Giving does many things for the College of Design. Find out how you can support • student achievement • community impact • research that makes a difference Mark Hintz Director of Development 612-624-7808 mihintz@umn.edu
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Michael Brucek Major Gifts Officer 612-624-1386 mbrucek@umn.edu
DESIGN STUDENT AND ALUMNI BOARD NAMED ALUMNI SOCIETY OF THE YEAR ED KODET RECEIVES ALUMNI SERVICE AWARD Ed Kodet (M.Arch ’69), a trusted adviser and dedicated advocate for the College of Design, received the 2016 University of Minnesota Alumni Service Award in recognition of his significant impact on the University. A natural teacher and caring mentor, Kodet has nurtured the development of countless future architects.
During homecoming, our Design Student and Alumni Board (DSAB) will be recognized as the University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Alumni Society of the Year for its ongoing, innovative work to engage both alumni and the Twin Cities design community through enlightening programs and leadership opportunities. Accepting the award on behalf of DSAB will be 2015-16 Alumni President Betsy Vohs (M.Arch ’04), pictured in the top, left hand article.
Rishi Murugesan Student President 2016–17
Sam Isomura Alumni President 2016–17
Sami Klapperick Student President 2015–16
Thank you to our 2016-17 DSAB College to Career Program sponsors: Gardner Builders, Haworth, Made for Retail, Wold Architects and Engineers, Damon Farber, HGA, and Studio Hive.
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THE ROSE
ALUMNI
When the Rose, an affordable housing project in south Minneapolis, opened in October 2015, it was lauded as the future of sustainable buildings. For developers at Aeon and designers at MSR Design, expanding their goals beyond prescriptive standards to take on the Living Building Challenge (LBC) was simply the next logical step. The Living Building Challenge presents certification seekers with standards in seven theme areas: energy, water, health and happiness, beauty, materials, place, and—critical for this project—equity. Center for Sustainable Building Research (CSBR) senior researcher William Weber (B.A. ’97 Architecture, M.Arch ’02) said, “putting equity to the side isn’t going to work for an affordable housing project.” Harmful building materials disproportionately harm low income and other vulnerable communities. However, it can be challenging to make an economic case for safe 14 EMERGING FALL 2016
and healthy materials. Simona Fischer (M.Arch ’10, M.S. ’13 Sustainable Design) of MSR Design, the architecture firm on the Rose, spearheaded the materials research. “I realized that no set of parameters will ever lead to a perfect material. Instead, we in the building industry need to be thinking in terms of big-picture goals, early design choices, and regulatory structures that will help our industry meet them,” she said. Weber agreed that while this project may well represent the first of a new generation of buildings, a number of barriers remain. “A single project can make headway, but we need to move across projects and sectors to address some of the larger systemic blocks to innovation.”
LBC at a scale appropriate for their funding and goals. Gina Ciganik (B.S. ’94 Housing Studies), who served as Aeon’s vice president of housing development through the Rose’s planning and construction, is now the senior adviser for housing innovation at Healthy Building Network. Her team will soon publish a comprehensive online list of recommended products and best practices to help affordable housing developers select healthier materials. “Money is a scarce resource, just like fossil fuels and water. It can inhibit creativity and get in the way of equity,” Ciganik explained. “But if only the elite can access sustainable, healthy places, then they are by definition not sustainable.” z.umn.edu/emgf16m
To ensure that the Rose isn’t simply a successful oneoff project, the team is sharing lessons learned and empowering communities across the country to take on the facebook.com/uofmdesign
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Alumni 1978
JLG Architects has acquired Studio Five Architects. Linda McCracken-Hunt (B.Arch ’78), former president of Studio Five Architects, will now serve as a principal architect at JLG Architects.
1979
Inspiring Place by Gerald De Gryse (B.L.A. ’79) took two top honors in the 2016 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (Tasmania) awards program.
1980
Mark Hoversten (B.L.A. ’76, B.F.A. ’80) was named the new dean for North Carolina State’s College of Design.
