Assistant Director Of Instructional Fabrication
Chicago, Illinois, United States
I provided Instructional Fabrication Studio leadership for three distinct programs at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including Contemporary Practices, Fashion and Fibers.I worked with faculty, Department Chairs and students to find their needs and develop appropriate fabrication studios, safe working practices, systems of access and training. I focused on student feedback and leadership to help build and implement a digital fabrication studio dedicated to Freshman and a dye studio to facilitate fashion students. I also trained staff on maintenance for all equipment. An aspect of acting on student feedback required me to define ways to help students, who have physical disabilities and learning differences, so that they may advance in their studio work at the same pace as other students.While developing new studios I worked with architects, project managers and construction teams to ensure the studios were designed to nurture creatiuve learning. A goal of studio development was to allow the students a work experience that is easy and made any background work invisible, so that they may concentrate on their studies.As a leader, I strove to lift my staff to higher positions. Many of my staff went on to other studio leadership positions. My position oversaw 4 managers, 4 Assistant Managers and 36 graduate and undergraduate work study students per year.