EMERGING
SPRING 2014 Vol. 8, No. 2
SPRING 2014 Events Calendar page 15
FROM THE DEAN
From Sailing Ships to Virtual Reality: We’re Ready A recent article in the New York Times compared the “hybrid voyage” that traditional colleges are undertaking to the transition from sail to steamship in the early 1900s. We know the disruptive technology in online education is challenging the brick-and-mortar classroom, but rather than wait to see who wins this match, we’re using the opportunity to innovate in both of the arenas. In our graphic design and retail merchandising programs, we’re piloting Degree in 3, a program that enables undergraduate students to complete their degree in three years. In the School of Architecture, our new MS-RP degree is cutting in half the time it takes to become a licensed architect. Our landscape architecture RA’s-in-practice program connects students with community organizations to acquire hands-on experience while defraying the cost of tuition. Beyond the classroom, we’re the first college to offer SMOOCH–a Semi Massive Open Online Course Here–for all incoming fall 2014 University of Minnesota freshmen. The course, taught by associate dean for research and outreach Brad Hokanson, will focus on the development of creativity and problem-solving skills. We’ll also host the 2014 IEEE Virtual Reality Conference, March 28–April 2, where our Virtual Reality Design Lab will be on display. Visit vr.design.umn.edu to learn more. And while Minneapolis might be hesitant to let him leave after 12 years as mayor, we’re excited to welcome R. T. Rybak to the College of Design, where he’ll hold a joint appointment with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and teach several classes over the next 18 months, including a course this spring called Mayor 101 (see “Rybak Goes Back to School” on pg. 4).
3-D PRINTERS IN EVERY CLASSROOM? In November MakerBot announced plans to put a 3-D printer in every public school by the end of the year. WCCO-TV toured the 3-D printers in our DigiFabLab with Dean Fisher to learn more about the idea and what it might mean for the future of the classroom. MakerBot is owned by Minnesota-based Stratasys. Watch at design.umn.edu/3Dprinting
2 EMERGING SPRING 2014
This issue also features the ongoing partnership between our retail merchandising students and the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) to create dynamic displays in the WAM shop windows. This year the student design was inspired by Mohamud Mumin’s photo exhibition, Dean Fisher (right) with the Youth/ retail merchandising Dhallinyarada, student Amanda Lai which highlights during a photo shoot 13 Somalifor the Weisman Art Museum shop window American installation. See full men making a story on pg. 4. positive impact in Minnesota’s Somali-American community (see “On Display: Campus Leaders” on pg. 4). Stop by and see for yourself the next time you’re on campus. Finally, I’d like to welcome a new addition to the College of Design: the museum studies graduate minor. This interdisciplinary program is housed under the Goldstein Museum of Design, where it provides a foundation for future careers in university, public, and private museums.
EMERGING SPRING 2014 VOL. 8, NO. 2 EDITORS
Jolene Brink and Trevor Miller
DESIGN DIRECTOR Jeanne Schacht
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Warren Bruland, Joey Angerone, Kelsey Daly, and Dave Bowers
COPY EDITOR
Sharon Grimes
COLLEGE LEADERSHIP
Thomas Fisher, dean; Lee Anderson, associate dean for academic affairs; Brad Hokanson, associate dean for research and outreach; Kate Maple, assistant dean for student services; Trevor Miller, director of external relations; Kathy Witherow, chief of staff.
DEPARTMENT HEADS
Renée Cheng, School of Architecture; Kristine Miller, Department of Landscape Architecture; Missy Bye, Department of Design, Housing, and Apparel
COLLEGE OF DESIGN ADVISORY BOARD
Stuart Ackerberg, Michael Alexin, Maurice Blanks, Roberta Bonoff, Nedret Butler, Ann Birt, Bill Chilton, Jay Cowles, Pat Cummens, Jo Davison, Kelly Gage, Mary McNellis, Tom Meyer, Sandy Morris, David Mortenson, Dave Norback, Paul Reyelts, Mark Swenson, Gary Tushie, Burt Visnick, John Weidt, and XiaoWei Ma
Emerging is published twice a year for University of Minnesota College of Design alumni and friends. To update your address or change your subscription preference, email cdescomm@umn.edu or call Lori Mollberg, director of alumni relations, at 612-625-8796. This publication is available in alternate formats upon request.
Emerging is available online at design.umn.edu/emerging. Sign up for our weekly email digest of projects, events, and people at the University of Minnesota College of Design at design.umn.edu/subscribe.
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instagram/umndesign z.umn.edu/umndesignlinkedin The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Printed on 100 percent postconsumer fiber, processed chlorine free, FSC recycled certified and manufactured using biogas energy.
I am proud of how our college has embraced the need for change in higher education, and I’m looking forward to sharing the results with the rest of our design community. Sincerely, Tom Fisher Professor and Dean College of Design Follow Dean Fisher on Twitter @MNDesignDean
On the cover: (Top) Wax pencils on Bill Pedersen’s (BArch ‘61) desk. Meet Bill and his wife Elizabeth on pg. 8. (Bottom) Design by Catalyst speaker Martina Decker. See full list of spring events on pg. 15.
