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��Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activities

goersab — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:30:00 +0000

��Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activitiesgoersab June 1, 2026

Polytechnic experiences offered at hands-on STEAM camps, professional development workshops, Murals in Menomonie festival

Abbey Goers

The academic year may have ended, but the summer is just heating up at ��Ͽ� with community classes, youth camps and a mural festival, featuring some of the world’s best mural artists.

As part of ��Ͽ�’s year-round campus activities, more than 1,100 community members and area children will join in hands-on, applied learning in campus labs and studios.

Registration for many opportunities is still open:

The Middle School STEAM Experience and the High School STEAM Experience introduce young students to exciting career paths in science, technology, engineering, and art and design, while nurturing creativity and critical thinking skills. STEAM camp scholarships are available for Wisconsin students.
Adult learners are invited to personal and professional enrichment courses and workshops designed to help advance careers or build connections through a new hobby, offered through Continuing Education and Conferences.
Young athletes can improve their skills at sports camps and Stout Adventures’ Youth Climbing League, led by university coaches and staff.

And for four days, international artists will descend upon the city during Murals in Menomonie, featuring the Walldogs. From Wednesday, June 24, to Sunday, June 28, artists, residents, and visitors will come together to celebrate creativity, wellness and community pride in this one-of-a-kind event. The mural created for the ��Ͽ� campus will be painted on the eastern side of the Administration Building, facing the Clock Tower Plaza.

STEAM Experiences for young campers

Each STEAM camp is designed to engage and provide hands-on learning experiences and is led by ��Ͽ� faculty and university students. Unique tracks within the disciplines of STEAM include:

Science & Health: Freshwater science, fish conservation, anatomy, molecular ecology, psychology and gardening
Technology: 3D-printing, robotics and virtual reality
Engineering: Construction, packaging and plastics engineering
Art & Design: Claymation, comics, game design, fashion, cinema production, interior design and drawing.

The STEAM programs are sponsored by the Menomonie, Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire school districts, the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, Junior Achievement of Wisconsin, the National Science Foundation, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, Xcel Energy and the ��Ͽ� Foundation & Alumni Association, in partnership with Continuing Education & Conferences.

Continuing Education classes for community members

Continuing Education & Conferences is collaborating with faculty and staff to develop in-person courses. Explore details and register to join on campus:

June 11: The popular Discovering Japan series offers a workshop on Creating with Brush and Ink: A Japanese Calligraphy Experience.
June 25: Protein Done Right invites participants into a ��Ͽ� kitchen classroom to bust diet myths and cook a meal together.
June 30-Aug. 11: The six-day course on Citizen Journalism builds skills to write compelling stories that reflect the people, events and issues shaping the community.
July 8-Aug. 5: In five two-hour sessions, learn how to turn Memories to Memoir: Crafting Your Story by reading and analyzing memoirs and through structured writing time.
July 13-17: Build analytical and synthetic thinking skills by practicing established creative problem-solving methods in a one-credit Creative Problem-Solving course.
July 15: The Discovering Japan series continues with Steeping in Tradition: A Japanese Tea Ceremony Experience, an introduction to the history, hospitality, mindfulness and artistry of tea ceremonies.
Aug. 1-2: Metal Art Workshop: Ring-making will introduce learners to basic metalsmithing techniques, materials and tools as they make rings in the Metals Lab.
Aug. 25: The third Discover Japan workshop, The Art of Giving in Japan: A Furoshiki Experience, focuses on the traditional Japanese art of cloth wrapping.
Open Enrollment: A new series on Eldercare launches with its first course, focused on Death and Bereavement.

Continuing Education & Conferences is also conducting a survey for community members to understand public interest in personal enrichment classes and usage of university labs, studios and other spaces.

Discovering Japan: Culture and Community Workshop Series

Experience Japanese traditions—past and present—through engaging community-based workshops that bring culture to life

Sports and activities

Athletics offers multiple summer sports camps led by university coaches, staff and student athletes. Camps include baseball, softball, basketball, football, flag football, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, track, volleyball and dance.

Youth Climbing League offers introductory activities, designed to empower kids ages 6 to 12. Experienced instructors lead activities for all skill levels. Two sessions will be held from Tuesday, June 9, to Wednesday, July 15; and Tuesday, July 21, to Wednesday, Aug. 26.

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Interior design camp, industry-standard software introduces campers to career paths in residential, commercial design

Construction camp introduces young students to careers, degree paths

Tour led by Boldt Company in Chippewa Falls gives campers a behind-the-scenes look at construction site

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High School STEAM Summer Camps

Inspiring and engaging STEAM camps for students entering grades 9-12

Middle School STEAM Summer Camps

Inspiring and engaging STEAM camps for students entering grades 6-8

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��Ͽ� students’ submarine survival game surfaces to victory at M+DEV, the Midwest’s biggest game industry event

giffeyt — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000

��Ͽ� students’ submarine survival game surfaces to victory at M+DEV, the Midwest’s biggest game industry eventgiffeyt December 9, 2025

PC game’s win highlights ��Ͽ�’s globally ranked program

Tom Giffey

The creators of a computer game about a doomed submarine had a real-life sinking feeling last May as the date of the Stout Game Expo (SGX) approached. After months of work on the claustrophobic, cooperative game Dread Not, the team of 15 University of Wisconsin-Stout students were facing problems with their code which had broken an otherwise polished game.

It was a stressful situation, recalled Ryan Thiede, the game’s art manager and original pitch creator. Not only was the game a capstone project for these soon-to-be graduates, but it was scheduled to be shared with hundreds of attendees at SGX, the region’s largest game expo.

Fortunately, what Thiede described as “late-night heroics” from lead coder Ben Rowan and gameplay coder Jacob Richardt got the two-player networked game working, and it went on to win two awards, Audience Choice and Best Art, at the spring event.

“It’s a crazy story, but it says something for the tenacity and drive from the people on the team,” added Thiede, who graduated in May with a degree in game design and development-art. “We went from an unplayable game to an award-winning capstone project, essentially, overnight.”

Six months later, the Dread Not team received more accolades, winning the award for best student entry at M+DEV, the largest game industry conference in the Midwest, which drew 1,500 attendees to Madison Nov. 7-8 and featured two days of expert-led panels and speakers, game showcases, workshops and networking. M+DEV served as a platform for the creativity, skill and scholarship generated by ��Ͽ�’s globally and nationally ranked game design program.

At least 90 M+DEV attendees were either current students, alumni or faculty of ��Ͽ�. These included two faculty members and three alumni who made presentations and several dozen alumni who exhibited games, including three teams of recent graduates who shared recent capstone projects: Dread Not as well as Tubular!! and Mega Dimension Ripper 9000.

The latest student-built games will be ready for players at the fall semester SGX, which will run 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Great Hall of Memorial Student Center on the ��Ͽ� campus.

Visitors play Dread Not, a game created in a ��Ͽ� game design capstone course, at the spring 2025 Stout Game Expo (SGX).

Expo showcases top-ranked program

M+DEV, which is organized annually by the Wisconsin Games Alliance, bills itself as “the hub for indie and AAA developers, industry professionals, students and casual gamers.” The event’s sponsors include ��Ͽ�, whose undergraduate game design program is ranked No. 5 in the Midwest and No. 24 in the world by Princeton Review.

Unique among public universities in Wisconsin, ��Ͽ� offers bachelor’s degrees in both the art and science of gaming: namely the B.F.A. game design and development-art and the B.S. computer science (game design and development concentration). Graduate students in the M.F.A. design program also can choose a game design focus.

��Ͽ� is also home to the new B.S. game and media studies program, the only game-oriented media studies program in Wisconsin. The university also offers an esports coaching minor and was the first public university in Wisconsin to launch a varsity esports program.

M+DEV provides a valuable opportunity for the ��Ͽ� students, faculty and alumni to connect with each other and the game development community at large while gaining visibility for their projects, said Professor Andrew Williams.

Professor Andrew Williams

“Anytime you can get people to interact with your work, you are reaching your intended audience, and you learn how to improve your craft,” Williams said. “Game development is an incremental process and the more opportunities you have to talk with your players and build that community around your project, the better!”

