Like many other facets of art and design, fashion provides a highly sensory method of self-expression and creativity, but it stands apart in its proximity to the user. As designs that encompass the body, garments hold a unique responsibility for their users, and as Chicago-based fashion designer Bhavana Jain knows, balancing the responsibility of designing for a specific customer while…
-
-
Center for arts
Nearly a year ago, northern Michigan gained a world-class performing arts complex and venue that continues to provide the area with a meeting space for regional arts communities and internationally-acclaimed artists. The Great Lakes Center for the Arts has been called a big city experience on the shoreline of Little Traverse Bay in Bay Harbor, Michigan, and its architecture, technological…
-
Inside design
Among the events reflecting the most current industry knowledge and practice in the design industry, NeoCon, held annually at theMART in Chicago, is considered a leading platform. Since 1969, it has brought leading figures and innovations in the commercial design industry under one roof during three days of seminars, exhibitions, and presentations showcasing innovative design for the workplace, retail, education,…
-
Poetic structures
Detroit has been home to artists in their many forms—designers, architects, sculptors, and fashion creatives, among others—who have set roots in the city as a space for personal and professional practice; often drawn to its rich industrial and design history as well as its current fabrication abilities. Its resources for the arts—such as Detroit Institute of Arts, College for Creative…
-
Cultural celebration
Since its inception in 1989, the Eiteljorg Museum in downtown Indianapolis has been a center for the conservation and expression of Western and Native American art and cultural objects, becoming one of the few museums East of the Mississippi River to explore the subjects exclusively. Part of its status is credited to the annual Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market and Festival,…
-
Joyful fashion
At the end of each academic year, the Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, or KCAD, holds a variety of exhibitions to showcase the work of many graduating and undergraduate students. On April 25, 2019, at 7:30 p.m., the Pamella Roland DeVos School of Fashion will present the KCAD Fashion Studies program’s 2019 Capstone Fashion Show,…
-
Style Profile: Prohibition modern
In historic preservation, many designers and property developers continue to find inspiration from the era of prohibition and its accompanying one-of-a-kind design features. From the 1920s through the 1930s, nightlife moved underground, taking with it traditional conceptions of design and eye-catching media such as hand-painted advertisements that signified the establishment of the era’s signature art deco style, which continues to…
-
The personal touch
In today’s technological age of touch screens and automation, Talin Spring, owner and designer of Spring Finn & Co. in Minneapolis, believes in the importance of tactility. “In everything I do, above all, I think about the human experience, whether it is a bag or a room,” Spring said. “I look into making it for longevity with materials that will…
-
The complete craft
“We refer to a holistic approach to projects and design. We meld architecture and interior design together,” said Brian Barkwell, AIA, principal architect at Via Design, Inc. in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Barkwell’s partnership in the commercial and residential-focused design firm resulted from a similar melding of his own approach to design and that of Valerie Schmieder, ASID, IIDA, ASFD, NCIDQ,…