UMN College of Design

09/01/2026

Goldstein Museum Director Aidan O'Connor is moderating College of Design faculty speakers Jessica Rossi-Mastracci, Seiji Ikeda, Bill Moran, and Quynh Akers at the American Craft Council Connects Conference. Catch their panel discussion at 1:00 PM on Saturday, Sept 5 at McNamara Alumni Center. https://craftcouncil.org/american-craft-connects-2026-presentations-panels/

What is the role of craft at an R1 university amidst the digital transformation of higher education? This session is convened by the Goldstein Museum of Design, an academic museum at the University of Minnesota that embraces the handmade in its collecting, interpretation, and exhibiting of designed objects.

College of Design faculty from Landscape Architecture, Graphic Design, and Product Design will present craft-driven approaches to teaching, research, and professional practice. With diverse experiences including rammed-earth fabrication, letterpress printing, hand-drawn kamon (Japanese family crests), and handmade glass production, the panel will reveal shared values around thinking with materials, modeling/prototyping, and slow manufacturing.

08/21/2026

Mentor a design student! Applications are open for the 2026-2027 Mentor Program. Work one-on-one with a College of Design student and help them grow professionally through career exploration, networking, and professional skill-building by signing up for the College of Design Mentor Program. 🔗 https://design.umn.edu/mentor

Applications are preferred by September 30th to best support our matching process, but they will be accepted until matching is complete.

Mentors are needed in the following fields:

- Apparel Design
- Architecture
- Graphic Design
- Human Factors and Ergonomics
- Interior Design
- Landscape Architecture
- Product Design
- Retail & Consumer Studies
- User Experience Design

07/30/2026

The Kusske Design Initiative (KDI) just published an instructional blog on how to create your own paper out of recycled waste. A paper making kit is available to College of Design students, staff, and faculty. https://kdi.umn.edu/fieldnotes/how-diy-recycled-paper 🌿

07/09/2026

Professor of Product Design Barry Kudrowitz was featured by UMN Brief in an article on unique employee workspaces at the University of Minnesota! https://brief.umn.edu/feature/more-desk-inside-look-employee-workspaces

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Scattered across any flat surface in Barry Kudrowitz’s Rapson Hall office are decades of toy and product design prototypes. The joy and creativity of these treasures bring people together for conversation and celebration of design.

Kudrowitz is a professor of product design and head of the Department of Design Innovation in the College of Design at the Twin Cities campus. His collection of prototypes reflects his deep knowledge of creativity, humor and play, as well as the history of himself, his students and the product design program.

Kudrowitz founded and directed the product design program for 10 years, and class projects — like a foam ketchup packet 10 times its original size — would be stored in his office. And while he no longer teaches in his administrative role, new prototypes still find their way to his shelves.

“Overall, I think [my office] is a reflection of me. It’s very playful and creative. It’s overwhelming, over-stimulating and full of ideas.”

Along with student work, many toys he worked on as a graduate student reside in his office. Of note is an early prototype of a Nerf blaster that he co-designed while working with the toy company Hasbro.

“All of these prototypes represent months of work,” says Kudrowitz. “It’s like a mini museum.”

07/07/2026

Professor Tom Fisher recently gave a talk focused on recounting the history of Minnesota's malls and a look ahead to what the future of our malls might look like at the Minnesota Historical Society's North Start Voices: The Malling of Minnesota. Watch the full presentation here:

Minnesota has the first enclosed mall (Southdale) and the largest m...

06/26/2026

With deep sadness, we write to share news of the passing of Professor Emeritus Roger D. Clemence—a transformative teacher, mentor, and leader at the University of Minnesota for over three decades. We invite you to read our full tribute to learn more about his extraordinary life and impact. https://design.umn.edu/news/remembering-roger-d-clemence-educator-mentor-and-builder-community

Joining the faculty in 1966, Roger crossed traditional boundaries to teach Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Urban Studies, and American Studies. He also served as Associate Dean and Interim Dean, always championing the belief that "the way to become a good designer is, first, to be a good person."

Roger’s legacy lives on in the thousands of students and colleagues he inspired.

06/09/2026

Ever since sketching themepark rides as a six-year-old inspired by Disney’s Tower of Terror™, interior design graduate Karina Nelson (BS, ‘26) dreamed of creating immersive worlds. Now, after years of blending storytelling, design, and experiential thinking at the University of Minnesota College of Design, she is beginning her career with Walt Disney Imagineering.

Nelson shared her reflections on the mentors, projects, and moments that shaped her path from aspiring “Imagineer” to professional designer. Read the interview with this recent graduate whose entire family, down to her great-grandparents, happen to be UMN alumni:
https://design.umn.edu/news/designing-magic-university-minnesota-disney-imagineering

06/08/2026

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities Pride Alumni Network is hosting a reception for graduating LGBTQ+ students next Wednesday at 6:00 PM at Sally's Saloon in Minneapolis! This event will feature gifts for students, food provided by the Carlson Pride Alumni Network, and a discussion with College of Liberal Arts Dean, GerShun Avilez. Register to attend: umnalumni.org/pridereception2026

05/27/2026

Illusive Objects is on view now until July 2! Here’s a peek at the archival fashion pieces on display. See work from Schiaparelli, Issey Miyake, Chanel, and many vintage and antique items that are not quite what they seem.

The Goldstein Gallery is housed within McNeal Hall on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

Gallery Hours:
Tues–Fri // 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Thurs // 10:00 AM–7:00 PM

05/26/2026

What if one of Minnesota’s most destructive invasive species could be used to bring communities together? Recent landscape architecture graduate Sean Durbin (MLA '26) transformed harvested buckthorn into a handcrafted marimba, creating a joyful new way for communities to engage in ecological restoration through sound, design, and collective action. Read "Alumni Spotlight: Designing Solutions for a Thorny Problem" on the College of Design blog now. https://design.umn.edu/news/alumni-spotlight-designing-solutions-thorny-problem