Williams, whose game art has previously won awards at M+DEV, returned this year as a speaker. His presentation — evocatively titled “Building the Plane While Flying It: The Rapid Development of an AI-Powered Educational Game Series” — highlighted how a company he works with, immersionED, is using AI to create engaging history content for elementary through high school students. Through roleplaying as fictional historical characters in 70 scenarios, students can develop their historical thinking skills, Williams said.

“In the industry, AI use is highly varied as there is no ‘standard practice’ yet since we are just learning how it could be beneficial to speeding up workflows,” Williams said. “We may be moving into a new phase of its use as the industry is starting to understand it is not a solution to every problem.”

Other M+DEV presenters included Michael Tetzlaff, assistant professor of computer science, and ��Ͽ� alumni Jacob Schwitzer, B.S. computer science (game design & development concentration); Sam Baeseman, B.F.A. game design & development-art; and Mary Benetti, B.F.A. game design & development-art.

Benetti, graduated in 2021 and worked for four years at Field Day Lab, a digital learning game studio in Madison. At M+DEV, she delivered a presentation about how to create game art that looks beautiful even on computers and VR devices with lower technical specifications.

Benetti developed an interest in educational games during her ��Ͽ� coursework, which also gave her an understanding of the entire pipeline of a game project, from concept to release.

“I always felt a strong sense of community with the Stout game program, whether you're a current student or alumni,” she said. “The program also has a very motivated and positive set of faculty that push students to keep growing their skills, and M+DEV is the place to do it.”

She continued: “M+DEV provides a space to connect with like-minded creatives, be inspired by unique game projects, and learn about game skills and the industry through presentations. It’s incredibly encouraging to see all the amazing projects underway in the Midwest too — there is a lot of talent in the area. The value of M+DEV has remained as strong as it was when I was a student. I go there to learn, grow and connect.”

In the game Dread Not, players must cooperate to survive in a sinking submarine. / Contributed image

Winning game an ‘intense experience’

Thiede, who now works as a 3D artist for Las Vegas-based Game Breakdown, conceived the idea that became Dread Not as a capstone project and pitched it to his fellow students last year. His goal was to create something that could be enjoyed by players of all ages — including people who don’t consider themselves “gamers” — and that fostered collaboration.

“It was a project that was meant to immerse and connect two people through an intense 10-minute experience,” Thiede said. The two players, a pilot and a mechanic, must cooperate quickly and effectively to solve multiple problems — namely dwindling oxygen levels and an angry sea monster — and reach the surface before their submarine’s oxygen runs out.

And just as the game players must cooperate to succeed, so did the 15 ��Ͽ� students who created the game. At the helm was Sarah Ziebarth, who as the game’s producer kept the project on schedule, balancing the team’s workload while also completing her own lighting design and project marketing responsibilities.

Ziebarth, who graduated in May with dual majors in game design and development-art and computer science, praised how the students cooperated over the course of two semesters to overcome obstacles, add features and optimize the game.

“The game design and development program at Stout has always done an exceptional job of making sure both sides of development (art and computer science) work together in multiple classes throughout their college careers and thus learn the important skills of teamwork and communication,” Ziebarth said.

Thiede agreed, adding that ��Ͽ�’s program allowed him to explore many different paths in the game design field. “The layout of courses grants you time to experiment to see what you like, as well as plunge deep into what you may choose to focus on: 2D art, 3D art, VFX, lighting, animation, technical art, etc.,” he said. “All are possible at Stout.”

Thiede said he was pleasantly surprised when, while chatting with industry friends at M+DEV, he was suddenly whisked to the stage to receive an award for Dread Not.

“Genuinely, I pictured my career to be filled with people telling me what to do, and me just doing it,” he reflected. “I never imagined having an idea of mine make it this far. The reason it has is because of the people I worked with at Stout — the professors, but more importantly, my teammates.”

Professor Seth Berrier, far left, and Associate Professor Kim Loken, far right, stand with some of the ��Ͽ� alumni who created Dread Not at the M+DEV conference in Madison. / Submitted photo

Associate Professor Kim Loken, who was co-instructor for the capstone course alongside Professor Seth Berrier, praised the Dread Not team for their success.

“Unlike the held-together-by-duct-tape world of their game, this team was high-performing and well-organized with clear goals, excellent communication and exceptional craft,” Loken said. “Their networked game, damage system and puzzle design challenged the programmers, and the artists excelled with a rigorously researched and realized 3D environment, enriched by a diegetic backstory and wry character details. We’re proud of the continued commitment they’ve shown to their work, polishing it over the summer for a Steam release and continuing to exhibit their work for direct engagement with players.”

Since its June release on Steam, the largest digital distribution platform for PC games, Dread Not has been downloaded more than 250,000 times.

Other members of the Dread Not team included B.F.A. game design and development-art majors Zach Adler, Eleanor Berg, Gabe Anderson, Elaine Kelling, Samuel Lambert, Ben Moon, and Jon Wolfe, and B.S. computer science majors Guinness Bruce, Graham Higdon, Victor Mondragon, Nathan Morgan-Shimmin, Jacob Richardt, and Ben Rowan. The team also collaborated with 11 students from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, who contributed original music, sound effects and voice talent.

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��Ͽ� students’ submarine survival game surfaces to victory at M+DEV, the Midwest’s biggest game industry event

PC game’s win at M+DEV expo highlights ��Ͽ�’s globally ranked program

PC game’s win at M+DEV expo highlights ��Ͽ�’s globally ranked program Dread Not team with MDEV 2025 award

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B.F.A. Game Design & Development - Art

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Hero Caption: ��Ͽ� game design alumni celebrate their winning game, Dread Not, at November's M+DEV game conference in Madison. / Submitted photo

Kim Loken

Kim Loken's industry experience spans civic, commercial, and residential projects. Her approach to each is further informed by a storytelling mindset cultivated in work for film and theater. In her prior architecture practice, she helmed a variety of adaptive reuse, historic preservation and new construction projects. More recent work focuses on the use of games as systems for analyzing complex problems, particularly those related to environmental issues. Teaching invigorates her practice and provides the opportunity to mentor young designers in a variety of disciplines.

Teaching Interests: Design thinking, interdisciplinary design, large-scale collaborative projects

Research Interests: Phenomenology, narrative-driven design

Professional Interests: Place-making, critical regionalism, cultural history and adaptive re-use

Full Name: Kim Loken

Job Title: Associate Professor / Program Director / Minor Advisor

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College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

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Curriculum Vitae: Kimberly Loken CV (97.64 KB)

Education:

Degree: M.Arch.

University: University of Texas at Austin

Degree: Licensed Architect

Degree: LEED-Accredited Professional

University: U.S. Green Building Council

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Seth Berrier

Seth earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2012 where he worked with Professor Meyer in the disciplines of computer graphics and visualization. He also holds a B.A. in Music from the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University in Indianapolis. He is a classically trained tenor and an active participant in community theater in and around the Chippewa Valley.

Teaching Interests: Introductory programming courses, data structures and algorithms, software engineering, and computer graphics.

Research Interests: Seth is interested in using the visual power of graphics and visualization to bridge the pure technical disciplines of math and computer science with design and the arts. He has interests in design disciplines ranging from architecture to fashion and game design and seeks to develop new tools that enable the creative processes in these fields. He is also interested in advancing the primitive world of music visualization through the disciplines of formal music theory and form and analysis. In computer science, he is most interested in image based rendering and light field acquisition, photogrammetry and light fields for digital heritage, real-time photo-realistic rendering with graphics hardware and high-level shading languages.

Full Name: Dr. Seth F. Berrier

Job Title: Professor / Program Director

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Area of Expertise: Computer Graphics Real-Time 3D Rendering Game Design Design Process Photogrammetry Light-Field Rendering Web Programming Software Engineering

College: College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Management

Department: Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science Department

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B.S. Computer Science

Curriculum Vitae: Dr. Seth F. Berrier CV (259.43 KB)

Education:

Degree: Ph.D. Computer Science

University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Degree: M.S. Computer Science

University: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Degree: B.A. Music

University: Butler University

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Designed to the Max: Studio art major wins Wisconsin State Park sticker design contest

goersab — Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Designed to the Max: Studio art major wins Wisconsin State Park sticker design contestgoersab December 9, 2025

Logterman’s design inspired by adventures with family dog

Abbey Goers

With a design inspired by her adventures with her black lab, Max, ��Ͽ� studio art major Jaelyn Logterman won the 2026 Wisconsin State Park and Forest vehicle admission pass design contest, recently announced by the state’s Department of Natural Resources.