1983
Jeff Ziebarth (B.Arch/B.E.D. ’83) transitioned from managing director to principal for Perkins+Will higher education practice, locally and nationally.
1988
LHB, Minneapolis hired Jim Muehlbauer (B.A. ’88 Architecture) as a senior architect. Photos courtesy of Aeon.
Living Building Challenge theme areas:
energy, water, health and happiness, beauty, materials, place, and—critical for this project—equity. design.umn.edu
1990
2001
Virginia Lackovic (B.Arch ’01) won the 2016 Minnesota Heritage Preservation Steve Murray Award. Hilary Davis (B.S. ’01 Design Communication) is now senior art director of Avon Living at AVON. Elness Swenson Graham Architects named Aaron Roseth (M.Arch ’01) president. Bob Ganser (B.A. ’94 Architecture, M.Arch ’01) won the 2016 AIA Minnesota Emerging Talent Award and joined MSR.
2003
Tu-Anh Bui Johnson (B.A. ’01 Architecture, M.Arch ’06 [RY ’03]) was promoted to associate in the healthcare design practice at Horty Elving, A Wold Company.
Governor Mark Dayton appointed Margaret Parsons (M.Arch ’06) to the Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design.
been published in the July 2016 issue of Design and Culture journal. Barness also won the Kent State University School of Visual Communication Design outstanding research award.
2008
David Johansson (B.S. ’08 Architecture, M.Arch ’13) was selected as the recipient of the 2016 Ralph Rapson Traveling Study Fellowship.
Kim Skobba (Ph.D. ’08 Housing Studies) won the 2016 Russell Award for teaching excellence from the University of Georgia.
2009
Tessa Druley (B.S. ’09 Apparel Design) designed a gown for KARE 11’s Rena Sarigianopoulos to wear at Minnesota’s Red Dress Collection.
2004
Luci Kandler (B.S. ’09 Apparel Design) released Challenger—a capsule collection exploring our relationship to space. It is on display at Blockfort Studio.
Kristine Anderson (M.Arch ’04) is now partner/principal of Peterssen/Keller Architecture.
Lloyd Clausen (B.S. ’09 Retail Merchandising) was promoted to senior human resources manager at Target and is pursuing a master’s degree in human resources at the University of St. Thomas.
Randall Holl (B.S. ’04 Architecture) accepted a position as architect with Snøhetta in New York City.
Julie E. Peterson (B.S. ’92 and M.S. ’06 Interior Design, Ph.D. ’09 Design) was named chair for the department of design at the University of Wisconsin - Stout. She also serves as an associate professor for the School of Art and Design and program director for their MFA in Design.
Patrick Redmond (M.A. ’90, DHA) was a keynote speaker for the 2016 Minnesota Scholastic Art Awards ceremonies at the Weisman Art Museum. His firm, Patrick Redmond Design, has also received a 2016 American Graphic Design Award from GD USA, New York.
Chicago, Illinois named Aaron Koch (B.S. ’04 Architecture) the city’s first chief resilience officer.
1992
Wayne Laberda (B.S. ’05 Apparel Design) joined Target as a senior fabric R&D manager, following work as a senior designer for JCPenny, based in New York City.
2010
Matt Wilkens (B.E.D. ’98) received an ASLA Merit Award for a park project at the Minnesota Zoo.
2006
1999
Tony Layne (M.Arch/M.S.-S.D. ’06) transitioned to managing director of Perkins+Will Minneapolis.
Laura Anderson (B.S. ’10 Graphic Design) joined Target in May as a senior art director for digital design.
Mark Larson (M.Arch ’92) won the AIA MN award for Architect of Distinction.
1998
Susan Sokolowski (Ph.D. ’99) accepted a full-time professorship at the University of Oregon.
2005
Gonzalo Villares (B.A. ’99 Architecture, M.Arch ’05) joined Pope Architects as principal/ commercial team leader.
RSP Architects hired Ben Lindau (M.Arch ’06) as a project designer.