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School of Architecture + Twin Cities Habitat Net Zero Home
Designs for the Runway
The Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity net zero energy home, designed and built in partnership with the School of Architecture and Project for Pride in living, was dedicated on December 19, 2013. The project was made possible, in part, due to the generous support of everyone who contributed to our Gift of Shelter campaign in November and December 2012. WCCO-TV was on site for the dedication.
Students in Associate Professor Daniel Jasper’s graphic design class partnered with senior apparel design students to create promotional materials for Align, the student run fashion show taking place on February 15, 2014. Justin Sengley designed the winning concept (left) and some of the finalists appear here. See pg. 15 for more about the show.
Watch the story at
design.umn.edu/netzero.
Buy tickets at fashion.design.umn.edu.
Natalie Pechman
The Marshall and Mohamed/Olson families will move into the net zero energy home this winter.
Amanda Gentle
Some of our favorite tweets @UofMDesign Kimberly Perla @Kimbi2017h 6 Nov Giving back to my alumni and sharing my passion of retail to a future fashionista. Thanks @UofMDesign for connecting me! Diane Yang @pastrydiane 5 Nov #umnfooddesign group photo! (more on pg. 5)
design.umn.edu
Casey Wesselink
Eric Berry
Wanda Lau @AptlyNoted 22 Oct Architects, imagine earning your license just months after graduation @uofmdesign http://bit.ly/18GnMGb via @architectmag
We Facebook. We Tweet. Now we’re on Instagram.
Architecture MN @archMNmag 9 Oct We dig the new digs!! “@UofMDesign: Same #umn #architecture office. Swanky new #interior space: http://z.umn.edu/gpu ” (more on pg. 12)
J. Wheeler @JamesWheelerMN 25 Oct Looking forward to the @UofMDesign School of Architecture Centennial tonight. Seeing old friends and sharing some #rapsonlove #ClassOf2007 (more on pg. 14)
Kristi Poling
D.Observer @DesignObserver 17 Sep On this episode of Insights Per Minute Thomas Fisher, Dean of @uofmdesign, speaks about survival. http://z.umn.edu/j4i
Follow @UMNDesign for all things #design, from student projects to studio scenes, we’re sharing it all. instagram/umndesign
COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 3
DESIGN ON CAMPUS
Dean Tom Fisher (left) and former Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak on a tour of Rapson Hall
Rybak Goes Back to School On Display: Campus Leaders What are a college dean, a homecoming king, and an architect doing in the Weisman Art Museum (WAM) shop window? Students in Dooyoung Choi’s Visual Merchandising course put them there–along with 11 other campus leaders–to showcase merchandise and current exhibits at WAM.
Using Mohamud Mumin’s black-and-white photo exhibition, “The Youth/Dhallinyarada”, for inspiration, retail students asked campus leaders, including the student body president, the 2013 homecoming king, and College of Design dean Fisher, to pose with handselected merchandise from the WAM Shop.
“Altogether [our design] is inspired by artwork from the Weisman, features merchandise from the WAM Shop, and honors leaders in the campus community,” explains Amanda Lai, whose team was selected to have its idea implemented last fall.
Other members of the winning team include Kimberly Jurichko, Thanh Nguyen, and Alanna Norton. Meet all of the models and their objects at design.umn.edu/ windowdisplay.
This spring former Minneapolis mayor R. T. Rybak will become a distinguished visiting practitioner, with a joint appointment at both the Humphrey School of Public Affairs and the College of Design. His first class, Mayor 101, will explore the political, administrative, design, and bureaucratic challenges of running one of the largest and most dynamic cities in the United States. He will teach two additional courses, one in fall 2014 and one in spring 2015. Learn more at design.umn.edu/rybak.
Q A
What was your favorite class in college?
I walked into college with a real clear plan to major in political science and communication with an interdisciplinary discipline in urban affairs. The goal was to train myself to be a reporter for the Star Tribune covering architecture and development and to become mayor of Minneapolis. Once I finished all of that “vocational part” of college, I started taking these amazingly interesting classes. The classes in art, architecture, and theology, and philosophy became increasingly 4 EMERGING SPRING 2014
interesting to me as I worked through them. I loved all of the classes that I had that wound up being really good training for what I do today but I also loved those that simply broadened my brain.
Q
What challenges do you think you’ll face teaching millenials in the classroom?
A
For about the past eight years I’ve spoken with every 9th-grade class in the Minneapolis schools. I also have done an incredible amount of political organizing among college age and graduate level students, so I feel I have a fairly good sense of who is out there …. In part I hope to tap into the much more diverse interests and composition of this generation. I am mostly just incredibly excited about working with young people.
Q
If you were stuck on a desert island with one non-electrically powered object, what would it be?
A
Ideally a pen and paper. I know that counts as two but the nice thing about it is that I could at least write a book about the experience that hopefully someone would read if I stuck it in a bottle somewhere.
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OU CAN T Y N G I AST DES E
In a classroom on the first floor of McNeal Hall, students wait patiently with plastic spoons.
They are inaugural participants in the first Food and Design class, a hands-on, edible experimentation course that teaches basic design principles through food. Today their assignment was to develop an innovative flavor and texture pairing in one spoon-sized bite. The bite-sized hors d’oeuvres on display, which needed to highlight a seasonal fruit or vegetable, range from caramelized sweet potatoes with crispy bacon to green tea Jell-O with maple cranberry apple sauce. “I have always been interested in looking at food as a designed project,” says instructor Barry Kudrowitz, assistant professor and the director of the product design program. “If you view food as something that you can design with, anyone with a kitchen has a prototyping shop in their home.” With help from local chefs Diane Yang, Steven Brown, and Doug Flicker, Kudrowitz spent the semester introducing students to everything from knife skills to plating design to flavor experimentation. Optional fieldtrips to Tilla, La Belle Vie, and Piccolo allowed students to experience table service with a fixed menu and rare behind-the-scenes look into how the
different kitchens operate.
“It’s a lot of hands on, a lot of experimentation in the kitchen,” explains junior Alex Eninsche, an architecture student minoring in product design. “You’re treating what you’re cooking like your architectural model. It’s a lot of the same design process.” Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Eninsche says she grew up in a food centric town. “I’ve seen food as a unifier for community. It’s a way to be on the pulse about what’s happening around you,” she explains. After graduation she’s considering working part time for a design office and part time with food, “and using that experience in the long term as another skill in my repertoire.” Kudrowitz is excited about the outcome of the class. “At the class reviews, some of these students are creating dishes that the chefs are impressed with.” With all of the sampling going on, is there any food that he doesn’t like? “Things with banana in them, but not bananas on their own … kinda weird.” Food and Design students were featured in a story by KSTP-TV. Watch it at design.umn.edu/ fooddesign.
Tilia’s chef Steven Brown (top, left) and La Belle Vie’s pastry chef Diane Yang (bottom, right) were guest instructors for the inaugural Food and Design class, along with Piccolo’s chef Doug Flicker.
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COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 5
DESIGN ON THE ROAD
A River Runs Under It Tiffani Navratil (MLA ’12) traveled to the
Tasmanian city of Hobart to fix a missing link. The Hobart Rivulet flowing through the city’s central business district funneled into a concrete channel–with little or no vegetation– before emptying into a cove. “Buildings built over much of the rivulet did not allow any sunlight to reach those portions of the stream,” explains Navratil. She saw an opportunity to improve social spaces around the rivulet, reduce pollution, lower traffic congestion, and bring pedestrians back into the area.
Going Carbon Neutral? Here’s a Good Place to Start When it comes to carbon neutrality, Elizabeth Turner (M.Arch ’11) believes a place like St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota can serve as a microcosm of society. The campus infrastructure provides a learning laboratory for staff, faculty, and students to work across disciplines and traditional roles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
She also saw a compelling topic for her senior capstone thesis. With help from retired landscape architecture professor Herb Baldwin and Hobart resident Jerry de Gryse (BLA ’79), Navratil met city council members, local design professionals, and interested stakeholders to conduct her research. After graduation she returned to Hobart with her proposal in hand. “The ideas I presented were only a few of many possible design solutions for Hobart’s central business district,” says Navratil. “And it was my hope to trigger a citywide conversation regarding Hobart’s potential as a boutique arts-and-culture city.” She currently works at Coen+Partners as a landscape designer and at the University of St. Thomas as an adjunct faculty member in the Geology Department. Read more at design.umn.edu/navratil.
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As a graduate student she used St. Olaf as a case study for her final thesis by developing a preliminary outline for moving her undergraduate alma mater toward a carbon neutral future. She was named a finalist for the 2013 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Student Research on Campus Sustainability Award for her work, which is currently being used by St. Olaf students to make her research a reality. “Addressing emissions in higher education has the potential to have an impact on total U.S. emissions through development of innovative strategies,” explains Turner, “and the encouragement of a behavioral shift in the next generation.” Read more at design.umn.edu/elizabethturner.
Apparel Design Group Takes Flight with NASA
Heritage-law-protected buildings (top) along the rivulet’s channel prevent the expansion of the floodplain or potential green space and Navratil’s vision (center) for an arts walk celebrating Tasmanian history and modern culture. Transit goals for 2020 include increasing the amount of pedestrianonly spaces and improving the mass transit system to help Hobart transition away from car dependency.
This April five design students will participate in NASA’s Microgravity University in Houston, Texas. They will be the first all-female, apparel design group to conduct experiments aboard the reduced gravity aircraft. The project, led by senior Karen Fiegen, along with professor Lucy Dunne, and students Mary Ellen Berglund, Crystal Compton, Kira Erickson, and Jordyn Reich, will explore ways to reduce sweat build-up in astronaut gloves with non-powered systems. They will bring their experiences back to Minnesota by sharing their experiences with middle school girls and introducing them to STEM careers through clothing design. Watch for video and coverage of the flight at design.umn.edu/ microgravity. facebook.com/uofmdesign
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SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE 1913–2013: A Century and Building Since 1913, the School of Architecture has been building a vibrant legacy. On October 25–26, over 1,000 classmates and colleagues celebrated 100 years of education, keeping an eye on the next century of achievement. View photos from the reunion party, class gatherings, and gala celebration at design.umn. edu/arch100photos.