“It is a privilege to know that my artwork will be displayed on a great deal of vehicles across Wisconsin,” Logterman said. More than half a million vehicles, to be precise. In 2023, a record-setting year, 518,846 Wisconsin state park stickers were sold. Wisconsin state parks, forests, trails and recreation areas receive more than 20 million visits a year.

Jaelyn Logterman with her dog, Max / Jaelyn Logterman

“Max has come along on every family trip. As a family, we enjoy visiting surrounding rivers, lakes and parks,” she said. “Chasing Max around throughout his adventures has helped keep my feet wet throughout my childhood.”

With more than 15,000 lakes, 43,000 miles of rivers and scenic Great Lakes shorelines, Wisconsin offers plenty of opportunities for watery adventures.

Logterman grew up near scenic Lake Geneva, in southern Wisconsin. It was the natural beauty around Menomonie that drew her to ��Ͽ�, as well as its School of Art & Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest.

“What I like most about the studio art program at ��Ͽ� is the range of different course options, the hands-on experiences and the accommodating professors,” she said.

Max explores a lakeshore / Jaelyn Logterman

The DNR-sponsored design contest is open to Wisconsin high school-age students. Logterman entered the 2026 contest last spring through a graphic design class as a senior at Delavan-Darien High School. The annual contest, now in its 35th year, received more than 150 submissions for the 2026 vehicle pass design.

In 2025, the Wisconsin State Park System, with more than 60 state parks, forests and recreation areas, celebrated its 125th anniversary.

��Ͽ�’s School of Art & Design offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; graphic design and interactive media; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design. ��Ͽ� also has a new program in game and media studies.

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'The arts aren’t just about aesthetics — they’re a tool for communication, reflection and change.'

Logterman’s design inspired by adventures with family dog Jaelyn Logterman's design

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Graphic design alum creates exclusive Timberwolves basketball hoodie

goersab — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:30:00 +0000

Graphic design alum creates exclusive Timberwolves basketball hoodiegoersab October 22, 2025

Kunes’ merchandise inspired by nature and teamwork on the trail

Abbey Goers

In their 2024-25 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves collaborated with nine local artists to launch a merchandise series that blended Timberwolves basketball with the creativity of the Twin Cities.

The Timberwolves Artist Series featured graphic design alum Matt Kunes, owner of Motelprint Studios in Minneapolis, whose game-day exclusive hoodie was dropped at the Dec. 19, 2024, home game versus the New York Knicks.

Matt Kunes exclusive hoodie design for the Timberwolves / Matt Kunes

Kunes discovered printmaking at ��Ͽ�, where Professor Brian Ritchie taught him the process of creating clean and precise detail-oriented prints. He developed a passion for screen printing and lithography during a study abroad trip to Germany.

His artwork is inspired by elements of the natural world and by outdoor activities.

“I like observing nature’s interactions upon itself and then contemplating how I interpret those interactions. I strive to create abstract but realistic creatures by using striking lines and vibrant colors,” said Kunes, a 2002 graduate.

After a weekend mountain biking through granite hills and towering pines on the Iron Range in northern Minnesota, Kunes drew inspiration for his Artist Series hoodie from the pack mentality of a bike posse. “We take turns leading on the trail, which in turn makes everyone a stronger rider. Much like in basketball or any team sport,” he said. “If the leader is stoked, the whole team will rise up and jam just as hard or harder than the leader.”

That sense of connection and the thrill of being part of something bigger – much like a wolf pack – is something Kunes hopes fans feel when they wear his hoodie, which features the North Star on the front, symbolizing guidance and leadership. The back showcases a near-symmetrical collage of three wolves’ faces above a plain by trees. Splashes of navy, blue, light blue and lime green make the abstract scene pop like a stained-glass window.

Kunes grew up in Colorado as a Denver Nuggets fan and even saw Michael Jordan play. He gave basketball a shot in junior high school but then pivoted from organized team sports to skateboarding and snowboarding.

“The game has changed a bit – so many three-pointers. But I still watch the finals, and with the T-Wolves getting stronger every year, it’s hard not to support your local hoops team,” said Kunes, an artisan and installer for Shea Makes, a branch of Shea Design, while maintaining his studio.

The graphic design and interactive media program is part of the School of Art and Design, one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest. It also offers bachelor’s degrees in animation and digital media; game design and development-art; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration and entrepreneurship; fashion design and development; and video production, and an M.F.A. in design.

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Kunes’ merchandise inspired by nature and teamwork on the trail Matt Kunes' Timberwolves hoodie design

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Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ�

giffeyt — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:14:06 +0000

Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ� giffeyt July 15, 2025

Pros from Sherwin-Williams, Red Wing Shoe among presenters at fourth annual conference

Tom Giffey

More than 200 design professionals – many of them alumni working at prominent firms around the Upper Midwest – came to the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus recently for the fourth annual Design Wisconsin event.

��Ͽ� – which has the only industrial design program in Universities of Wisconsin and is home to one of the largest public art schools in the Midwest – created Design Wisconsin to celebrate the impact of industrial design and fashion design on Wisconsin’s culture, commerce, community and brand.

Even though ��Ͽ� is Design Wisconsin’s founding organization, May 16-18 was the first time the event was brought to campus. Past hosts include Milwaukee Tool in Milwaukee, Trek in Waterloo, and DELVE in Madison. Bringing the event to Menomonie this year provided an opportunity to highlight the ��Ͽ� campus as well as showcase more student work, said Professor Jennifer Astwood, B.F.A. industrial and product design program director.

In addition to keynote presentations by numerous professionals, most of them ��Ͽ� alumni, Design Wisconsin included student portfolio review sessions, product showcases, panel discussions, networking opportunities and workshops.

Design Wisconsin benefits both students and professionals, Astwood said. “To me it was important that people not just hear about the companies, but also about some meaningful topics that speak to the industry at large,” she said. For example, one presentation from Matthew Gueller of Milwaukee Tool and Gregor Mittersinker of Loft Design focused on the use of artificial intelligence in the design process.

Also new this year was a panel discussion featuring talent from several companies – including Trek, Polaris and Ashley Furniture Industries – which focused on navigating the industry.

Next year, Design Wisconsin will once again be held off-campus: It’s slated for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at Oshkosh Corp. in Oshkosh.

��Ͽ� alum Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams, was among the industry leaders at Design Wisconsin.

Exploring Color, Material, Finish

Several Design Wisconsin sessions focused on an area of industrial design known as CMF – color, material and finish – a cross-disciplinary approach that addresses the visual and tactile nature of products.

Among the CMF presenters was 2002 UW-stout alumnus Kiki Redhead, global CMF and trend manager for Sherwin-Williams. She described CMF as crossing boundaries between industrial design, graphic design, interior design, textile design and more. Design Wisconsin allowed ��Ͽ� students to network with professionals who work in the field, she noted.

“The students had an opportunity to find out what it really means to have a job where you actually develop color every day or develop different materials or create new finishes from scratch,” said Redhead, who leads Sherwin-Williams’ DesignHouse, a collaborative space in Minneapolis for the company and its industrial clients.

Before she was a leader in the industry, Redhead was a ��Ͽ� undergraduate who gained invaluable skills as an apprentice interior designer for a commercial construction company. “That really gave me a lot of real-world experience, and it was where I really started to apply color to projects and seeing them come to fruition,” she said.

As a professional, Redhead developed and trademarked her own trend methodology, and for a decade operated her own global trend agency, creating colors for everything from cars to cabinetry to cosmetics packaging to clothing. In 2018, she took her current job with Sherwin-Williams, where she combines qualitative and quantitative data to create eye-popping colors and finishes for customers.

Trek was one of the Wisconsin-based firms that took part in Design Wisconsin at ��Ͽ�.

