2021 is a year that none of us could’ve predicted, and we can’t believe that it’s ending when it feels like it has just begun. As it comes to a close, let’s reflect on the triumphs and accomplishments that the Wilson School of Design achieved during these past 12 months.
New Year, News Year!
In January, our 2020 Technical Apparel grads were featured on the digital platform “Vancouver is Awesome”. This article interviews our grads about their innovative design solutions and explains their design process which involves working with local industry, including Arc’teryx and Mustang.
Shortly afterwards in February, 1st year Fashion Marketing student, Kylie Haywood, was featured in Surrey Now-Leader for her newly launched business, Pete Jeans.
Faculty Spotlight – Eleanor Hannan
The faculty at the Wilson School of Design are amazing, and we’re always happy to see others recognize it too! In March, The Craft Council of BC interviewed Eleanor Hannan, a Fashion Design & Technology instructor who teaches our students about textile manipulation, dyeing and a whole range of learning surrounding textiles.
The ICE-SAR Design Sprint
During the month of May, our Product Design students were invited to participate in the ICE-SAR Design Sprint: a four-day workshop focused on designing innovative solutions for the Icelandic Association for Search & Rescue (ICE-SAR). After the workshop, it was announced that two of our Product Design students and their respective teams were honoured with First Place and Second Place for their work! Learn more about their winning designs here.
Designing for Space
Students and instructors from the Wilson School of Design at KPU created a special shelter for astronauts to prepare for future missions to the Moon and Mars called the ECHO, otherwise known as Extreme Cave Habitat One. They were invited to create the structure by EuroMoonMars and a collective of organizations including the European Space Agency. In July, Crew Luna from EuroMoonMars officially embarked on a two week mission into an Icelandic lava tube with ECHO. You can read more about ECHO here.
Our 2021 Grad Showcase
After the incredible feedback and success from the 2020 grad showcase on thisiswilson.design, we decided to continue to showcase our graduates in this digital format, regardless of the current circumstances. This year’s edition of our Graduate Showcase has now evolved into a celebration of innovation and resilience.
Scholarships & Awards
Congratulations to all of the students and alumni who were honoured with scholarships, awards and honorary mentions this past year! Although we only mention a select few here, we see all of our students’ accomplishments, and we are proud of everyone’s work.
Viral Design
The Wilson School of Design officially debuted their new virtual exhibition space, Artifact, with its inaugural exhibition: Viral Design. Viral Design is an exhibition of the pandemic experience that engages with real world problems and ultimately reflects on the role and possibilities of design in our contemporary world.
As part of the extension activities for Viral Design, the exhibition team proposed the High Intensity Innovation Training for New Designers, or HIIT Workout: Design Edition. On September 2nd, this fast-paced, collaborative session brought together incoming first-year students from all 7 design disciplines to think about the ways designers might address everyday problems arising during the pandemic.
Artifact will eventually become a virtual gallery collection of rotating exhibits which address contemporary issues and showcase how our emerging designers create innovative solutions to everyday problems.
Back to Campus
The Wilson School of Design campus officially returned back-to-campus for the Fall 2021 semester! We loved to see new and old students safely enjoy our beautiful campus once again.
Special Guests
With our campus reopening, we welcomed special guests to offer their experience to our students in-person. Special guests include Ildiko Szabo, Natalie Grambow, and Summer Wilson, who offer their expertise to our students in-person.
Student Takeovers
During the Fall Semester, we let our students show what an average day looks like in their program and answer any questions from our followers on our Instagram. You can join Meena, Julia, Justyna, and Zachary during their takeovers on our Wilson School of Design Instagram story highlights!
The Wilson School of Design Virtual Showcase
In November, we provided an inside look of the Wilson School of Design experience in our Virtual Faculty Showcase. This fun event provided an opportunity for prospective students to meet with instructors and alumni, learn about our 7 programs, and enter to win great prizes such as free tuition! All the content from the event is still accessible any time. View our Information Sessions, meet our students and get a peek behind the scenes at the Wilson School of Design here.
A Message From Dean Goundrey
Here’s to 2022!
We look forward to seeing everyone in the new year on January 5th. If you missed it, you can read what the Wilson School of Design accomplished in 2020 here.
