See all of the current news in Design, including faculty
publications, job openings, research and grant news, study abroad
programs, graduate and alumni honors and awards, and more.
As mask mandates continue to grow across the nation, alumna Jenna
Nelson (Pyörälä) (MFA, design, ‘19) is among the innovative
designers with a mission to inspire people worldwide to wear
them. Her company Luova Flow (Luova is “creative” in
Finnish) has released a series of colorful masks with
ornamental prints and beautiful illustrations.
The UC Davis Placemaking Team has created a participatory
initiative that invites the public to respond to the prompt “Home
is ____” through words and images.
Over the past two years Cruess Hall has been the site of a large
renovation project which included the construction of several new
labs, shop spaces, and classrooms supportive of the UC Davis
Department of Design. Adjoining the existing Cruess Hall
classrooms, labs and offices, the newly constructed spaces are
scheduled to open in fall quarter 2021.
“This new facility will be a gamechanger for students wanting to
build physical prototypes and bring their projects to life,” said
Professor Simon Sadler, Department of Design chair.
Alumna Nancy Pulciano (B.A., design, ‘14) is also known as Nancy
Crowd who has created the clothing brand Silent Crowd.
Pulciano/Crowd has recently been profiled by the website
Shoutout LA.
Alum Sierra Kennedy (B.A., ‘18), owner and founder of
The Wildest Company,
was recently featured on Good Day Sacramento where she
illustrated her fabric ice-dying technique.
Kaylani J. McCard was awarded the 2021 Savageau Award for a
Master of Fine Arts design student on June 10 during a virtual
opening celebration of the annual Arts and Humanities Graduate
Exhibition at UC Davis. The show is accessible through the
Jan
Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art website until
Sept. 6.
Public Scholarship and Engagement recently announced their
2021 Community Engaged Learning Faculty Fellows. Among the
recipients are Design faculty members Assistant Professor
Beth Ferguson and Assistant Professor Thomas Maiorana.
Due to technical difficulties, the May 20 Film Fest @ UC Davis
program has been rescheduled for May 27 at 7 p.m. PDT, with a
Q&A and awards presentation to follow.
The festival features short films of eight minutes or less in
length, submitted by UC Davis students and recent graduates.
Submissions include a variety of genres, from animation to live
action to documentary to experimental. This year the
selection committee has also accepted submissions of original
screenplays of eight pages or less.
An “Aggie for life,” alumnus Bill Hollingshead (B.A.,
political science, ’60) died in early February. He and his wife
Dianne were longtime patrons of the Departments of Design and
Music.
Over ten years ago, Adele Zhang, lecturer in design and
curator/manager of the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection, began a
unique collaboration with UC Davis Health’s Cardiovascular
Medicine Program in which the power of design brought focus on
health education and social consciousness.
Professor Beth Ferguson recently received a
VentureWell Faculty Grant in recognition of their commitment
to inclusive support of students who are creating innovations for
positive social and environmental impact.
Design alum Adam Flint Taylor (M.F.A., design, ‘19) has worked
featured in a current exhibition at the Southern Utah Museum of Art
(SUMA) now through March 13. The museum is located on the campus
of Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City.
Congratulations to Assistant Professor Katia Vega who has
received an Athena Award from
Women in Tech Initiative at UC. Vega has been recognized for
her achievements in the Early Career category.
Alumna Milan Finnie just completed a mural project
commemorating George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter
movement. Commissioned by the Imperial Beach People’s Alliance,
her creation is a six-wall mural on Palm Avenue that the
Alliance believes will represent anti-racism in Imperial Beach.
