Intro to Block Making: Four Patch

Welcome back! Kick off the new semester with Design Lab 1’s first public workshop on September 15. No experience is needed—just bring your creativity and join us to make a four-patch quilt block, contribute to a collaborative quilt, and create some great memories along the way!

Design Lab 1 Quilt Collab!

Promotional graphic for the 2026–2027 Design Lab Quilt Collaboration, featuring two colorful illustrated quilt blocks and a list of four fall workshops held from September through December.
Beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year, Design Lab 1 will host a series of public workshops covering each stage of the quilting process. Participants of all experience levels are welcome and will have the opportunity to contribute to a collaborative quilt that will be displayed in the lab. Ready to

Beacon of Democratic Resilience

Photo of armed protestors during Korean protests for democracy.
Visual Truths and the Legacy of Korea’s 5·18 Democratization Movement September 18 – October 7, 2026 Opening Reception: September 18, at 5:00 pm Duderstadt Center Gallery This photo exhibition features 90 curated images from the UNESCO-inscribed May 18 Archives. Documenting the May 18–27, 1980 democratization uprising in Gwangju, South Korea,

Celebrating 30 Years: Walking Through Immedia

Students at Immedia event in early 2000s
In the early 2000s, the Duderstadt Center held an annual event in February called Immedia in which students, with the support of faculty, directed a three day event for audiences to see their work. From 7-10pm, visitors could walk around the Duderstadt Center looking at student-lead work across a diverse

Personal Studio Gets an Upgrade

Groundworks staff in the upgraded personal studio
We are so excited to launch the second phase of our Personal Studio. This “one person” video studio contains a teleprompter, lights, cameras and microphones all set up ready for you to take advantage of for whatever creative endeavor you are looking to create. It’s terrific for recording instructional content

New Semester, New Gear!

Poster titled as "New Equipment Ready for Fall 2026"
Over the summer, the Duderstadt Center has been busy upgrading spaces, equipment, and technology throughout the building. The Gallery received a new sound system with an iPad controller, while the Video and Audio Studios added a DJI Ronin 2 Gimbal Kit and a Nord keyboard/synthesizer. Design Lab 1 now features

DC Studio Team Wins Multiple Michigan Emmy Awards

Group photo at Emmy Awards ceremony
This past Saturday, June 13th, the University of Michigan’s Duderstadt Center Studio Production staff won multiple Emmy awards from the 2026 National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the Michigan Chapter. They were awarded for their outstanding work on How Do We Begin, a 49-minute film created by the Center

MIDEN VR Project Earns Thesis with Highest Distinction 

A supermarket created by Unreal Engine
Visualization Studio Virtual reality (VR) continues to transform how we learn, communicate, and conduct research. With guidance from Visualization Studio staff and instructor Sara Eskandari, University of Michigan senior Zihan Li developed an immersive virtual supermarket using Unreal Engine to investigate how consumers interact with different advertising strategies in a

You Next

Black poster with white text and a shadowy face in the background.
The University of Michigan Duderstadt Center Gallery presents “You Next”, a duo exhibition by Thede Ambrose and Kate Donoghue, curated by Nathan Byrne. Opening: Friday, May 29th 6-9pmClosing: Sunday, June 28th 2-5pm Artifacts, Illusion, and the Speculative mediate the exchange between Thede Ambrose and Kate Donoghue’s practices. Referencing both personal

Becoming

Women in black dress standing by a concrete wall with text.
Recent Exhibition April 30 – May 22, 2026 Opening Reception: April 30, 5:30 – 8:00 PM Duderstadt Center Gallery Becoming is the senior thesis project of Stamps School of Art & Design student Elsa Olander. It is a multidisciplinary exhibition that traces her artistic evolution from high school student in

AAFF VR Documentary Screening: Is The War Close?

A VR bedroom setting with text alerts popping out on the left side.
Directed by visiting professor Joseph Sywenkyj and DC staff member Sara Eskandari (Duderstadt Center Visualization Studio), this room-scale virtual reality documentary recreates the experience of being at home in Kyiv during a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack. Using gaming technology and spatial audio, the work allows participants to move

When Replacement Parts Don’t Exist, We Print Them

A 3D printing prototype
Fabrication Underground Fabrication Underground, the Duderstadt Center’s hub for 3D printing and prototyping, supports projects across campus—from North Campus to the heart of Michigan Stadium and Crisler Arena. When Crisler Arena Facilities Manager Nathan Moseley struggled to find replacement wall plates for the arena, he reached out to Fabrication Underground

From DC to Pandora: Marc Morisseau’s Journey to Avatar

A slide deck with Avatar character as background with the title "Design Another Day"
In early February, Marc Morisseau—former Duderstadt Center trainee and now an Academy Award–winning visual effects producer for Hollywood films and AAA games—joined Professor Melissa Gross’s Kinesiology class for a virtual guest lecture. During the talk, Marc reflected on his early passion for animation and motion capture, developed through training with