The School of Architecture Centennial Chromagraph designed by Adam Marcus and Daniel Raznick received a 2013 AIA Minnesota Honor Award. The 8,080 colored pencils went viral when @DesignBoom tweeted about it in November. Learn more at design.umn.edu/chromagraph.
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COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 7
Beyond Skyscrapers Bill and Elizabeth Pedersen on building a life together and giving back to their community Bill Pedersen (BArch ’61) is known for his skyscrapers. His resume includes the Shanghai World Financial Center and the World Bank Headquarters, along with dozens of other projects that shape metropolitan skylines across the globe. “The tall buildings have a responsibility to the city,” he explains. “They have a responsibility to create connections to and relationships with the fabric of the modern city.” Yet when it comes to critique, he’s more interested in what people think about his loop de loop chairs–a project on a very different scale.
“We had no grand plan on what our lives might become, as a newly married couple, just out of college in 1962,” says Elizabeth, who was a student at the University of Minnesota studying the flute with Emil Opava when they met. “It’s all been miraculously good.” Bill grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and found an early community on the hockey team at St. Paul Academy. “My parents were very focused on my education,” says Bill. “And I could think of nothing
Bill Pedersen (BArch ’61) sitting (left) in his loop de loop chairs with a model of the Shanghai World Financial Center, and (below) Bill, Elizabeth, and their boxer Crescendo in their Manhattan apartment.
Kristine Larsen
“I’m probably more sensitive when it comes to criticism [about] these chairs, than I would be to the Shanghai Tower,” admits Pedersen, who spent the last five years tweaking and tinkering his design toward perfection. Unlike building skyscrapers for clients, the chairs are his creation down to the minutest detail. They represent the attentive vision of the man who, with the support of his wife Elizabeth (BA Child Development ’62), helped grow Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) into one of world’s preeminent architecture firms. 8 EMERGING SPRING 2014
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but playing hockey for the University of Minnesota.” That changed when he entered the School of Architecture and realized he’d have to give up the rink for the studio–a move that changed his life. Elizabeth grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, a place she remembers being
any early age,” says Elizabeth. She remembers getting $1 a month from her parents and donating 10 percent of that to the church. Elizabeth and Bill were introduced on a blind date at the University in 1957 during Bill’s first week in the School of Architecture.
They were living in Brooklyn when Bill decided to start KPF with his partners Eugene Kohn and Sheldon Fox in 1976. Elizabeth remembers thinking it was a good idea. They knew they had to make it in six months. “We knew in three months that we had it,” says Bill. Today their commitment to
I’M PROBABLY MORE SENSITIVE WHEN IT COMES TO CRITICISM [ABOUT] THESE CHAIRS THAN I WOULD BE TO THE SHANGHAI WORLD FINANCIAL TOWER “It was a very old-fashioned way of going to college and meeting each other on the first day of class,” Elizabeth explains. They’ve been together ever since, supporting each other’s individual talents while pursuing different professions. “We don’t tell each other how to do the others’ job,” says Bill. “Yet we have total faith in each other.”
Elizabeth on campus in 1958 (above), and Bill (#15, right) on the University of Minnesota Gopher hockey team. design.umn.edu
That faith brought them to Brooklyn’s Park Slope with their daughters in the mid1960s. “An amazing place to live and raise children,” recalls Elizabeth, who learned her way around the neighborhoods by scouting to find things, “for the architect who came up with ideas of soup bowls for sinks.” She pauses then adds, “and boiling pots for an exhaust system.” Later they moved to Manhattan and built a home on Shelter Island, where Elizabeth currently serves as president of the Shelter Island Historical Society.
many of the communities they’ve belonged to, including the School of Architecture, is on their minds. They established the Bill and Elizabeth Pedersen Graduate Fellowship in Architecture to help graduate students in architecture fund their education. But they’ve also welcomed many alumni, young and old, to New York City where they have given their time and mentorship generously and enthusiastically. “We arrived here not by plan,” says Elizabeth. “So it gives us pleasure to make the decision to give. Now we’re making it together. Always.” In some ways, it’s like the responsibility of skyscrapers. The two Midwestern kids who made a life for themselves far from home in New York City, are also far from being “isolated entities” to the rest of the world. Instead, they believe as Elizabeth says, “you give until it makes you feel good.”
And for the communities they believe in, from the top floor of one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, that feeling will go a long way. Bill Pedersen will discuss design on multiple scales, at Design Intersections on Thursday, April 24, 2014. Tickets and registration info is available at
intersections.design.umn.edu.