Developing a ‘manufacturing mindset’

Among Redhead’s DesignHouse colleagues and fellow Design Wisconsin speakers is Brynn Wildenauer, a 2018 B.F.A. industrial design graduate who is now a senior architectural color designer for Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. That division creates coatings used on appliances, metal building materials and other architectural products. In practice, this means that Wildenauer develops colorful coatings for everything from agricultural buildings to skyscrapers to sports stadiums: One of her most notable projects was working on a color-shifting effect pigment that gives a pearlescent sheen to the exterior of the Kai Tak Sports Park, a massive $4 billion complex that opened this year in Hong Kong.

Wildenauer said her ��Ͽ� education, which included an internship at Ashley Furniture Industries where she saw her designs prototyped, prepared her well for her career. “I really liked having that hands-on approach, and that helped me develop a manufacturing mindset,” she said.

In particular, Wildenauer recalls developing a keen interest in CMF after Professor Erik Evensen wrote that her “color sense seemed promising” on a mid-program review. “I really leaned into that, diving down into the materials that are chosen and why,” she said.

“I find that there are so many opportunities to make a statement with color, textures, finishes, etc.,” she continued. “When color is used in an intentional way, it can increase brand recognition by 80%, which demonstrates the impact of color.”

Wildenauer said she enjoyed returning to campus, something she does periodically as a member of the Program Advisory Committee for the industrial design program. “It’s really cool to see how important this event is to all the students and those who have graduated from Stout or are heavily involved in Stout’s programs,” she said.

��Ͽ� alum Noah Anderson, senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, took part in a keynote presentation at Design Wisconsin.

Bridging the gap between design fields

Noah Anderson, a 2013 industrial and product design alum and a senior footwear designer at Red Wing Shoe Company, was one of three alumni working at Red Wing who spoke at the conference. The trio, which included product developer Sarah Noll and pattern engineer Gina Thurk, delivered a keynote about the synergy between footwear and apparel at the Minnesota-based company. Designing shoes bridges the gap between industrial design and apparel design, as well as between what retailers term “soft goods” and “hard goods,” Anderson said.

Anderson said he was impressed to see how ��Ͽ�’s design programs are preparing students for such collaborations in the professional world. “I felt encouraged to see specifically how apparel and industrial design were sharing a little bit more of a presentation at Senior Show,” he said. “It was really awesome to interact with students and to see the way that they are interacting with trends in the digital world as well.”

Anderson said he was well-served by his ��Ͽ� education when he began work at Red Wing Shoes in 2014. “I felt very prepared to present ideas, to be in front of the product team and embrace critique,” he said. “Going through the process of design was something I was really familiar with by the time I finished the industrial design program.”

In his career at Red Wing Shoes, Anderson has designed products for several of the historic Minnesota-based company’s brands.

“It’s always a new challenge,” Anderson said. “Every project includes new research, new trends and learning about new materials, which I feel like is really the source of what’s interesting about designing for industry in general.”

School of Art & Design

All School of Art & Design News

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Students, alums assist in Deming’s unique medical drama ‘Winter Hymns,’ filmed in Menomonie

Pros from Sherwin-Williams, Red Wing Shoe among presenters at fourth annual conference Design Wisconsin 2025 portfolio review

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Design Wisconsin

Showcasing the impacts of industrial and product design on Wisconsin's culture, commerce, community, and brand.

Search Keywords: Design WisconsinWisconsin industrial design Wisconsin fashion designWisconsin product design

Hero Caption: Design professionals offered their thoughts about ��Ͽ� students' work during a Portfolio Review at the Design Wisconsin event.

Jennifer Astwood

Teaching Interests: DES 331 – ID3: Product Interface Design (2 sections) DES 231 – ID2: Ergonomics DES 205 – Design Drawing and Concept Visualization ART 256 – Slip-Casting for Designers and Artists DES 231 – ID1: Product Form and Visualization DES 333 – Professional Practice DES 405 – Advanced Presentation Techniques DES 431 – System, Environment, and Context DES 432 – Theory, Society, and Application DES 712 – Sustainable Design Practice SUST 432/632 – Global Sustainability Experience in Design & Manufacturing

Professional Interests: Skills: Creative Problem-Solving Freehand Sketching/Rendering Sketch Model Making Project Management Sewing

Full Name: Jennifer Astwood

Job Title: Associate Dean / Professor / Program Director

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Area of Expertise: Industrial Design Product Design

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

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Curriculum Vitae: Jennifer Astwood CV (146.85 KB)

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Degree: M.F.A. Art & Design

University: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University: Art Center at Night

Degree: B.F.A. Industrial Design

University: University of Illinois Chicago

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Classes with clients: Steel cows, other designs by 60+ students support four businesses

polingj — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 16:36:09 +0000

Classes with clients: Steel cows, other designs by 60+ students support four businessespolingj October 4, 2024

Projects make career connections while collaborating with Ellsworth Creamery, Great Northern Corp., Room & Board

Based on the reactions from guests at a twine-cutting ceremony, the designs of three cow sculptures on the lawn outside the new Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery cheese factory in Menomonie are spot-on.

The life-size Holstein creations, made of stainless steel pipes and stainless steel sheeting, indeed have classic Wisconsin dairy cow features — big spots, floppy ears and even cowbells hanging from their necks as they take familiar positions, one grazing, one resting and one, a calf, standing.

The ceremony in September celebrated the culmination of a yearlong collaborative project with the creamery and ��Ͽ�. It also capped off spring projects in which more than 60 students from the School of Art and Design — along with packaging and engineering majors — experienced firsthand their future careers by working with actual clients.

Officials from Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery and ��Ͽ� celebrate the completion of cow sculptures at the new Menomonie plant with a twine-cutting. / ��Ͽ�

“This project really shows what we’re about at Stout as a polytechnic university,” said Chancellor Katherine Frank, who spoke at the ceremony. “Our students apply their learning and work through challenges with business and industry partners to bring their creative ideas to life.”

The cows are made of recycled material, part of the creamery’s sustainability goals to eliminate waste: the pipes left over from building the facility are the “bones”; thin sections cut from the pipes, or rings, welded together make up much of the “hides”; fabricated pieces of the sheeting, from a processing trough where cheese is stirred and separated from whey, are the “spots,” “ears” and “heads.”

The hundreds of rings took three to six minutes each to cut and debur.

“The project took a lot more time than I thought it would, but it also was a lot more fun. It was a great project to bring into the classroom,” said Renae van der Hagen, of St. Cloud, Minn., a senior in industrial and product design.

Renae van de Hagen, a senior in industrial and product design, was one of five students who worked on the project. / ��Ͽ�

Project timing was perfect for van der Hagen: She was taking a welding class with Assistant Professor Nathan Spike, engineering and technology, when the opportunity came up, and she had a sculpture class the semester before. However, she didn’t have experience with stainless steel. “There were a lot of learning curves there for the design process,” she said.

She was one of five seniors on the fabrication team, along with Dominick Konkel, of Hokah, Minn., mechanical engineering; and three other industrial and product design majors, Sam Bachofen, of Waterford; Bryan Irish, of Hazelhurst; and Daniel Neve, of Mound, Minn.

Along with the students, Deano Samens, instrument shop coordinator in the Process Lab of School of Art and Design, and Spike helped fabricate the cows in a lab. The team made wispy tails of steel cable, and the cows’ heads rotate.

The three sculptures were made from stainless steel pipe and sheeting. / ��Ͽ�

“It takes a little vision to look at a pile of pipe and think, ‘Hey, what if we make some cows out of this?’ Samens told the several dozen people who gathered on the lawn next to the cows — a place for future customer photo opportunities. “There was a whole lot of cutting, torching and bending, welding and grinding mixed with sheer tenacity to bring this family of cows to fruition.”

The group visited Joel and Mindy Eckert’s Bountival Farm near Menomonie to get cow measurements and a better feel for what they were about to create.

A template of a cow head was created prior to cutting the steel for it. / ��Ͽ�

Original concepts for the cows were created in a fall 2023 class, Design Theory and Methods, taught by Dan Banasik. More than 20 students first made scale models of their ideas, then full-scale models out of cardboard. The ideas were reviewed and narrowed down by Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery before production began.

The three sculptures were made from stainless steel pipe and sheeting. / ��Ͽ�

“These sculptures are a wonderful reflection of how we come together to approach challenges at the Ellsworth Creamery Cooperative with innovation and collaboration,” said John Freeman, assistant director of marketing for the company. “It’s incredible to see the ��Ͽ� students use their imagination and skills to turn what might be considered scrap metal into a work of art.”

