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. The Center focuses on the study of textiles, material culture, and design, and is a hub for innovative programs that engage local, national, and international audiences. The Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection, the Ruth Davis Design Gallery, and the Lynn Mecklenburg Textile Gallery support the work of the Center for Design and Material Culture.
Part of the UW–Madison School of Human Ecology, the Center for Design and Material Culture is a space for students, scholars, and the public to study, practice, and experience material culture and design. Center research investigates the complex relationships between humans and their material world, both today and historically.
CDMC is linked to the Design Studies department’s Textile and Fashion Design, Interior Architecture, and Design, Society, and Innovation undergraduate majors and MS, MFA, and PhD graduate programs. The center has a strong partnership with UW–Madison’s Material Culture Studies Program and Cooperative Extension. Year-round gallery exhibitions, research opportunities, and events support CDMC’s mission and the Wisconsin Idea.
Pillars of Study
Textiles
Textiles are objects of design and the study of material culture. The networks of fibers felted, woven, or knitted into textiles are echoed in the networks of people that create and use textiles. Textiles are artifacts of the connection between the personal scale of human experience and the broader realms of artistic, economic, and civic values. Learn more about textiles.
Material Culture
Physical traces of the past can be uncovered through material culture. These may be things that humans have found, adapted, created, or shaped for their use. As an interdisciplinary set of methods, students study the material world through courses in history, design studies, art history, anthropology, art, literature, biology, and more. Learn more about material culture.
Design
Design is an encompassing discipline central to every aspect of life. In partnership with the Design Studies department, we emphasize a multi-disciplinary, global approach to design, and encourage connections with designers nationally and internationally with other campus, community, and scholarly programs. Learn more about design.