Tim Griffith
“fueled by volunteerism and boosterism.” Her parents were huge advocates for the community and through their estate, they donated their farm to the city to create Essex Park. “At the root of giving is a habit that needs to start at
“As I work on something, it’s always a question of how to find relationships with that particular place where the building is located. To illustrate this maybe I should use the Science Teaching and Student Services Building. It’s one of my favorite buildings. It looks out on the river so that side is very different from the side that faces the campus. And as you come into the building you’re greeted by all of the people moving on that big staircase. So the building ultimately becomes a social experiment.” —Bill Pedersen (BArch ’61)
Bill and Elizabeth Pedersen Graduate Fellowship in Architecture Recipients Vanessa Abin-Fuentes
2013–14
Mark LaVenture
2008–09
Jordan Barlow
2012–13
Amber Sausen
2008–09
John Greene
2012–13
Darin Duch
2007–08
Daniel Raznick
2012–13
David Wilson
2006–07
Nikolai Kubota-Armin
2011–12
Kevin Ellingson
2010–11
Malea Jochim 2004–05 2005–06
Stacey Hanley
2009–10
Joseph Johnson
2003–04
Ian Simonson
2009–10
Aimee Lalone
2002–03
COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 9
ALUMNI NEWS
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➊
1966
Joel Goodman (BArch) exhibited four architectonic design works at the University of Wisconsin– Platteville Nohr Gallery, October 28–November 22, 2013. ➊
1979
Marc Partridge (BArch, MArch ’82) was promoted to associate principal at RSP Architecture. He is a former president of the Design Student Alumni Board.
1983
Derek Sussner (BS Design Communication), co-owner of Sussner Design Co., received a Target Partner Award.
Did you start a new job? Receive an award? Launch an exciting project? We want to hear about it. We publish alumni stories on our blog, social media channels, and twice a year in Emerging. Images must be 300 dpi and include the event name, location, date, and alumni names. Contact Lori Mollberg lmollber@umn.edu design.umn.edu/alumni
10 EMERGING SPRING 2014
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2010
Thomas Young (BArch) was named Atkins’ director of operationsarchitecture in Shanghai, China.
Nancy Binger (BS Interior Design) joined Fluid Interior as a project designer.
1997
Kelty McKinnon (MLA) was named partner at PFS Studio in Vancouver, Canada. Cheryl Steeves (BS Housing) received the 2013 Virginia McKnight Binger Award in Human Service. Tessa Sussner (BA Applied Design), co-owner of Sussner Design Co., received a Target Partner Award. ➋
1999
Screen prints by Adam Turman (BS Graphic Design) were part of an exhibit titled “Bikes, Beats, and Boynton” at the University’s Boynton Health Service building.
2000
Brady Halverson (MLA) joined BKV Group as an associate partner.
2007
Brady Bussler (MArch) was the recipient of a bronze medal in the 2013 Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards for the book he illustrated titled The Apron: Stories From the Farm.
➌ Megan Byrne (Museum Studies minor), formerly with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, is now a K-12 curriculum coordinator for the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.
2008
Ross Bruggink (BS Graphic Design) was featured in a Threadless video. Watch it at design.umn.edu/bruggink.
2009
Aaron Westre (MArch) was selected for a resident artist research fellowship at the Bell Museum of Natural History. His new book Design Games for Architecture is now available from Routledge. ➌
Michael Gordon (MArch) was awarded a Jerome Emerging Printmakers’ Residency.
2012
Jessica Barness (MFA Design) presented a “pechakucha” style talk on interaction design education at the 2013 AIGA “Head, Heart, Hand” Design Educators Conference.
Julie Longo (MFA Design) presented her paper, “Change by Design: Stories of Experience, Strength and Hope,” at the 2013 AIGA “Head, Heart, Hand” Design Educators Conference. Eric Olsen’s (MLA) capstone project was selected as a finalist in the 3C: Comprehensive Coastal Communities international design competition held by Operation Resilient Long Island.
Matthew Traucht (MLA) accepted a position with Charles Birnbaum at the Cultural Landscape Foundation in Washington D.C. Learn more at design.umn.edu/traucht. Nissa Tupper’s (MLA) capstone article was published in the summer 2013 issue of _SCAPE! Work by Claire Ward, Mai Yang, Misty Karges, Rika Van Heerde, and Ellie Hottinger (all BS Apparel Design) appeared on the runway during Shanghai Fashion Week in October 2013. Learn more at z.umn.edu/Shanghai13. ➎
Emily Stover (MLA) collaborated with choreographer and College of Design student adviser, Chris Schlichting, on “Light Plays”, a pop-up light and dance show held at the remodeled Northrop Memorial Auditorium on September 4, 2013. Watch it at design .umn.edu/lightplays. ➍
2013
Rebecca Alexander (MSSD) presented her thesis “The artful solar envelope: engaging with Minnesota’s four seasons in an off-grid wandering restaurant” at the Energy Forum on Advanced Building Skins in Bressanone, Italy.
