Refrangible Episode Three: Sewing Machines and the Worlds They Make
Throughout the pandemic many people turned to sewing for the first time—or for the first time in many years—to create masks for their communities. In the third episode of "Refrangible," Gianofer Fields introduces us to an old friend who helped her in this endeavor: her mother’s sewing machine.
A Report from the “Feeling Fragmentary” Symposium
Graduate students engaged with Material Culture studies across UW–Madison closed out the academic year with a day-long symposium, "Feeling Fragmentary."
Material Culture Student Spotlight: Sophie Rain Plzak
Spring 2021 Art History graduate Sophie Rain Plzak shares her thoughts on the Material Culture Certificate program and her future plans.
Student Spotlight: Samantha Comerford, “Dresses for Death: Mass-Produced Burial Garments in America, 1880-1915”
Art History Master's student (and 2021 graduate) Samantha Comerford shares her research and favorite HLATC stories with us to reflect on her recent graduation.
Student Spotlight: Lindsey Wilson, “Grief Unveiled: A Study on Victorian Mourning Practices and Spiritualism”
Textile Design and Art History student (and 2021 graduate) Lindsey Wilson shares her Senior Thesis work and research around Victorian mourning practices.
CDMC Producers Win Awards from Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
Radio Chipstone episode from Producer-in-Residence Gianofer Fields honored with Best Feature Bronze Medal, and three pieces by Jonah Chester won awards.
Milwaukee Film Fest Short Featuring Beth Lipman’s “House Album” Explores the Meaning of the American Home
CDMC Director reflects on the short film’s special connections with the center, SoHE, and Wisconsin. Join the next CDMC Conversations event, featuring the artist and filmmaker, to learn more.
Refrangible Episode Two: A Maypole to Mark the Next Stage of Our Pandemic Realities
As the U.S. slowly reopens thanks to rising vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 infections, the traditional maypole celebration of springtime seems to be an especially apt way to transition out of a pandemic winter. The second episode of the CDMC’s new podcast, Refrangible, contemplates what this ritual may mean today.
Sofia Hagström Møller: Weaving Threads Through Time and Space, One Wild Year Later
At the 1-year anniversary of Sofia Hagström Møller’s weaving residency at UW, Nora Renick Rinehart sits down with Hagström Møller in her home studio in Copenhagen, and Marianne Fairbanks (in Madison), to reflect. They share how their plans evolved to suit pandemic limitations.
Refrangible Episode One: “Home Front” Efforts Between WWII and COVID-19 Crises
The new podcast from the Center for Design and Material Culture begins with a focus on WWII-era food planning booklets to examine how people behave, act, and contribute in response to top-down guidance during times of struggle and strife.
Student Spotlight: Noah Mapes, 2020 Chipstone-CDMC Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow
Art History and Material Culture student Noah Mapes talks about his experiences during last year's fellowship, student researcher communities during a pandemic, and his contributions to the project "A Colonial Merchant: The Ledger of William Ramsay."
CDMC Launches New Podcast, “Refrangible,” Exploring the Stories Behind Everyday Objects
From home front efforts during World War II to the statements we make with our COVID masks, the first season of a new podcast from the Center for Design and Material Culture examines a broad range of topics through the prismatic lens of material culture.
New Event Recording: Bisa Butler Shares Her Moment
Professor Marina Moskowitz highlights moments from the 2021 Harris Lecture featuring textile artist Bisa Butler and shares the CDMC's latest event recording.
Playing with Vision: Children’s Media Culture before Screen Time
Dr. Sarah Anne Carter reflects on the work of Childhood Studies scholar Dr. Meredith A. Bak and invites everyone to attend Professor Bak's conversation with Dr. Heather Kirkorian, Faculty Director of SoHE's Child Development Lab.
Bisa Butler to Give Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture
The interdisciplinary textile artist, whose quilted works feature African-American subjects, will give the annual Ruth Ketterer Harris Lecture virtually Thursday, March 18, with the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection at UW–Madison.
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