Department of Design

NEA project exhibition San José.STL

San José.STL is the culmination of a San José State University-based project that included two creative learning workshops intended to introduce community members to the technology and creative potential of 3D printing. Participants of all ages learned how to turn 2D digital images into 3D printable models using several software programs, such as Rhino 3D. Although they were encouraged to draw inspiration from their cultural heritage, students had the option to use templates or create their own drawings of images that held personal meaning. After the workshops, completed 3D model files were taken to campus labs, where they were converted into STL files, or “Standard Tessellation Language,” in order to be printed. Students in design, chemical, and materials engineering worked on the original STL files, which were printed in a wide variety of colors. The resulting exhibition not only showcases the project participants' work but draws attention to historical and contemporary connections between culture and technologies, past, present, and future.

Professor Chai's film Boundless wins awards

Professor David Chai's film Boundless has been screened at over 25 film festivals around the United States and has won 5 awards including Winner for best film and Best Director at the Silicon Valley Queer Film Festival.

Professor San Fratello at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design

Rael San Fratello's Pink Teeter Totter will be on display as part of the Designing Peace exhibit at SFMCD. The exhibit explores the unique role design can play in pursuing peace. On view from October 7, 2023 – February 4, 2024, the exhibition features design projects from around the world that look at ways to create and sustain more durable peaceful interactions—from creative confrontations that challenge existing structures to designs that demand embracing justice and truth in a search for reconciliation.