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IN MEMORIAM Ruth Meyer-Lerdal (BS Home Economics ’35) Edna Kroll (MA Home Economics Education ’39) Carl Graffunder (BArch ’42) Kathryn Matthees (BS Home Economics ’43) June Dahlager (BS Home Economics ’44) The College of Design would like to recognize Elness Swenson Graham Architects (ESG) and its president Mark Swenson (BED ’71, MArch ’73) for passing $100,000 in lifetime giving in December 2013 with a gift to their existing named fellowship in architecture. “Private support from organizations like ESG impacts our students’ ability to enter the workforce with less debt,” says Dean Tom Fisher. “We thank ESG for their deep commitment to supporting the education of young architects.” For information about giving options, please contact Mark Hintz, College of Design development director, at 612-624-7808 or mihintz@umn.edu.
Eilee Thorston (BS Home Economics ’45) Elsie Fagerholm (BS Home Economics ’46) Gertrude Strinden (BS Home Economics ’46) Ella Starksen (BS Home Economics ’48) Myron Kunin (BA Ed & Human Development ’49) George Root (BArch ’50) Karin Frost (M.A. DHA ’88) met with a class of apparel design students this fall, where she talked about founding her ergonomic baby carrier company, Ergobaby, in 2002. We interviewed Frost for a story in the Spring 2013 issue of Emerging. Read it at design.umn.edu/karinfrost.
Janice Stevens (BS Home Economics ’51) Donald Suppes (BArch ’68) Pamela Roske (BS Related Art ’71)
On the Road Again The tiny home-on-wheels designed by Hank Butitta (MArch ’13), pictured on the front cover of our fall 2013 issue, is on the road again. Butitta drove his bus home to Delavan, Wisconsin, where he shared his story with K-12 students and gave over 750 people a chance to tour his senior thesis. This spring he’s coteaching a BDA workshop at the School of Architecture and will appear in an episode of HGTV’s “You Live in What?” Follow his story at hankboughtabus.com.
Keep In Touch ALUMNI & FRIENDS
PRIVATE SUPPORT
Here are four (free) ways you can support the College of Design. You’ll expand your professional networks, enhance college visibility, and impact current student experiences.
Gifts from donors—including alumni, friends, firms, allied professions, foundations, and other organizations—provide key funding for many areas in the College of Design.
• Share your career news and accomplishments.
• Ready to take the next step?
• Let us know when your contact info changes. • Recommend us to future design students. • Post job and internship opportunities. Lori Mollberg Director of Alumni Relations 612-625-8796 lmollber@umn.edu
design.umn.edu
Peter Rand (MArch ’72)
Mark Hintz Director of Development 612-624-7808 mihintz@umn.edu Christopher Scholl Major Gifts Officer 612-624-1386 scholl@umn.edu
Virginia Meyer-Lerdal (BS Home Economics ’77) Peter Erickson (BArch ’80) Faye Ness (BS Home Economics ’84) Diane Kasprowicz (BArch ’84) Karen Dischler (BS Retail Merchandising ’93) Nancy Miller (BArch ’89, MArch ’93) Harold Alexander (MFA Professor Emeritus, 1980–94 ) Mark Semke (BS Design Communications ’96) Erin Hennis (BS Apparel Design, 2008–11)
COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 11
STUDENT NEWS
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In the summer of 2013 Alpha Rho Chi (APX) Mnesicles Chapter collaborated with YMCA Camp Streefland in Lakeville, Minnesota, to teach children ages 6-14 the value of design education through various design thinking activities, including building a butterfly house. ➊ The second year of Design Duluth, an interdisciplinary graduate landscape architecture and architecture design studio, deepened the connection with Duluth, Minnesota, through tours and conversations with community representatives. Learn more at design.umn. edu/designduluth. ➋
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Fusion+Fashion Show. Their assignment was to create a couture ensemble inspired by the Washington Avenue Bridge connecting the East and West Banks of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. ➍ Women in Landscape Architecture partnered with FAIR School for Park(ing) Day to transform metered parking spots into several unique, popup parks around downtown Minneapolis on International Park(ing) Day in September.
The world’s sexiest knee brace, developed by undergraduate apparel design student Crystal Compton, computer science PhD candidate Guido Gioberto, and associate professor of apparel design Lucy Dunne, was featured in a BBC News segment. Watch the story at design.umn.edu/kneebrace. ➌ Lise Rubins, Lauren Rath, Dustin Dorris, Carol Erklouts, Brittney Just, and Kenzie Jordheim (all Interior Design) won Best of Show in IIDA Northland’s 8th annual 12 EMERGING SPRING 2014
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Will Adams, John Greene, and Alex Robinson (all MArch), along with professors John Comazzi and Marc Swackhammer redesigned and built a new interior for the front office of the School of Architecture in Rapson Hall. It started as an independent study project in spring 2013 researching the future of flexible work spaces. Using the bar code concept for inspiration, the team designed a shelving, seating, and storage system that responds to the needs of specific areas within the room. ➎
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Interior design student Tawana Terrell received a Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) award from the Office for Equity and Diversity. The award acknowledges diverse students who are doing outstanding work at the University both in and out of the classroom. She is the first College of Design student to receive this award. ➏
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BOYNTON INTERIOR DESIGN PARTNER FOR BETTER HEALTH CARE In an innovative partnership, College of Design students modernize Boynton’s St. Paul clinic while preserving its historic heritage.
