Biography
Sara Dean is a designer and architect. Her work explores opportunities of technologies and public works to imagine a more adaptable, delightful, and inclusive future. This work often responds to the precarities and inequities of climate change and capitalism. Sara is associate professor and Director of the Master of Design program at Stamps School of Art and Design at University of Michigan and leads IF/THEN Studio, an experimental design research space.
Sara's work has been exhibited internationally, including at Hangaram Design Museum, Ars Electronica, Dutch Design Week, Arts Santa Monica in Barcelona, and Shenzhen Biennale. She has held the Zero1 American Arts Incubator Fellowship, Urban Fellow Residency, and upcoming Institute for Public Architecture Block House Residency. Her work has been written in academic venues and public media alike, including National Geographic, BBC News, Wired, City Lab, and National Public Radio.
Prior to this position, Sara taught at California College of the Arts for ten years, where she directed the Design Futures Lab and was Assistant Chair of the MFA Design program. Sara holds a Master of Architecture and Master of Science in Design Research from University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University.
