Artists explore their process through new residency in Interior Architecture and Design’s Studio D
Dr. Ransdell at Studio D showing examples of work and some of the 3D technology students access.
For nearly a decade, graduate and undergraduate students alike in the Interior Design and Architecture program have had the opportunity to create original three-dimensional objects in the Department’s Studio D class. Managed by associate professor Dr. Marlo Ransdell, Studio D is a dynamic maker space that engages the experiential essence of the creative design process, offering students a chance to bring their designs to fruition in the form of tangible, 3-D printed furniture and other objects. During the pandemic, the strictly hands-on process of making was evolved into a virtual opportunity through the benefit of videoconferencing and web cameras that brought the lab experience to remote learners.
The next step in Studio D’s evolutionary growth was accomplished during the summer of 2021 when Studio D launched its inaugural Scholar Program with outside artists, expanding its engagement beyond the realm of Tallahassee. This unique program leveraged Studio D’s making capabilities to a wider audience. Explains Dr. Ransdell, “The Studio D scholar virtual residency program over the summer of 2021 provided an opportunity for academics and professionals to develop and further their research and/or creative scholarship through remote access to equipment, materials, and expertise within the Studio D labs.”
The Studio D residency program received 16 applications and launched with four projects engaging five scholars. These were Jacklyn Brickman (visual art) and Kathryn Logan (dance) from Ohio State University who worked on a project entitled “Planetary Future”. Afi Guzman (product design) located in Buenos Aries, Argentina, enrolled to focus on expressed joinery in furniture design. Laura Morthland (interior design) from Southern Illinois University joined the residency to explore various loom designs, and Rene King (architecture) at Columbia College worked through a second iteration for her Chicago Pattern Project. Each of the residents participated in weekly meetings throughout June and July of 2021 with Dr. Ransdell and MFA student assistant Chasen Bloch. The virtual meetings included live footage of Studio D’s machines, enabling residents real-time viewing of production of their pieces.
Dr. Ransdell remarked that the virtual model for the Studio D residency was a resounding success and enabled the program to enlist international and national artists who would otherwise have been unable to utilize these resources. “Studio D will embrace a hybrid approach for teaching and learning as it continues to move forward in to its second decade,” said Dr. Ransdell. “The technology integration at Studio D has allowed faculty freedom from being attached to zoom by connecting each of the labs and machines needed to view prototyping on the laser or the CNC in person or remotely. Students in the Furniture Design courses in the fall and spring of this year greatly benefit from the past scholar program as we currently continue to explore the integration of connectivity technology in the makerspace setting.”
Learn more about the FSU Department of Interior Architecture and Design and its graduate programs
Learn more about the Studio D Scholar Program