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The St. Paul Clinic, located in Coffey Hall on the University’s St. Paul campus, underwent a major remodel in the summer of 2013. Now double the size, the clinic is an inviting and modern healing space that preserves the architectural heritage of the historic hall.
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Boynton partnered with the College of Design on the 2,700-square-foot clinicremodeling project–giving 25 sophomore interior design students an opportunity to apply their skills on a real-world design project on their own campus.
“Service learning projects such as this one are extremely beneficial to design students because it allows them to learn, contribute to the community, and understand how to affect change,” says Elizabeth Bye, head of the department of Design, Housing, and Apparel at the College of Design.
Sophomore interior design students (top) in the redesigned Boynton lobby; the waiting area (middle left) with color schemes suggested by the class; students below transom windows (middle, right) included in their design proposal; and (bottom) a redesigned patient room.
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Over a five-week period, teams from two interior design classes taught by associate professor Abimbola Asojo and PhD graduate instructor Mandana Motamed proposed design concepts that preserved the vintage feel of Coffey Hall, a 1906 Renaissance Revival-style building. The remodelling includes transom windows that filter light throughout the clinic and a natural color palette, and was done over the summer of 2013. The clinic reopened in time for the fall semester. To learn more about our interior design program visit interior.design.umn.edu.
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FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
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An interview with assistant professor Blaine Brownell (Architecture) appeared in Form magazine. Read it at z.umn. edu/Brownell1. Two articles by Brownell related to the Sydney Opera House’s 40th anniversary appeared in Architect magazine. Senior lecturer Vince Debritto (Landscape Architecture) along with Students for Design Activism received an Institute on the Environment minigrant to hold a public screening of the film “Watershed” on April 11, 2014. Event information on pg.19. Professor Marilyn DeLong (Apparel Design) and associate professor Tasoulla Hadjiyanni (Interior Design) both presented projects funded through the College of Design Extension block grants at the University of Minnesota Extension conference in October. Assistant professor Greg Donofrio (Architecture) and adjunct assistant professor Meghan Elliott (Architecture) won the 2013 annual Anne de Fort-Menares Award. Associate professor Lucy Dunne (Apparel Design) was awarded a NASA Silver Achievement Medal for major contributions to NASA’s core value of teamwork and core mission of sharing knowledge gained in space technology with researchers,
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universities, and educators. More at design.umn.edu/DunneMedal. Associate dean for research and outreach Brad Hokanson published a new book titled Design in Educational Technology. Professor Rebecca Krinke (Landscape Architecture) unveiled the Black Box Camera Obscura on Northrop Plaza as part of the PopUp Northrop initiative leading up to the reopening of Northrop. ➊ Retired adjunct professor Dale Mulfinger (Architecture) was profiled in a Star Tribune article. Read it at z.umn.edu/mulfinger1. Adjunct professor Pat Nunnally (Landscape) was featured in a KARE-11 story about his educational river walk seminars along the Mississippi River. Watch it at z.umn.edu/Nunnally1. Adjunct professor Thomas Oliphant’s (Design Minor) design education project brief “Pimp My Ride” was selected through an open, international peer review for inclusion in the book, 70 Assignments: The Future of the Foundation Course in Art and Design. Chris Schlichting (Student Services) won two Stage Awards for Dance for his choreography of “Matching Drapes,” which premiered at Red Eye Theater in February 2013.
Research fellow Virajita Singh (Center for Sustainable Building Research) led two design thinking workshops at the University of Iceland’s School of Education in Reykjavik in November 2013. More at dt.design.umn.edu. Associate professor Katherine Solomonson (Architecture) received a 2013 AIA Minnesota Special Award. Matt Thoen (IT Services) received the 2013 IT Outstanding Service Award for special contributions, above and beyond the normal scope of job responsibilities. Adjunct lecturer Angela Wang (Graphic Design) spoke on a panel about design thinking in K-12 education, which aired on TPT-TV in November. An article copublished in Academic Exchange Quarterly by associate professor Stephanie Zollinger (Interior Design) and associate professor Tasoulla Hadjiyanni (Interior Design) titled “Strengthening Communication and Classroom Climate” was selected as Editor’s Choice.
Destination: Brooklyn, NY We caught up with Dane Steinlicht (BDA ’10) and Matthew Lake (BS Arch ’04) in their Rougebuilt office–a 1,000 square foot studio in Brooklyn–where they operate an architectural design and custom fabrication company. They’ll build just about anything. One of their current projects involves designing and building furniture for a client from a 200-year-old white oak that fell during Hurricane Sandy. You can see their work at the Forage Modern Workshop in Minneapolis or visit roguebuilt.com. Visit design.umn. edu/rougebuilt for more photos from our interview.
