Opening night of SHOWCASE 2025 features several curated works from Human Sciences faculty

Multiple galleries inside The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art were transformed into innovative faculty exhibitions to highlight creative scholarship as Jan. 27 marked the opening of SHOWCASE 2025 — a university-wide initiative that became a reality following years of planning that acknowledges and highlights the importance of research in academia.

Aligning with Auburn University’s 2035 strategic plan and goal to double levels of scholarly output and creative works through significant growth across disciplines within the university, SHOWCASE 2025 focuses on research and is a celebration of creative scholarship and work that doesn’t necessarily take place in a lab.

Previous Next

“This is something that’s amazing to see and we’ve had earlier versions of this over the years that started as a very small exhibit in the library and then it grew to the Jule but the last time we did it was 2018,” said Auburn's Associate Vice President for Research Jennifer Kerpelman. “Now these works fill the galleries, and I’m so pleased with this team that has worked together being able to launch a process and see how you’ve brought in the faculty to make this quite an event. This has really raised our SHOWCASE to the level that it should be, and it brings together all our creative scholars to network and meet each other and also other scholars who can learn more about what creative scholarship is and our community can get a strong understanding of creative scholarship.”

The opening night of SHOWCASE 2025 featured several curated submissions from faculty members in the College of Human Sciences including Consumer and Design Sciences Department Head Young-A Lee, Interior Design Assistant Professor Georges Fares, Interior Design Lecturer Meirav Goldhour, Apparel Design Assistant Professor Dawn Michaelson and Apparel Design Assistant Professor Jia Wu.

In addition, Interior Design Assistant Professor Anna Ruth Gatlin served as one of the organizers of SHOWCASE 2025 alongside Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance Chase Bringarder, Program Chair and Associate Professor of Graphic Design Robert Finkel and the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development.

In SHOWCASE 2025, Fares submitted several works of art including “Bristles,” a 3D printed polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) seat base, polyester laser-cut bristles on wood legs that began as an iterative exploration to see how artificial intelligence might shape craft and “Tactile Architecture: Farnsworth House,” a project that reimagines the tactile experience of architecture through highly detailed 3D printed models, featuring the iconic masterpiece of the Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Lastly, Fares submitted “Rotunda” which reimagines the iconic Villa La Rotonda through the lens of modern technology and “Redacted” a collaboration with Gatlin that explores the concept of hidden identities in the design world, where designers often suppress their personal tastes in favor of client preferences and where social media allows for curated, masked personas.

Referencing SHOWCASE 2025, Fares said it is a great way to communicate between his students and other faculty members across the university.

"For me, it’s a great way to communicate with others we wouldn’t normally have access to,” said Fares. “It’s almost impossible for me to show my work to students unless I physically take them to see it. I’m also learning about what other faculty are creating — I wouldn’t have imagined some of the things they’re working on. But here, they can explain their work, I can see their names, what they’re doing, and learn from them. So, it’s a valuable communication tool." 

Other curated submissions for SHOWCASE 2025 from Consumer and Design Sciences faculty members include the following:

• “Tulipa ‘Rococo’ I” by Dawn Michaelson.
• “The Year 2024: Dancing Above Water” by Young-A Lee.
• “Resilience,” “Hotel Hall,” “Hanukah in Jerusalem,” “Greenville S.C. House Perspective Section,” and “Breakfast Room in Jefferson Georgia” by Meirav Goldhour.
• “A Functional, Expressive and Aesthetic Outdoor Jacket for Wheelchair Users” by Jia Wu.

In addition to the Creative Showcase kickoff event featuring the collection of only faculty submissions, in late February, faculty members, graduate students and undergraduate students will have their work on display at the Graduate and Undergraduate Student Creative Showcase + Performative Works Exhibition on Monday, Feb. 24 from 6-8 p.m. at the Gogue Performing Arts Center.