Ellsworth’s Menomonie plant produces block cheese while the Ellsworth plant makes the company’s famous curds, although all cheese begins as curds, Freeman said. The new facility, which is on Highway B just north of Interstate 94, includes a retail shop with food service, a cheese production viewing area and a patio area with the cow sculptures.

The project was coordinated through ��Ͽ�’s Office of Corporate Relations and Economic Engagement, led by Executive Director Seth Hudson; and Professor Tamara Brantmeier in the Provost’s Office and School of Art and Design.

Hudson, Brantmeier, Frank and Provost Glendalí Rodríguez initiated talks with the creamery about using university expertise to engage on projects, resulting in the creamery suggesting the sculpture project. Brantmeier identified key faculty and staff members, including Samens and Spike, to lead the work.

“We worked closely with the OCREE team, which offers amazing support for external partner projects like these,” Brantmeier said.

Through OCREE, ��Ͽ� continues to seek projects from industry and community partners that can be brought into the classroom. Learn more here.

Product displays for Great Northern and Athena Club

Last spring, students from the graphic design and interactive media program paired with packaging majors to take on a dual challenge: Help Great Northern Corp. develop product displays for one of its clients, Athena Club of New York.

Athena Club makes women’s razor kits and other self-care essentials. It began as an online company and is expanding to retail sales. Great Northern designs and manufactures retail product displays.

Students present their Athena Club product display solutions to Great Northern Corp. and Athena Club representatives on campus. / ��Ͽ�

Fifteen packaging and 10 graphic design student, five teams, worked throughout the spring semester, from ideation to presenting their final concepts during presentations on campus. Great Northern and Athena Club officials, who worked virtually and in person with students as the projects progressed, attended the presentations and provided feedback.

Students designed new product packaging for the razor kits and refill kits along with the vertical display cases, ranging from 5 to 7 feet tall, that held the products. Packaging students created the packaging and display structures; graphic design students made them appealing.

They had to consider market research, brand, user experience, structural design — will the display case be easy to ship and set up for retailers and hold enough product without collapsing? — and other factors.

Students present their Athena Club product display solutions to Great Northern Corp. and Athena Club representatives on campus. / ��Ͽ�

Ashley Jandro is a Master of Fine Arts in design major and earned a bachelor’s in 2022 from ��Ͽ� in graphic design with a focus on 2D advertising concepts. “This project made me think in a 3D world, about user experience, how people interact with a product and why,” Jandro said.

Plus, working with packaging engineers and with a real client presented additional learning curves that she said have made her a better designer.

Great Northern employs about 30 ��Ͽ� alumni. The Appleton-based company manufactures packaging and retail displays and has operations in ﬁve states, with Wisconsin locations in Appleton, Chippewa Falls and Racine. It has more than 1,700 employees.

In 2020, the company committed $100,000 in funding toward the sponsored course, to be held multiple times over four years. This year, it committed another $100,000. The gifts for the course have been coordinated through Stout University Foundation.

Packaging program director and Associate Professor Min DeGruson and Professor Nagesh Shinde from the graphic design program led the course, a senior capstone for packaging and an advanced design selective for graphic design students. “It’s really a challenging project for students, but at the end of the day they learn a lot,” DeGruson said.

Students present their furniture concepts at Room & Board. / ��Ͽ�

Furniture concepts for Room & Board

In an industrial and product design senior capstone course taught by Lecturer Emily Pieper, 28 students developed 28 accent piece concepts for Room & Board during a three-week project.

Designers from the Minneapolis company came to ��Ͽ� to kick off the project and visited again two weeks later. Then, students went to Room & Board to present their final ideas, including gallery-style posters detailing their design process and 1/16th scale models of their designs. The models were 3D-printed.

A student discusses his furniture concepts. / ��Ͽ�

Several of the students’ ideas could become the basis for new Room & Board products.

“This project taught me a lot,” said Kate Dieckman, who revealed a coffee table design idea during student presentations at the headquarters of furniture-maker Room & Board in Minneapolis. “I learned that the client's opinion is what truly matters and hitting their goals trumps my own.”

Dieckman, a senior from Menomonie, designed a midcentury modern coffee table. “The objective to create an accent piece of furniture that could seamlessly integrate with the existing Room and Board collection and brand aesthetic,” she said.

“Room and Board’s design restrictions were based around aesthetics and trying not to reinvent the wheel. Research of the company had to be done to understand what they were aiming for. Their brand is known to be high quality, long-lasting and simple timeless styles. Due to this, our designs reflected that and were simple in form but elevated in details like joinery,” Dieckman said.

###

Based on the reactions at a twine-cutting ceremony, the designs of three cow sculptures outside the new Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery are spot on. Cow sculptures Renae

University Marketing

Phillips-Medisize honored by UW and ��Ͽ� with Regents Business Partnership Award

Phillips-Medisize was recognized by the Universities of Wisconsin and ��Ͽ� with the Regents Business Partnership Award.

Seth Hudson

Seth Hudson was announced as the new leader on Thursday, July 28, by Chancellor Katherine Frank. He will direct ��Ͽ�’s Discovery Center, including the Manufacturing Outreach Center, Stout Technology and Business Park, and a comprehensive range of industry, applied research, technical assistance and technology transfer efforts of the university.

Hudson has bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics from the University of Southern Maine.

"I am looking forward to growing ��Ͽ�’s existing partnerships in order to expand the relationships between students, faculty, staff and Wisconsin’s business community,” he said.

Full Name: Seth Hudson

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Chancellor OCREE

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$3.5M gift from alumni to Foundation will provide eight full tuition scholarships per year

polingj — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 16:37:50 +0000

$3.5M gift from alumni to Foundation will provide eight full tuition scholarships per yearpolingj September 20, 2024

Ann and John Graf, 1973 graduates, happy to ‘pay it forward’

Two alumni whose career paths were determined and lives shaped during their college days at University of Wisconsin-Stout are supporting future student success with one of the largest gifts in school history.

Ann and John Graf, residents of Tomahawk and Houston, Texas, have committed $3.5 million from their estate to the ��Ͽ� Foundation and Alumni Association. The Ann B. and John H. Graf Restricted Scholarship Endowment establishes full tuition scholarships for up to eight students a year.

“We think education is important and want to help students get a start in life without loads of debt,” Ann said.

“I benefited from the GI bill when I went to college,” said John, a veteran of the Vietnam War and a first-generation college student. “It’s an opportunity to pay it forward.”

Ann and John Graf, 1973 ��Ͽ� graduates, have made a $3.5 million estate gift to the ��Ͽ� Foundation and Alumni Association. / Contributed photo

The Grafs graduated in 1973, Ann in apparel, textiles and design; and John in hotel and restaurant management. They were residents of South Hall, where they met. They married in 1975, after John also earned a master’s in education from ��Ͽ�.

The eight Graf scholarships will be split between four students in Ann’s program, now called fashion design and development; and four in John’s program, now called hotel, restaurant and tourism management, plus two related programs, real estate property management; and golf enterprise management.

Along with tuition, eventually the endowment is expected to cover room and board expenses for scholarship recipients.

“We want these students to have the opportunity to further their education and have a chance to excel in an area they are passionate about,” Ann said.

The gift was announced Sept. 19 during the Foundation’s annual Scholarship Reception on campus.

“The university is extremely grateful to John and Ann for their generous support. Their gift is the largest scholarship in university history and will make a significant impact in supporting our students by alleviating financial barriers and allowing them to focus on their polytechnic education,” Chancellor Katherine Frank said.

Scholarship donors and students gathered Sept. 19 at the annual Foundation Scholarship Reception at the Memorial Student Center. / ��Ͽ�

Already for the 2024-25 academic year, the Foundation has awarded a record $1.4 million in scholarships to 573 students, with additional awards planned.

In 2023-24, the Foundation gave out a then-record amount in scholarships, more than $1.3 million, to a record number of students, 681.

When the Foundation held its first scholarship fundraising campaign in 1962, two $100 scholarships were established. In total, nearly $20 million has been awarded the past 62 years.

