Search

The first classes in art at the University of Michigan were offered in 1906 by the Department of Architecture. In 1926, a program in decorative arts was housed in the College of Engineering and Architecture. Art evolved as a discipline, moving through the colleges of engineering and architecture to become the School of Art, an autonomous institution, in 1974. It became the School of Art & Design in 1996. The records focus on the evaluation and review of the program in the 1970s and early 1980s during the budget crisis faced by the university. The records also contain minutes of the Executive Committee and the Faculty Committee, from the mid-1970s to 1999.

The School of Art & Design records are composed of six series: Topical Files, 1970-1987; Committees; Correspondence; Topical Files, 1980-2000; Visual Materials; and Website. There is a separate collection of printed material. The majority of the records document the years from 1975 to 1999, a crucial period in the school's history as it was formally established as a school in its own right and later experienced serious budget reductions.

Graphic design office staffed by junior and senior students majoring in graphic design and screen arts & cultures, serving the three University of Michigan student unions (Michigan League, Michigan Union, Pierpont Commons). Collection consists of chronologically arranged scrapbooks and digital files containing designs and work samples including brochures, fliers, forms, signs, and advertising for campus offices, organizations and events.

The collection consists of a single series, University Unions Graphic Design Office Student Work, which contains content in hardcopy scrapbooks and digital files maintained online. The collection includes 32 large format scrapbooks and 3.71 GB of digital files. The series presents the graphic design work produced by the office from late 1984 through June 30, 2004.

The scrapbooks contain chronologically arranged samples of final designs. Affixed to the scrapbook pages are the brochures, fliers, logos, signs, and other products created and designed by the UUGDO design staff. For large banners and signs, a photograph of the final product is affixed as an illustration.

The digital files, also arranged chronologically, include source files for final pieces and working drafts, images, and graphics utilized in the production of these designs. The digital works are comprised primarily of raster files in TIFF format, while the remainder are vector files in SVG or PDF formats. Some notable works in the collection include Apple Computers advertisements, Rose Bowl promotional materials, event fliers for campus greek organizations, posters for major campus events, and novelty products. The digital files cover the periods of 1988-1999 and 2004, although future additions of digital material are expected to be made to the collection.

Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Michigan and widely exhibited painter with studios in Pinckney, Michigan and Gloucester, Massachusetts. Collection includes digital still images, video files, and promotional materials related to Castagnacci's classroom instruction, his artwork, and his personal influences.

The Vincent Castagnacci collection documents Castagnacci's dual careers as an Professor of Fine Arts and a widely exhibited painter. Teaching materials (lecture notes, handouts, and readings) provide access to his four decades as an educator and are complemented by video footage of his classroom instruction. Digital reproductions of artwork and video of Castagnacci in his studio suggest the range and extent of his creative pursuits. Additional video footage of interviews and conversations with colleagues along with depictions of the natural environs of Gloucester, Massachusetts further contextualize Castagnacci's approach to education and art.