“[Maker culture] is a huge part of this community.” Dane Steinlicht (BDA ‘10)
“I never thought I’d be doing what we’re doing now. I thought I’d just have a shop in my garage.” Matthew Lake (BS Arch ‘04) facebook.com/uofmdesign
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SPRING 2014 COLLEGE EVENTS February 15
April 2
April 24
May 7
ALIGN: Fashion Show
Design in 7
Design Intersections
PLAYsentations
Rapson Hall Courtyard 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM ALIGN highlights the work of 20 young designers. The fashion show is a tradition and a right of passage for apparel design seniors in the College of Design. Lines will include children and bridal, ready-to-wear and science fiction, and conceptual statement pieces.
Coffman Memorial Union Theater 7:00 PM What can be shared in just seven minutes? Design professionals share thought-provoking, inspiring, and sometimes curious tales from the trenches. 2014 speakers: Bob Close—Bob Close Studio Brad Surcey—Zeus Jones Michael Alexin—Target Pete Hagen—Target Register: design.umn.edu/din7
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Architecture as Catalyst raises the level of discourse about design to provoke leaps in perception of what design can be with a series of workshop led by faculty in collaboration with guest instructors.
February 6–May 6 Exhibit
All lectures are free and open to the public. Learn more at design.umn.edu/catalyst. 3/10 Maureen Cummins, Martina Decker, and Peter Yeadon 3/11 Andrea Ponsi 3/12 Randy Ewoldt and Barry Kudrowitz 3/13 Michael Schumacher 3/14 Exhibition and Open House
ALUMNI EVENTS June 26
Chicago Alumni Reception 6:30–8:00 PM We’re holding a reception in conjunction with the AIA National Convention, June 26–28, 2014. All area alumni, regardless of discipline, are invited to join us. Watch for your email invitation later this spring or visit z.umn.edu/designchicago14.
Summer 2014
Design Day of Service Alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the College of Design will come together for a fun day of service in the Twin Cities. Watch for details coming by email this spring. Sponsored by the Design Student and Alumni Board
design.umn.edu
April 24 Retirement Party
Denise Guerin Interior Design Professor
All event time, location, ticketing, and registration information is available at design.umn.edu/events.
May 2–3 Symposium
Fashion and Communication
Seeing by Drawing: A Memorial Exhibition for Michael Plautz
May 6–16 Exhibition
BFA Graphic Design Show
February 21–22 Workshop and Charette
May 12–13 Exhibition
Cultural Diversity and Design
MArch Final Project Juries
March 4 Alumni Gathering
May 13–14 Conference
See Change: The Power of Visual Communication
Momentum: Emerging Professionals Network
February 1–April 27
Danish Modern: Design for Living Gallery 241, Panel Discussion: March 6
March 28–April 14 AIA LU/HSW Credits
Watershed April 23–May 2 Exhibition
MFA Graphic Design Show
January 18–March 9 HGA Gallery
The Pale Dot: The Shared Influences Between Science and Graphic Design
April 11 Film Screening
GOLDSTEIN MUSEUM OF DESIGN ALIGN: The Exhibition
March 27 Lecture with Eugene Parks
Sustainable Building 2030 Training: Getting to 70% Energy Reduction Goals
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged. Register: design.umn.edu/playsentations
Danish Modern: Design for Living
ARCHITECTURE AS CATALYST: SENSORY PERCEPTIONS
Coffman Memorial Union Theatre 7:00 PM PLAYsentations is a theatrical show where product design students present their original toy prototypes to the community. Children and families are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Tickets: $30 Earlybird (by April 11); $40 Regular (by April 25); $15 Students (first 25 students free); $45 Walk-ins Register: intersections.design.umn.edu
Martina Decker from Catalyst lecture series
Tickets: $12 Balcony Standing ($10 students ID); $15 General; $55 VIP Register: fashionshow.design.umn.edu
McNamara Alumni Center 7:30–9:30 AM William Pedersen (BArch ’61) will discuss design on multiple scales, from big buildings to chairs. Design Intersections brings design professionals together twice a year for networking and conversation. Breakfast is provided.
April 4–June 29
100 Years of Student Drawings Northrop Hall Gallery May 17–June 29
Signed by Vera: Scarves by an Iconic Designer Gallery 241, Opening Reception: May 16 Visit goldstein.design.umn.edu for hours, locations, and exhibition information. COLLEGE OF DESIGN SPRING 2014 15
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage
Meet Your Local Beans Yin Yang and Steuben Yellow Eye are just a few of the bean varieties developed at the University for specific to growing conditions in western Minnesota. Last fall, students in the surface design course taught by associate professor James Boyd-Brent partnered with the University of Minnesota’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) to liven up the plain, brown paper 25-pound bags used to store the beans. “The nice plain smooth surfaces [of the bags] were crying out for color and form,” says Boyd-Brent. Each student screenprinted 20 bags with their individually designed response to the concept of sustainable food production. The bags will be used by Kathy Draeger, statewide director of RSDP, to promote the locally produced organic beans around the state of Minnesota. Lean more at design.umn.edu/localbeans.
PAID
Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 90155
32 McNeal Hall 1985 Buford Avenue St. Paul, MN 55108