The Center for Design and Material Culture is the primary destination for the multi-disciplinary study of material culture and design at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Chipstone-CDMC Undergraduate Research Fellowship Symposium
The 1st Chipstone-CDMC Undergraduate Research Fellowship Symposium featured presentations by the inaugural cohort of fellows. Their presentations focused on 1 of the 3 CDMC pillars: design thinking, material culture, and textiles.
Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture 2023: Shoe Obsessed: Power, Identity, and the Manufacturing of Desire
If you missed it, the 2023 Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture is now available to view online! Hear from Bata Shoe Museum Director and Senior Curator Elizabeth Semmelhack as we celebrated the craft of shoemaking in conjunction with our 2023 spring exhibit, Handmade in America: Contemporary Custom Footwear.
Explore our Collection and Galleries
Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection
The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection is one of the nation’s largest university-held textile collections with over 13,000 textile artifacts spanning 16 centuries and 108 countries.
Ruth Davis Design Gallery
The Ruth Davis Design Gallery is an exhibition space focused on the processes and results of design. Exhibitions include national, international makers, and students from the School of Human Ecology’s Design Studies program.
Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery
The Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery provides a space dedicated to rotating exhibitions of the School of Human Ecology's Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection.