Design

On May 3-4, the UC Davis Biodesign class exhibited our research project mykos at the Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival. Mykos will be an ecovillage in Yunnan, China, that showcases mycelium-based architecture and design materials made from fungal mycelium. We are collaborating with faculty and students at Yunnan Arts University in Kunming, led by Dr. Danting Sun, on this multi-year project, as well as with mycotect (mycelium architect) Chris Maurer of redhouse studio architecture in Cleveland, Ohio.

Alum and portrait photographer David Suh (B.A., design’ 17) recently appeared on NPR’s TED Radio Hour on an episode “How you see yourself.” 

Suh teaches his 4.5 million TikTok followers the art of posing. After studying graphic design at UC Davis, he became a full-time photographer, known for his portrait photography, workshops, online education and playful viral videos. 

A number of design students and faculty members are participating in the Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference on April 25 and 26. Stop by to see 17 design students present their work in the arts and design exhibit – 1-5 p.m. Friday, April 25 in the University Credit Union Center at the ARC (free and open to the public).

Design graduate student Latrell Broughton, a native of Beaufort County, NC, is creating an interactive mural for students at P. S. Jones Middle School in Washington, NC; which he attended growing up.  

Multimedia artist Broughton has enlisted the help of P. S. Jones Middle School’s Digital Arts students to create an interactive mural. Using AR technology, this completed mural will allow students to step inside the future of art.

Design Professors Glenda Drew and Brett Snyder are part of a cutting-edge research project led by the University of California, Santa Cruz. The project has been awarded funding through the University of California’s Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI).

The UC Davis Eco Materials Library and CoSEP have partnered with Autodesk and California College of the Arts on the Pioneering Biomaterials exhibition. Eco material samples made by Professor Beth Ferguson, Assistant Professor Akshita Sivakumar, graduate student Diego Martinez Fernandez del Castillo, and alumni Eldy Lázaro and Alejandra Ruiz will be on display at the CCA Campus Gallery until Feb. 14.

Professor Timothy J. McNeil was among the winners at the 2024 SEGD Global Design Awards Ceremony recently held in Dallas. McNeil received a Merit Award for his book The Exhibition and Experience Design Handbook.

UC Davis Design Professor Gozde Goncu-Berk, director of WearLab, in collaboration with Professor Houman Homayoun and PhD Candidate Ruoyu Zhang from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) have been honored with the International Achievement Award (IAA) in the category of Protective & Functional Apparel by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA).

Associate Professor Beth Ferguson and alumni Eldy Lazaro (MFA, design, ‘20) and Emma Smith (Design student alum) won the Best Paper Award for their project “Eco Materials Library” at the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces. The symposium was hosted by University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

Adele Zhang, senior continuing lecturer and design collection curator and manager, is the co-author of a new bilingual book, “Encountering the Global Textile Motifs” (China Textile Press Co., Ltd, 2024). Written with Kunyuan Li, a Ph.D in design studies from Jiangnan University, China, the book illustrates a colorful survey of ethno-textile designs from the UC Davis Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection and Han Costume Collection by Jiangnan University.

Join PBS KVIE for a screening of Leonardo da Vinci, a new film by Ken Burns, followed by a conversation with art studio alum Julia Couzens (M.F.A. ‘90) and design Professor James Housefield as they discuss the towering achievements of Leonardo da Vinci.

Recently gifted works to the Manetti Shrem Museum from dedicated art lovers and philanthropists Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem are the focus on a new exhibition curated and designed by UC Davis students.

“Guardians: Spirits of Protection,” a poignant exploration of the creative relationship between tragedy and design created by design professor emerita Ann Savageau, was first premiered at the UC Davis Design Museum in fall 2021. In fall 2024 “Guardians” will be presented by the  University of Michigan Residential College Art Gallery Aug. 26 through Nov. 2.

Residents and firefighters from the town of Tomales, CA, came together on June 8 to play a community safety-inspired board game created by Associate Professor Thomas Maiorana. In the game board, “Tomales Resilience,” an experimental game that simulates a real-life wildfire evacuation, the community members play as themselves as a disaster situation arises around them.  

Maiorana created the game with an interdisciplinary team of colleagues at UC Davis, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz. The National Science Foundation funded the project.

Professor Timothy McNeil is co-chairing the next Exhibition + Experience Design conference organized by the Society of Experiential Graphic Design (SEGD) held in Washington, D.C. June 20-21, 2024.