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.
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.
Featured Exhibitions and Programs
Feeling Fragmentary: A Graduate Student Material Culture Symposium
The Material Culture Focus Group invites graduate students to apply for this virtual symposium taking place on May 14th, 2021. This is an event by and for graduate students at UW–Madison with the goal of connecting individuals with a mutual interest in Material Culture. Graduate students from any department are encouraged to participate whether they label themselves art historians, anthropologists, folklorists, social or cultural historians, literary scholars, designers, artists, archivists, or scientists.
CDMC Launches New Podcast, “Refrangible,” Exploring the Stories Behind Everyday Objects
From keepsakes to clutter, from tools to trash, the things we make, use, ponder, and save carry stories within them that tell us about ourselves and our worlds—that’s “material culture.” A podcast from the Center for Design and Material Culture, Refrangible explores the stuff of everyday life and what it tells us about ourselves, our world, and our values. Listen to the trailer available now and join the CDMC's Producer-in-Residence, award-winning journalist Gianofer Fields, on April 7th when the first episode, "The Home Front," becomes available.