VIRTUAL EXHIBITION: The Department of Design, Merchandising and Textiles at Texas Christian University became the sponsor for the Design Educator's National Exhibition in 2005. Established in 1995 by the Interior Design department at Oklahoma State University this computer web-based exhibit has grown significantly. With limited peer-reviewed venues for dissemination of research and creative scholarship of design faculty throughout the country, and the ever-increasing demand for physical facilities to support design education, alternative methods were created to accommodate design educators. A “virtual” exhibition on the Internet replaced an established on-site exhibition of visual art and professional design projects created by design educators in the United States. Creative scholarship is considered a viable alternative to empirical research in many institutions requiring peer-reviewed, disseminated evidence of the growth of knowledge in the design fields. Although most of the design areas had one or two design competitions available to their members, the number of pieces accepted into these exhibitions was minimal. Seeing the need for additional opportunities for educators in all of the design fields while still maintaining high standards of quality, the Design Educators National Exhibition was created. In 1995 design educators throughout the United States responded to a call for entries for the first annual Design Educators’ National Exhibition. This peer-reviewed competition highlighted professional design projects and visual art categories for work by designers from the fields of architecture, interior design, apparel design, graphic design, product design, lighting design, theatrical design and computer-aided design. Participation increased each year. The concept of a virtual exhibition evolved resulting with the Interior Design and Graphic Design departments co-sponsored the first Design Educator's National Exhibition in 1995. Laura Prestwood |
