Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Stout’s School of Art & Design will mark its 60th anniversary with a series of events on October 10 and 11. The event, themed “Honoring the Past, Forging the Future,” is open to alumni, students, and community members. Registration is required, but attendance is free.

This celebration is part of UW-Stout’s Year of Design initiative, which highlights innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, student engineering projects, applied research in science and human sciences, fashion shows, and game design expos.

Aaron Durst, director of the School of Art & Design (SOAD), commented on the significance of this milestone. “The School of Art & Design 60th Anniversary is an opportunity to look back and look forward; to see where our accomplishments and hard work have brought us and the possibilities that lie ahead,” he said. “I hope alumni can see how the spaces have changed, the work our students are currently doing, and feel a continued connection. At the same time, it is an opportunity for our current students to be inspired and to lead them in new creative directions.”

UW-Stout’s art offerings began with a single degree program more than six decades ago. Since then, SOAD has become one of the largest public art and design schools in the Midwest. It now offers accredited bachelor’s degrees in several disciplines including animation and digital media; game design; graphic design; illustration; industrial and product design; interior design; studio art; arts administration; fashion design; video production; as well as an M.F.A. in design.

Bryan Ritchie, professor and chair of visual and performing arts at SOAD who has served for 26 years, reflected on his experience: “Starting in 1999, I taught along with the core founders of the art and design department, who were coined the ‘Artists of the Menomonie Phenomenon’ by the Minneapolis Tribune in 1972. During those early years, I was struck by their passion for teaching, fostering a vibrant creative community, and commitment to promoting the value of art and design. Fast forward a few years, and there have been many changes,” Ritchie said.

“We evolved. We have grown. Yet, amidst all this change, one thing has remained constant: the School of Art & Design continues to attract students and faculty who are deeply committed to fostering a creative, scholarly and collaborative community,” Ritchie added.

Professor Shelley Pecha chairs SOAD’s design department as an alumna herself: “This is a great opportunity for people to see all the positive changes the buildings and programs have gone through over the years. Our student work displays will be incredible, as always. It will be exciting to see work from the fashion students and the new illustration students. It will be a really fun event,” she said.

Events over October 10-11 include presentations by Andrew Murphy—a UW-Stout M.F.A alumnus currently serving as Cabot Executive-in-Residence—building tours across Applied Arts and Micheels Hall facilities, gallery exhibitions featuring both student works (Furlong Gallery) and alumni pieces (Gallery 209), opportunities for attendees to record memories at a StoryCorps-style booth or contribute painting toward an anniversary mural.

These dates coincide with Stout Proud Family and Supporter Weekend—a university tradition welcoming families supporting first-year students with additional programming.

Other upcoming Year of Design events feature lectures on digital innovation (such as Professor Aaron Nelson from SUNY New Paltz), industry speakers like Allen Kreemer from Stratasys presenting during regional manufacturing summits,Stratasys keynote addresses from Apple executive Andrew Murphy,Apple mechanical engineering capstone showcases,Engage UW-Stout game expos spotlighting regional talent,Stout Game Dev CSTEMM project expositions,CSTEM senior shows for graduating artists each semester,Senior Show unconventional fashion runway productions (“Fashion Without Fabric” April 11), spring research day activities (May 5), independent film festivals (May 9), culminating with June’s Murals in Menomonie project involving international muralists known as Walldogs.Walldogs

UW-Stout describes itself as Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University—a member institution within Universities of Wisconsin—emphasizing applied learning experiences connected closely with business partners throughout its system. Details about ongoing goals can be found via its FOCUS2030 strategic plan.FOCUS2030 strategic plan