Long careers in their degree fields

Ann, who grew up in suburban Chicago and learned to sew from her mother, enrolled in the apparel design program at ��Ͽ�. Her high school counselor recommended the program.

“I had never lived in a small town, so it was kind of change. I enjoyed the university community and being part of, I guess you could call it, a family and the exposure to all of the people I met,” Ann said.

She began her career in fabric stores and in retail before working for more than 20 years as an administrator with Quilts Inc., a national leader in commercial and trade quilt shows. Ann, who still works part time with Quilts Inc., also is a quilter.

John grew up in the Milwaukee area, where he worked at a café. In Vietnam, he continued in food service by directing two officers’ mess halls. After the war, he transferred from a Milwaukee Area Technical College culinary program to ��Ͽ� to prepare for a career in the food service industry.

“The ��Ͽ� program was a natural extension of my interest in food service,” John said.

After graduating, he taught at the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton hospitality school and managed food service in a campus hotel. He and Ann owned and operated a deli in Houston, and John also worked in the restaurant industry.

He eventually transitioned to the Houston school district, fifth largest in the U.S., as food service purchasing manager for 10 years and then as a consultant with Frenchy’s Sausage of New Orleans.

The Grafs live in Wisconsin during the summer and in Houston during the winter.

###

Two alumni whose career paths were determined and lives shaped during their college days at ��Ͽ� are supporting future student success. Ann and John Graf

University Marketing

Stepping up: Alumni-based gifts support students, leadership, Heritage Hall renovation

Although the university catchphrase Stout Proud wasn't coined 60 years ago, three alumni from that era are showing their pride with major donations.

Hero Caption: Foundation President Linda Funk speaks at the Scholarship Reception on Sept. 19, when the Graf gift was announced..

Katherine P. Frank

Katherine P. Frank became the eighth chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Stout, after a distinguished career as an administrator and faculty member.

Before her appointment as chancellor, Chancellor Frank served from 2016 in two roles at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., as Provost and Vice President of Academic and Student Life and Vice President of Academic Innovation. She also held the rank of Professor of English.

From summer 2014 until spring 2016, she was Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Northern Kentucky University. Frank served as Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at Indiana University East, Chair of English and Foreign Languages at Colorado State University-Pueblo, and a faculty member and administrator of programs involving student writing, faculty professional development, and student success.

Chancellor Frank, the first female leader of ��Ͽ�, grew up in Colorado and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. She has master’s and doctorate degrees in English from the University of Washington, Seattle. Frank’s research interests include Romantic and Victorian English Literature, rhetoric and composition, the scholarship of teaching, and academic leadership.

“I am delighted to join ��Ͽ�,” Chancellor Frank said. “Throughout the search process, I became increasingly impressed by the high-quality work and creative thinking exhibited by faculty, staff, and students at ��Ͽ�, as well as the strong, reciprocal relationships among the university, community, and regional partners. Everyone demonstrated dedication to the university and exhibited true focus on ensuring student success.

“As beautifully stated by one alumna, ‘Stout is where you need to be.’ I could not agree more and am honored to join this exceptional community of educators, learners, partners, and friends.”

“Dr. Frank has demonstrated throughout her academic career that she is a strategic, dynamic leader,” said UW System President Ray Cross. “She handles challenges extremely well. Her visionary perspective on the future of ��Ͽ� will serve the institution and the state of Wisconsin very well.”

Chancellor Frank and her husband, Joe Dvorsky, live in Menomonie with their three rescue cats. She is an outdoor activities enthusiast, including running, road cycling and mountain biking, and has a love of animals, travel, and adventure.

Full Name: Katherine P. Frank

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Drawing card: ��Ͽ�’s B.F.A. in illustration provides new pathway to visual storytelling

polingj — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 19:06:31 +0000

Drawing card: ��Ͽ�’s B.F.A. in illustration provides new pathway to visual storytellingpolingj August 22, 2024

Degree, getting underway this fall, boosts School of Art and Design program offerings

Illustration has been a common thread uniting students in ��Ͽ�’s School of Art and Design for many years. Now, they can pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration, the only degree of its kind in the Universities of Wisconsin.

The program, approved last spring by the UW Board of Regents, gets underway with the fall semester. Classes begin Wednesday, Sept. 4. Enrollment is open.

“This had been on our wish list for a while,” said Professor Dave Beck, who was director of the School of Art and Design through the spring. “We wanted to develop it in a way that reflects our own sensibilities in SOAD and the university's polytechnic mission.”

Students work on a gesture drawing project in a design class at ��Ͽ�. / ��Ͽ�

Erik Evensen, professor in the department of design, is the program director. “Being able to express ideas visually is a standard expectation in the art and design professions. We welcome students with an interest in visual storytelling,” Evensen said.

“I want this program to be something I would have wanted to enroll in as a student. Most of the coursework was already there. We just needed to imagine how it would come together as a new program,” he added.

Emulating industry practice and emerging trends, the program will include coursework from the departments of visual and performing arts, and design, which make up the School of Art and Design.

In the new B.F.A. in illustration at ��Ͽ�, students will learn drawing, painting, printmaking, comics and other areas of art and design. / ��Ͽ�

Illustration builds skills in drawing, painting, printmaking, comics and other areas of art and design. Graduates can expect to find work in industries such as advertising, publishing, entertainment and as self-employed artists and consultants.

Before entering academia, Evensen was a graphic designer and illustrator in New England. He has also worked in the comics industry, on the “Ghostbusters” and “Back to the Future” properties from IDW Publishing, as well as his own independent graphic novels.

Alum, professors excited about program

For years, ��Ͽ� alumni have found themselves practicing illustration as a career without having a degree in the discipline. They include:

Eliza Wheeler, 2006 graduate, children’s book illustrator and Sendak Fellow
Chris Grun, 1995 graduate, art director at DreamWorks Animation
Mitch Gerads, 2005 graduate, Eisner Award-winning illustrator for Marvel and DC Comics

Eliza Wheeler, a ��Ͽ� alum, illustrated and wrote the children’s book “Miss Maple’s Seeds,” which was on a New York Times bestseller list. / Contributed photo

They entered the industry after pursuing a different major at ��Ͽ� and had to learn some of their illustration skills on their own.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that Professor Evensen has pulled together a new program plan and that students will be able to develop skills that are unique to the fields of illustration,” Wheeler said. “The ��Ͽ� art program continues to be an educational gem.”

Sam Kalda, a ��Ͽ� lecturer who has an M.F.A. in illustration from Fashion Institute of Design and who has worked with the New York Times, New Yorker magazine, Disney Digital, Barnes & Noble and more, said illustrators are “multihyphenate creators — artists, storytellers and visual communicators.

The focus of the illustration program is visual storytelling. / ��Ͽ�

“As such, the education of an illustrator is interdisciplinary, blending studio art practices and design processes. The faculty and programs within Stout’s School of Art and Design are well-positioned to offer that breadth of knowledge,” Kalda said.

Students will be able to build portfolios with an emphasis on traditional areas such as advertising and publishing, as well as concept art for the entertainment industry. ��Ͽ�'s existing coursework in comics will be available.

“The B.F.A in illustration will give students a path to study, create and comprehend the vastness of visual communication,” said Mary Climes, assistant professor of studio art, who teaches the comics curriculum. “It’s our job to expose our students to traditions of image-making like printmaking, comics, graphic design and digital drawing as well as prepare them for the future of illustration.”

Students will learn a variety of illustration skills in the program. / ��Ͽ�

The B.F.A. in illustration builds on the School of Art and Design’s six other B.F.A. programs. The school is the largest in the Upper Midwest, serving more than 1,300 students. The program array extends to Graduate Studies with a Master of Fine Arts in design, which Evensen also directs.

Four other new programs

In addition to the illustration program, ��Ͽ� is debuting four other programs this fall: Bachelor of Science degrees in biology, chemistry and physics, and a Master of Professional Studies in design, entrepreneurship and sustainability.

“I am proud of ��Ͽ� faculty and staff that are working hard to continue to adapt and expand ��Ͽ�’s polytechnic offerings to meet student needs and the needs of the workforce,” said Glendalí Rodríguez, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs.

��Ͽ� graduates are in demand. A new report found that 99% of ��Ͽ� 2022-23 graduates were employed soon after earning their degree and had a record average starting salary of $58,000, the best among higher education institutions in west-central Wisconsin.