Woody Hanson (B.S. ’10 Architecture) joined SITELAB urban studio in San Francisco, CA, as an urban designer.
2012
Jessica Barness’s (M.F.A. ’12) article on the Goldstein Museum Emigre Magazine Index has
2013
Kelsey Lahr (B.S. ’13 Interior Design) is now a health care designer at Intereum.
2014
CNH Architects hired Madel Duenas (B.S. ’11, M.Arch ’14). Ami Brauer (B.S. ’14 Interior Design) joined Atmosphere Commercial Interiors as an interior designer.
2015
Amy Ennen (B.A. ’01 Architecture, M.Arch ’14, M.S. ’15) is now the planning and design manager for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Caitlin Dippo (B.D.A. ’15) received the DIS - Study Abroad Design Excellence Award for her work in Urban Design studio. Bailey Lieck Merrill (B.D.A. ’15) joined SDS Architects in Eau Claire, WI, as an architectural designer. Linsey (Gordon) Griffin (M.S. ’15 Design) will be joining our faculty as an assistant professor of apparel design. Matthew Jaeger (B.F.A. ’15 Graphic Design) was hired as the graphic manager for Satellite Industries.
IN MEMORIAM
Saul Charles Smiley (B. Arch ’42) Robert Schimke (B.A. ’48 Architecture) Arlene L. Stansfield (B.S. ’48 Textiles and Clothing in Business)
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A HUG FOR CHILDREN WITH SENSORY PROCESSING DISORDER
Allison Bassuener (B.F.A. ’16 Graphic Design)
Alexis Hagler (B.S. ’16 Retail Merchandising)
Wearable Technology Lab graduate research assistant Julia Duvall (Apparel Studies, B.S. ’15 Apparel Design) and undergraduate research assistant Nicholas Schleif (Electrical Engineering and Product Design) won the student design competition at the 2016 Augmented Human conference in Geneva, Switzerland, with their deep pressure vest that hugs children who have sensory processing disorder. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often shy away from physical touch even though they benefit from the calming effects of deep touch pressure. Duvall and Schleif created their design to allow parents or guardians of a child with ASD to provide comfort in situations when they are unable to touch their child. The vest uses shape-memory alloy springs that create lateral pressure simulating a hug when they are activated via a Bluetooth-enabled app.
FRESH
Duvall began the project with significant wearable technology research experience. She interned at NASA over the summers of 2014 and 2015, and noted that her problem-solving approach was influenced by her apparel design and engineering internships there. “I don’t want to jump to a conclusion about a design’s usefulness. If the only plus to creating this type of therapy compression garment is that it hasn’t been done before, that is not a good enough reason. By researching the problem so that I can understand it, I can create a useful and effective design.”
STUDENTS
Elizabeth Bischoff (B.S. ’16 Apparel Design)
Michael Laverne Jones and Christopher Glenn Lybeck (both M.L.A. ’16)
Travis Rukamp (B.D.A. ’16)
16 EMERGING FALL 2016
Nikhath Parveen Nazir Ahmed (B.S. ’16 Interior Design)
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Brittany Klinger (B.S. ’16 Architecture)
Student Achievement Ph.D. candidates Yoori Chae (Apparel Studies) and Julie Irish Williams (Interior Design) are recipients of the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship.
Sydney Carlson (B.F.A. ’16 Graphic Design)
Deidre Webster (Interior Design) was awarded the 2016 IIDA Northland Chapter Education Fund. Kelly Link (Interior Design) won the 2016 IIDA What’s Next Competition.
Grace Chen (B.S. ’16 Apparel Design)
TALENT
Jennifer Yelk and Rishi Murugesan (both Graphic Design) won scholarships at the 2016 AIGA Minnesota Portfolio 1-on-1. An interdisciplinary team including Sydney Anderson (Interior Design) and Adam Loskota (Architecture) won an honorable mention in the Aturbain International Student Design Competition.
