Alejandra Ruiz Suárez was awarded the 2023 Savageau Award for a Master of Fine Arts design student at the opening celebration of the annual Arts and Humanities Graduate Exhibition at the Manetti Shrem Museum. Her work focuses on sustainable pathways for reducing textile waste. 

Quinessa Stibbins, an apparel designer whose research explores the role apparel design can play in protest and nonviolent civil disobedience, was honorable mention. 

As a designer, Suárez has been interested in exploring, performing and reflecting on alternative practices that can derive from her academic background. This has led her to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to propose and experiment in projects related to sustainability and circular economy, development of alternative materials, education and learning, geosciences communication, craft-art-design interaction, collaborative arts and creative activism.

Established in 2019, the Savageau Award is aimed at furthering the career of a graduating M.F.A. design student and to encourage, recognize, and celebrate creative and original contributions to the discipline of design. It is named for Ann Savageau, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Design from 2007 to 2014. 

These award-winning works may be seen through June 25, 3023, in the Arts and Humanities 2023 Graduate exhibit at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.