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.
Associate Professor Jiayi Young and graduate students from the UC
Davis Department of Design are presenting their research at
“Possibles,” the 2022 ISEA International (formerly Inter-Society
for the Electronic Arts) conference, in Barcelona on June 15.
Their abstract is an institutional presentation titled
“What is Research-based Design Practice? A Collective Inquiry
through a Graduate Seminar.”
Graduate student Edward Whelan and students from his first-year
seminar Make an Exhibition: First-Generation College Students
have created a colorful installation in the UC Davis Arboretum.
The exhibition titled “Reflections & Connections” is on display
through June 20.
Professors Glenda Drew, design, and Jesse Drew, cinema and
digital media, and lecturers Alexa Bonomo and William Mead,
design, have created work that is featured in the installation
“memory.unshift( )” now at the Axis Gallery in Sacramento.
Congratulations to Sarah Grimes (art history and design
double-major) who is among the winners of this year’s Norma J.
Lang Prize for Undergraduate Research.
The Savageau Award in the Department of Design is presented to a
graduating Master of Fine Arts student in Design selected by the
Design faculty to encourage, recognize and celebrate creative and
original contributions to the discipline of design.
When First Lady Jill Biden stepped out in a brilliant blue
Markarian dress, coat, gloves and matching mask during the
January 2021 inauguration, Anneliese Koch (B.A., design, ’17)
knew her career would never be the same.
Here is a preview of work featured in the “Arts & Humanities 2022
Graduate Exhibition” June 2-19 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti
Shrem Museum of Art.
Gale Okumura, retired lecturer in design, was among the
collaborators who helped in the creation of a ceramic mosaic
mural for the new Pollinator Garden at Explorit Science Center in
Davis.
Design major Eduardo Landicho recently gave a TEDx talk on
“What Defines Normal? Designing Accessible
Architecture.” Eddie’s talk was part of the
TEDxUCDavis symposium Metamorphosis.
The Ola Lorens Memorial Travel Scholarship is offered in memory
of Design major Ola (Alexandra) Lorens (1991-2014) through the
generous gifts of Patrick and Ewa Lorens Kinney, Molly Kinney and
family, and Ann and Mike Savageau. This scholarship supports
Design undergraduate students with grants up to $1000 to assist
educational interests such as (but not limited to) attending
workshops or conferences, visiting archives or museums, and
traveling for research or internships.
The Christina Eichler Bullock Sustainable Design Award
Competition is now accepting applications. This award supports
Design graduate and undergraduate student research and creative
production in sustainable design. Awards can be used to fund
publication costs, conference registration, travel for workshops
and conferences, or materials for research and design.
A new site-specific exhibition in Sacramento is bringing together
over thirty artists to explore issues of urban space
and community. “Coordinates: Ice
Pac” is a series of temporary installations located
in the former Pacsat Headquarters on S Street
in Sacramento.
Under the supervision of Professor Tim McNeil and curator Dan
Nadel, graduate student Edward Whelan designed the floorplan,
environment and graphics for the exhibition “All
on the Line: William T. Wiley and the Slant Step” at the Jan
and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. This exhibition highlights
Wiley’s influence as an artist and educator, as seen through
recent contributions from world-famous artist Bruce Nauman.
Undergraduate student Eduardo Landicho recently participated in a
TEDxUCDAVIS talk on “What Defines Normal? Designing Accessible
Architecture.”
Landicho, a 4th-year design major with a focus on
architecture at UC Davis, was born with Muscular Dystrophy and
has been wheelchair-bound since the early age of five. He wants
to create sustainable and equitable infrastructure to create much
more inclusive environments for those with disabilities.
While at UC Davis, Alberini Family Speaker Series in Design guest
lecturer Jacinda Walker held a workshop at Inderkum High School
in Sacramento. Walker, whose research focuses on diversity
and education within the discipline of design, met with
students to discuss design careers and to perform an
exercise on creating a
SMART (Specific/Measurable/Achievable/Relevant/Time-based)
goal.
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.
