From the Nominator

Emergence, the storytelling vehicle for the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, focuses on art and design perspectives, and features stories about alumni, faculty, staff, and students. This collection of stories showcases the ways in which the Stamps community invests fully in creative endeavors and pursuits of new knowledge.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected lives across the globe in every way imaginable. This issue of Emergence reflects the challenges, and sudden and unprecedented shifts by honoring the theme of “Resilience.”

As a nation, we entered a time of reflection and action, considering the role that we as individuals and leaders play in the shaping and safeguarding of our communities. We sought—and often found—connections in surprising new ways. With love and ferocity, artists and designers served as society’s mirrors, historians, and witnesses. Through creative response, we called upon each other for resilience.

Resilience is toughness and flexibility. It is the ways both big and small that we take an unflinching look at the challenges before us, and find possibilities for healing. It is the mental dexterity, the creative fortitude, and the true desire to help. It is the “big ideas” in dark times. It is the small gestures that keep us grounded in our shared humanity.

This issue of Emergence reflects how, with resilience, we move forward.

From the Judges

On a very lean budget, Emergence, the storytelling vehicle for the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, achieved their goal of connecting with their community, focusing on art and design perspectives, and featuring stories about alumni, faculty, staff, and students. The art was fresh and engaging. Their use of a hybrid print and digital format allowed them to reach their audience effectively and efficiently.