Sarah Forsythe (B.S. ’16 Apparel Design)
Megan Miller (Interior Design) took second place in the 2016 SurfaceSet Student Innovation Competition.
Our 2016 graduates shared photos and renderings of their final projects. Kristen Gjesdahl (B.D.A. ’16)
Anthony Rabiola (B.D.A. ’16)
Kyle Armstrong (Graphic Design) was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Turkey.
Ph.D. candidate Laureen Gibson (Apparel Studies) was awarded the Costume Society of America’s Midwest Region 2016 Otto Thieme Memorial Internship with the Minnesota Historical Society’s costume collection. Erin Keefer, Jade Mulcahy, Madeline Marino, and Vanessa Berglund (all Graphic Design) won merit awards in AIGA’s My Favorite Medalist competition.
Rachel Kelly (B.F.A. ’16 Graphic Design)
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COLLEGE OF DESIGN FALL 2016 17
DRIVING CHANGE WITH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Longtime professor, mentor, and leader in the Twin Cities design community Joe Favour (B.L.A. ’92) began his appointment as head of the Department of Landscape Architecture this June. In this interview, he shares his thoughts on balancing teaching with practice, making design relevant to a broader audience, and identifying the most meaningful opportunities for the Department of Landscape Architecture. Q: How does this position fit into your overall career trajectory? A: I’ve always enjoyed the balance between academics and practice. They play off each other very well: if you’re in an
FACULTY & STAFF
City Pages named the Goldstein Museum of Design’s “Monsters, Superheros, and Villains” the best museum exhibition of 2015. Interior Design received an Engaged Department Grant from the University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement. Minnesota Women’s Consortium honored the G.I.R.L.S. culturally appropriate active wear project with a Breaking Barriers award in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Design Fabrication team hosted three workshops at the annual conference of the Furniture Society at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA, this June. 18 EMERGING FALL 2016
office working on projects, you can get lost in the details and forget some of the larger principles that you learned as a student, those cutting-edge aspects of what design should be about. And as an alumnus of the University and the landscape architecture program, to be able to come back and lead the program is a great opportunity. Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunities for the department over the next five years? A: Landscape architects have historically been good collaborators, but mainly with architects, engineers, and clients in high positions with money to spend. I’d love to see us expand and to think about people who aren’t represented as much by our design. Let’s engage people who typically don’t collaborate with or think about landscape architecture.
Abi Asojo (Interior Design) won the community service award from the Interior Design Educators Council for the calming room project at Bruce Vento Elementary. A solo exhibition of prints by James Boyd Brent (Graphic Design) was on display this summer at Traffic Zone Gallery. Marilyn Bruin (Housing Studies) and Sue Chu (Graphic Design) are on a research team in partnership with the Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation that will receive a five year, $1.25 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a patient-centered report card for organ transplant candidates.
Marilyn Bruin (Housing Studies) received the Outstanding Community Service Award from the University of Minnesota Office for Public Engagement. The General Services Administration partnered with Renée Cheng (Architecture) to study 11 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act projects in the Great Lakes region to discover factors and practices that most positively or negatively impact team collaboration and performance. The Association of Architecture Organizations appointed John Comazzi (Architecture) to their board of directors.
From an academic perspective, I don’t imagine landscape architecture as primarily generating new science or developing new technologies. But what we can do is collaborate with those who have deep technical and scientific knowledge, to show them how that work can be transformed through design and become relevant to a public audience, to public space. Q: How do you see landscape architecture solving some of society’s problems? A: Landscape architects aren’t generally an egotistical bunch. We work well on large, interdisciplinary teams and can synthesize ideas from several different fields into workable concepts. We have a role in interdisciplinary teams to show how landscape architecture, or even design in general, can actually drive change. There are all these new ideas being generated, and often the only thing they need to come together is good design.
