July 8, 2015

This July, twenty-five design faculty from colleges and universities across the country will spend three weeks in Westphal’s summer institute on modern design. “Teaching The History of Modern Design: The Canon and Beyond” is supported by the largest grant that Drexel has ever received from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Our esteemed design and art historian, Dr. David Raizman, organized the institute and will lead it with six visiting scholars. Participants will engage in intensive study and strategy-sharing experiences focusing on the topics of taste, gender, and globalism in design from the 19^th century to present day.

“We’re pleased that Drexel is able to host the institute and introduce faculty from across the country to our campus and resources,” Raizman said. “Design history is a developing field of study. It’s based in the history of art but establishes a distinct identity that emphasizes the consumer and manufacturer of designed goods as well as the designer. It also embraces popular as well as elite taste. We’re pleased to include participants from diverse backgrounds, including art history, material culture, chemistry, and the design professions.”

Visiting scholars include faculty from the University of Leeds, England; the University of Colorado, Denver; Kingston University, England; Florida Atlantic University, and the Royal College of Art in London.

Please click here to learn more about the institute.