###

Illustration has been a common thread uniting students in ��Ͽ�’s School of Art and Design for many years. Illustration 2

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B.F.A. Illustration

��Ͽ� Polytechnic's B.F.A. Illustration program merges art fundamentals with specialized courses focused on visual storytelling.

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Erik A. Evensen

Erik Evensen is Professor of Design and program director of the B.F.A. in Illustration. He teaches studio courses in illustration, design drawing, concept art, graphic design, and typography, and graduate seminars in design research and design education. In 2022, he was recognized with the College of Arts and Human Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award.

He began his career as a graphic designer and illustrator in coastal New Hampshire and the greater Boston area. His comics industry credits include the “Ghostbusters” and “Back to the Future” licensed comic series from IDW Publishing, and the original graphic novels “The Beast of Wolfe’s Bay” and the Xeric-winning “Gods of Asgard.” He is also the art director, game artist, and co-producer for the tabletop games “Marrying Mr. Darcy” and “Distilled.” His work has variously been featured in Graphic Design USA, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Erik has presented at and regularly reviews for academic conferences sponsored by AIGA, IDSA, MODE, M+DEV: Midwest Game Developers Conference, the Design and Emotion Society, IASDR, KEER, and the Global Polytechnic Summit. A student of Design Research pioneer Liz Sanders, his academic research on educational board game design is a featured case study in her textbook, “Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design.” His creative work with myth and folklore frequently yields citations, appearances, and speaking engagements about history, culture, and comparative literature.

Erik holds an M.F.A. in Design from Ohio State University, graduating Phi Kappa Phi. He received a B.A. in Studio Art from the University of New Hampshire, and a Post-baccalaureate Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.

Full Name: Erik A. Evensen

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Area of Expertise: Design Drawing & Visualization Illustration Graphic Design Design Research Comics Graphic Novels

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

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Degree: M.F.A. Visual Communication Design

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Degree: P.B.C. Studio Art

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University: University of New Hampshire

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Outside in: M.F.A. student hits Omaha Fashion Week runway with nature-inspired collection

polingj — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:36:10 +0000

Outside in: M.F.A. student hits Omaha Fashion Week runway with nature-inspired collectionpolingj August 19, 2024

Cermin, a fashion design instructor, to featured at one of the nation's largest fashion events

The excitement of being a featured designer at Omaha Fashion Week isn’t lost on Bex Cermin: Going backstage, seeing her creations modeled on the runway, networking with other designers, investors and buyers.

The event, from Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 22-25, in Omaha, Neb., has become the fourth largest fashion week in the U.S., expected to draw more than 10,000 people viewing work from 36 designers.

Cermin’s goal with her nature-inspired collection, ironically, will be to momentarily transport the crowd away from the bright lights and glamor. “Each look represents a moment in nature. I want the audience to feel like they can relate to that environment,” she said.

Clothing designs by ��Ͽ� graduate student Bex Cermin are inspired by nature, including Leafed in Lilacs. They will be featured Aug. 23 at Omaha Fashion Week in Omaha, Neb. / ��Ͽ�

Cermin, who will present Friday, is a student in the Master of Fine Arts in design program at ��Ͽ�. She also teaches in the fashion design and development undergraduate program.

She will present seven looks and a total of 15 pieces of clothing she designed and created this summer in the Fryklund Hall Apparel Production Lab. The designs will feature patterns found in nature that she has gleaned from licensed photos. The designs, five for women and two for men, are named:

Morning Light
Prairie Desert
Leafed in Lilacs
Falling Water
Mossy Overgrowth
Grandma’s Garden
Winter Cloud.

The fashion show is a high-profile opportunity to reveal her expanded vision of how apparel design, principles of design and nature intersect.

Mossy Overgrowth, right, is one of seven looks that Cermin will present as a featured designer at Omaha Fashion Week. / ��Ͽ�

The vision was born largely from a project on the biophilic effect she developed during a graduate research course with Professor Julie Peterson. The biophilic effect highlights humans’ affinity for nature and how representation of nature in work and living spaces can lower blood pressure, speed healing and more.

“It helps our well-being in the built environment,” Cermin said.

She conducted a research project, “Un.Real,” during the course. She surveyed 70 people on their reactions to three plants: one real, one that she knitted from textiles to look like a plant and another knitted plant that included bird sounds and scents.

Survey participants’ reactions to the third one were as strong, if not stronger, than the real plant, proving to Cermin that the biophilic effect can occur with direct and indirect forms of nature. Designs that bring the outside world in can be impactful.

Cermin has been working, including sewing, in the Apparel Production Lab at ��Ͽ� this summer to create her collection for the show. / ��Ͽ�

“To me, it was not about the real plant but the experience of nature. It inspired me to create this new collection and bring this research experience into apparel,” she said.

Cermin’s collection will be modeled during the second half of Friday’s event, for the featured or professional designers. The show also is a competition; if Cermin wins she could return to Omaha Fashion Week in the future as a headliner. The first half of the show will be for emerging designers.

Although Cermin is showcasing her apparel and hopes to continue to design high-end fashions, her creative work also could branch into a line of home décor. “I’m fascinated by the biophilic effect and how textiles can convey the story of a (geographic) area,” Cermin said.

While she pursues her M.F.A. in design, Cermin is teaching courses in ��Ͽ�’s fashion design and development program. / ��Ͽ�

She grew up in western Wisconsin, in St. Croix Falls, where her parents owned St. Croix Floral. She was married in one of their gardens. Being around nature “has always inspired me,” she said.

The M.F.A. program and her future

Cermin has received several grants to support her participation in Omaha Fashion Week, including two from the M.F.A. program and one from the event itself, to help pay for materials and travel.

The M.F.A., part of ��Ͽ�'s School of Art and Design, requires students to develop a focus area based on their creative interests. The cross-disciplinary approach helps students customize the program to their skillsets. “I love the program,” Cermin said, citing how the professors have supported her special interest area of fashion.

M.F.A. Design

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Erik Evensen, M.F.A. program director, said Cermin’s “interdisciplinary creativity has impressed me since she first stepped foot into this program. Her work blends graphic design, illustration and textile sculpture with fashion and apparel.

“Our program allows students to connect a lot of dots with their graduate research, and she is constantly doing just that. She's a broad thinker and always has the full experience in mind: the initial concept, the execution, the context and the user experience,” Evensen said.

Cermin expects to finish her M.F.A. in May while continuing to teach. After graduating, she would like to teach full time in an apparel or fashion design program and continue to create.

“It’s important for students to see their professors doing inspiring things,” said Cermin, who has studied at the London College of Fashion and New York Institute of Art & Design, interned at Centric Brands in New York and hopes to someday soon present her creations at New York Fashion Week. She has a bachelor’s degree in apparel, merchandising and design from Iowa State University.

###

Cermin, a fashion design instructor, to featured at one of the nation's largest fashion events Bex Cermin 2

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Erik A. Evensen

Full Name: Erik A. Evensen

Job Title: Professor / Program Director

Include in Directory: Yes

Area of Expertise: Design Drawing & Visualization Illustration Graphic Design Design Research Comics Graphic Novels

College: College of Arts & Human Sciences

Department: School of Art & Design Design Department

Program

All Degree Programs

Curriculum Vitae: Erik A. Evensen CV (617.93 KB)

Website: Erik Evensen

Education:

Degree: M.F.A. Visual Communication Design

University: The Ohio State University

Degree: P.B.C. Studio Art

University: School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University

Degree: B.A. Studio Art

University: University of New Hampshire

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Include in Directory: Off

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PHOTO ESSAY: Behind the Curtain

hallgrimsonr — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 18:19:48 +0000

PHOTO ESSAY: Behind the Curtain hallgrimsonr August 12, 2024

Take a peek behind the scenes of a legendary art school project: Fashion Without Fabric.

Rachel Hallgrimson

Whether we’re embarrassed or proud, we all fear and we all love...something.

Who'd have thought, as they opened up their acceptance letter to ��Ͽ�, that within a year’s time they’d be crafting an outfit representing someone else’s love or fear?

3D Design is a foundational art course that's offered every semester at Stout. Most students take it their first year. Some take it later—like Studio Art minor students, who can take it any time.

