B.A., English Literature, University of California, MercedM.A., Interdisciplinary Humanities (emphasis on 1930s Cinema and Fashion), University of California, Merced
Cristina (Cris) Gomez is an M.F.A. Design student at the
University of California, Davis. Her academic background includes
Literature, Cinema, and Fashion studies of 1930s America.
Cristina’s area of focus is on costume exhibitions and on the
analysis of clothing’s social role. Her planned thesis project is
an exhibition on the Central Valley of California’s field
worker’s clothing to discuss their working social
conditions.
B.A., Industrial Design, Pedagogical University of Krakow
Valentyna is an international designer with a background in
graphic and sustainable design. Her area of interest is focused
on smell and taste research as well as on sustainable design and
wearable technologies.
B.A., Fine Art, School of the Art Institute, Chicago
Elyse is an interdisciplinary designer whose work reimagines the
land use of decommissioned golf courses in the Western United
States. Joining experiences in sustainable fabrication,
environmental and social justice and ecology, Elyse creates a
speculative tool kit for converting the former courses into
public spaces. Through this work she inserts methods for
restorative landscapes, reintroduction of native plants and
wildlife habitats and facilitating community stewardship to
improve recreational access to underserved populations.
M.S., Community Development, University of California, DavisB.A., Design, University of California, Davis, 2015A.A., Art Studio, Shasta College, 2013
Trace is a cross-disciplinary, genre-fluid, mixed-methods
researcher and educator. She has worked in acrylics, graphics,
writings, charcoal, print, sculpture, video, short stories,
soundscapes, radio shows, recording studios, yoga studios, and
bar bands.
B.S., Architectural Engineering, The German University in Cairo
Fatema Mostafa is an architect, interior designer, and graphic
designer with a huge interest in the use of color in
architecture. Her Bachelor Project was a design proposal for The
Cairo Central Library in Egypt. The main concept was to encourage
the culture of reading and education among Egyptians. Fatema
believes that colors have the capability to transform buildings;
internally and externally, to the better, which contradicts what
her German professors have been teaching her, which is that
colors are gauche.
Before starting the MFA in Design and just after graduating from
a BA in Industrial Design, I became specifically interested in
the field of Jewelry Design, and I have been exploring different
approaches in ideation and design for mass production. I am also
designing and making jewelry as an independent designer, with
several jewelry collections, mostly inspired by the history,
culture, and art of my ancient country, Iran.
B.A., Fashion Design, Universidad Pontificia, Bolivariana
As a designer, Alejandra 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.
During the MFA she will be exploring material design, its
lifecycles and possible applications.
B.S., Apparel Design, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Quinessa Stibbins is an apparel designer and dancer from St. Paul
Minnesota. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a
BS in Apparel Design and a minor in social justice. She then
worked for a dance costume company called Kelle Company for
two years. Quinessa is passionate about designing through a
social justice lens and using both apparel and dance for
storytelling.
I believe Design is a way of changing the world to be a better
place. A better world may have a different definition for
different people: perhaps an ergonomic chair or an Interface for
a pioneer application, each can make one’s world a better place
to live in. Over a decade of professional and academic experience
has equipped me with extensive collaborative skills and creative
methods in visual communication design.
B.F.A., Painting and Drawing, School of the Art Institute, Chicago
Edward Whelan comes to Davis from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he
worked as an exhibition designer for the Philbrook Museum of Art.
While working on a number of exhibitions at Philbrook, Whelan
became interested in co-design and how those methods could be
brought into museums. With close to 10 years experience in the
museum field, Whelan plans to continue his relationships with
museums and will be the lead designer for the upcoming Wiley/
Slant Step exhibition at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem
Museum of Art (2022). Whelan received his B.F.A.
B.S., Civil Engineering, Middle East Technical UniversityM.B.A., Sabanci University, IstanbulB.A., Fashion Design, Fashion Institute of Technology, New York
Rova Yilmaz is a designer interested in smart clothing and
functional clothing design. She studied fashion design and
civil engineering as an undergraduate. She prospects to
combine design, engineering, and art. Her research is biased
toward actuated clothes with functionality and purpose for being
smart.
