Trinity Western University has appointed Laurie Culshaw as assistant professor of Art + Design in the School of the Arts, Media + Culture (SAMC).
Culshaw’s academic and professional expertise in the field of graphic design is expected to enhance the educational opportunities available to SAMC Art + Design students.
“This new faculty position is an excellent fit with our school,” said Erica Grimm, chair of Art + Design at TWU.
“Laurie’s expertise in design methodology, her research strengths and her professional experience position her to expand and renew the design stream of our program.
“She is the ideal candidate to introduce students to design as a powerful change agent and invite them into a new era of cross-disciplinary innovation.”
Culshaw comes to TWU from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., where she completed her MFA in Design while teaching typographic design and digital technology courses.
She has also been an adjunct instructor for four years in the graphic arts department at Harper College in Illinois.
Culshaw’s extensive professional experience extends to design firms, marketing agencies, and corporate in-house environments. Most notably, she spent five years as a manager of arts and graphics in Chicago. Her award-winning work has been exhibited across the United States, as well as on the coast of the Persian Gulf in a collaborative installation titled Made in Doha Curiosity Cabinet.
“Creative thinkers are highly sought after in the professional world,” said Kevin Schut, chair of SAMC Media + Communication.
“With the support and guidance of specialized instructors like Professor Culshaw, SAMC students can learn strategies that will make them adaptable, innovative leaders in the many different career paths available to our graduates.”
In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of TWU’s School of the Arts, Media + Culture, Culshaw’s research and leadership in design education offers increased opportunities for collaboration across disciplines.
“TWU’s liberal arts environment sets the stage for students of different academic majors to work together towards a greater good,” said Culshaw.
“My design research focuses on how we build and maintain meaningful connections, and the critical role those connections play in graphic design.
“I look forward to mentoring the next generation of leaders at SAMC as they expand their creative potential and learn to push their ideas past the expected and into the innovative.”