For the students who take the class in the spring…something will be waiting for them.

Fashion Without Fabric. A beast of a project that fills the classrooms and hallways of the Applied Arts Building for three weeks every spring. It’s not just a project. It’s a fashion runway show with judges, lights and awards.

Every year, the project adopts a theme. This past spring, it was Philias and Phobias.

Get ready to be spooked…or allured. Or both.

Maybe these students knew how laborious this project would be, maybe not. Eventually, groups picked their words out of a paper bag.

Fear of failure, love of heights.
Love of plants, fear of light.

Eyes widening, they looked at their group mate(s) in order to decide: Do we keep it or exchange it?

If you visited any of the classes working on these outfits, you’d find groups with their focus faces on. Some groups bantered about silly things. Some had class-wide discussions about fish (which were quite serious).

Chunks of foam, cardboard, spray paint, coffee filters, sheets of plastic, bike tires, plastic spoons and stilts are all on the table.

You’d enjoy the sounds of the materials being worked with, cut, carved, glued, ruffled, smashed, crumpled…and sometimes bedazzled.

Just imagine. A college final where you're on stage in front of family, friends, and the Chancellor of ��Ͽ�. The lights are blinding and so hot, and you’re wearing everything besides the normal clothes you’d feel comfortable in. Talk about a nightmare!

But guess what? These students don’t quit. Their grit, creativity, energy and teamwork made up for any fear that bubbled up inside them.

“The whole point of the class is to learn the materials,” said Izzy Quade. You tell ‘em, Izzy.

Shay Adesiji and Izzy were groupmates working with the word xerophobia. Take a swig of this: fear of dryness.

Their group had more setbacks than two hands can count, but they laughed, shrugged and problem-solved their way through it.

Being Wisconsin’s only Polytechnic University, there are a few unwritten principles we hold near and dear.

One of them is that we don’t believe great things are born in a neat and tidy room.

We have so many labs and studios… There are hundreds of spaces for our students to make a mess, all in the name of learning.

Textbooks and laptops are necessary, but for many of our program’s core classes, the additional collaboration with people and materials will delightfully clutter our 180+ labs just the way we intend.

It’s 3:00 a.m. in Applied Arts.

It’s the night before the show, and Shay and Izzy’s sand pants are breaking into pieces that resemble Doritos. In that moment, we doubt they felt thankful for the opportunity to be working on this project. They were, however, beyond thankful when the other art students who were working on projects (for other classes, also at 3:00 a.m.) asked how they could help keep them from dissolving on stage.

It's rare for people to pull back the curtain and see those special moments—the moments students remember forever.

Fashion Without Fabric glows like a neon sign in the memory of everyone who experienced it, good or bad. At ��Ͽ�, we do our best to make sure it’s not for nothing.

Out of the mystical brown paper bag, partners Allie Seanor and Lucas Moreno-Martinez III drew luekophobia, the fear of white.

Inspired by Iris Van Herpen and the elements, they each designed an outfit to wear on the runway that gave the project an extraterrestrial touch. Both know how to put a sewing machine to good use, so they worked to create a final product that would eventually earn the “Artistry and Craft” honorable mention.

We’re not going to claim that this project builds strong foundations for good friendships, but it can. It has.

Allie and Lucas started off serious, not intending to become good pals.

Eventually, they started to warm up to each other, became friends and hung out together outside of working on their outfits. They never thought they could win, so they eased up. Little did they know…

Allie said she always looked forward to class to work with Lucas.

Lucas shared that even though his and Allie’s outfits went right in the garbage after the show, their friendship remains intact.

Maybe the real prize were the friends they made along the way…

The big reward is the ending.

The end is the show, the performance, the big shebang. Fashion Without Fabric is a seriously fun event, full of energy and spectacular creativity.

It's when everyone claps as you enter and exit the stage.

The end is when the class concludes and the lessons continue in future classes, jobs, and life.

The end is where we look back and remember the good times, and the bad, and then we move forward.

As you begin, dive in. Make a mess. Make a friend.

Make something you're proud of.

Students featured in the story:

Shay Adesiji is a first-year Game Design & Development student.
Izzy Quade is a first-year Industrial & Product Design student.
Lucas Moreno-Martinez III is junior Fashion and Retail student with a Studio Art minor.
Allie Seanor is a first-year Art Education student with a Studio Art minor.

Watch the 2024 Fashion Without Fabric Runway Show

We all fear and we all love...something. Take a peek behind the scenes of a legendary art school project: Fashion Without Fabric. drt_1922.jpg

University Communications University Marketing

Fashion Without Fabric

��Ͽ� Polytechnic and the School of Art & Design invite you one of the Midwest's premier unconventional fashion runway shows, Fashion Without Fabric.

School of Art & Design

We guide aspiring artists and designers to build theoretical and practical foundations, and encourage personal development in art, design, and the humanities.

Runway to imagination: ��Ͽ�’s sold-out Fashion Without Fabric unfolds fears with theme of Philias and Phobias

‘Love of Books’ named scholarship winner; ‘The Prime Divine’ proves number 13 can be lucky

Cathie Weissman

Full Name: Cathie Weissman

Job Title: Financial Specialist

Include in Directory: Yes

Department: School of Art & Design

Education:

Degree: Post-doctoral work Risk Control

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Location: Menomonie, WI, United States, 2011

Degree: Ph D Teaching and Learning

University: University of North Dakota

Location: Grand Forks, ND, United States, 1999

Degree: ED S Guidance and counseling

University: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Location: Menomonie, WI, United States, 1992

Degree: MS Psychology

University: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Location: Oshkosh, WI, United States, 1987

Degree: BS Psychology

University: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Location: Oshkosh, WI, United States, 1983

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News

���Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activities

STEAM Experiences for young campers

Continuing Education classes for community members

Discovering Japan: Culture and Community Workshop Series

Sports and activities

High School STEAM Summer Camps

Middle School STEAM Summer Camps

Continuing Education & Conferences

���Ͽ� students’ submarine survival game surfaces to victory at M+DEV, the Midwest’s biggest game industry event

Expo showcases top-ranked program

Winning game an ‘intense experience’

B.F.A. Game Design & Development - Art

B.S. Computer Science (Game Design & Development Concentration)

Designed to the Max: Studio art major wins Wisconsin State Park sticker design contest

B.F.A. Studio Art

Graphic design alum creates exclusive Timberwolves basketball hoodie

B.F.A. Graphic Design & Interactive Media

Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ���Ͽ�

Exploring Color, Material, Finish

Developing a ‘manufacturing mindset’

Bridging the gap between design fields

Design Wisconsin

Classes with clients: Steel cows, other designs by 60+ students support four businesses

Product displays for Great Northern and Athena Club

Furniture concepts for Room & Board

Phillips-Medisize honored by UW and ���Ͽ� with Regents Business Partnership Award

$3.5M gift from alumni to Foundation will provide eight full tuition scholarships per year

Long careers in their degree fields

Stepping up: Alumni-based gifts support students, leadership, Heritage Hall renovation

Drawing card: ���Ͽ�’s B.F.A. in illustration provides new pathway to visual storytelling

Alum, professors excited about program

Four other new programs

B.F.A. Illustration

Outside in: M.F.A. student hits Omaha Fashion Week runway with nature-inspired collection

The M.F.A. program and her future

M.F.A. Design

B.S. Fashion Design & Development

PHOTO ESSAY: Behind the Curtain

Watch the 2024 Fashion Without Fabric Runway Show

Fashion Without Fabric

School of Art & Design

Runway to imagination: ���Ͽ�’s sold-out Fashion Without Fabric unfolds fears with theme of Philias and Phobias

��Ͽ� welcomes more than 1,100 community members, area children for summer activities

��Ͽ� students’ submarine survival game surfaces to victory at M+DEV, the Midwest’s biggest game industry event

Campus color: Alumni demonstrate industry leadership at Design Wisconsin event at ��Ͽ�

Phillips-Medisize honored by UW and ��Ͽ� with Regents Business Partnership Award

Drawing card: ��Ͽ�’s B.F.A. in illustration provides new pathway to visual storytelling

Runway to imagination: ��Ͽ�’s sold-out Fashion Without Fabric unfolds fears with theme of Philias and Phobias