Q: How are the academic programs adapting to ever-changing technologies and demands from employers? A: We are looking in depth at our undergraduate program. How is a bachelor of design degree relevant in the coming years? How can we embed the curriculum with the skills that allow alumni to find meaningful, professional jobs, even if they don’t want to go on and become a landscape architect? Technology is constantly evolving, but so is the way that the world is structured. We are open to making our curriculum as flexible as is reasonable, so that we can react to those changes and even hopefully, in some ways, drive some of that change rather than just staying up to date.
I see an opportunity to make design relevant to all people, and for all people to connect with the outdoor environment through landscape architecture.
Marilyn DeLong (Apparel Design) received the 2016 Costume Society of America Fellow Award.
instrument to identify complex mental health disorders such as obsessive-compulsive behaviors.
Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts awarded John Comazzi (Architecture) a grant to write the first definitive monograph on the Miller House and Garden.
Brad Holschuh (Apparel Design) was selected for a 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award.
Tom Fisher (Metropolitan Design Center) published Designing Our Way to a Better Future. Tasoulla Hadjiyanni (Interior Design) and Julia Robinson (Architecture) received a grant from the University in partnership with the Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry and the College of Science and Engineering to develop a new
Barry Kudrowitz (Product Design) was selected for the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship, an award honoring and advancing the careers of younger faculty. Caren Martin (Interior Design) received the ASID Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award.
Aaron Westre and Lee Anderson (both Architecture) presented “The Future Is Now: City Planning Using Social VR” at South by Southwest. Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, a research collaborative between the University, Mayo Clinic, and the State of Minnesota, awarded Brad Holschuh and Lucy Dunne (both Apparel Design) a grant to develop a smart compression garment. z.umn.edu/emgf16n
Steven McCarthy (Graphic Design) was selected to chair the jury of the firstever Communication Design Educators Awards.
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UPCOMING EVENTS For a full listing of College of Design events this fall, visit design.umn.edu/calendar.
Retail Connect 2016 Featuring Best Buy President, Shari Ballard Thursday, October 13, 2016 6:30 PM Registration and Reception, 7:00-8:30 PM Program Memorial Hall, McNamara Alumni Center z.umn.edu/retailconnect2016
Ink Link: A Letterpress Mixer Thursday, October 27 6:30-8:30 PM Reception and B-level studios, McNeal Hall z.umn.edu/inklink2016 Come for the ink and stay for a drink. We’re opening up the print studios, so drop by, roll up your sleeves, and pull a few proofs.
9.10.16 - 1.8.17
EXHIBITION Seeing 40/40: Forty Years of Collecting at the GMD
Since GMD’s formation in 1976, the collection has grown to more than 34,000 objects. This exhibition features 40 pieces that offer a peek into the integrity and beauty of GMD’s collection.
Eat Design: An Edible Design Tasting Experience Saturday, December 10, 7:00 PM McNeal Hall Atriums z.umn.edu/eatdesign2016 Design and Food students collaborate with local chefs and food experts, and explore basic design principles by engaging in hands-on, edible experimentation.
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Dirty Laundry: Delivering the Dirt on Design Tuesday, November 15, 2016 6:30 PM Doors, 7:00 PM Program Best Buy Theater, Northrop Auditorium design.umn.edu/dirtylaundry Listen in as design professionals reveal their best and worst experiences working in the world of design and share career takes with a humorous spin. Prepare yourself for one juicy night of design gossip!
COLLEGE OF DESIGN FALL 2016 19
UPCOMING EVENTS
September 10, 2016 – January 8, 2017 Goldstein Museum of Design, Gallery 241 z.umn.edu/seeing40
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Local Food, Local Grocers For residents of rural Minnesota, eating sustainably yearround can be a challenge. This spring, the University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and students in James Boyd Brent’s surface design class screen-printed posters to promote a key link in the local food chain: small grocery stores. The students broke into five groups, with each representing the identity of one of five rural regions throughout Minnesota. Their designs expand shoppers’ conception of eating local and encourage them to do their shopping at small markets rather than supercenters, decreasing food miles while keeping money in their communities. z.umn.edu/emgf16o
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