NMU students go to international design show

Exhibiting their designs in Milan may seem like a dream to some designers, but it was fact for a group of 17 NMU art and design students this spring.

Peter Copenhaver of Ludington is attending Northern Michigan University, and studying art and design. He was one of 17 students chosen to take their design prototypes on the road to Milan for the annual SaloneSatellite for 2011.

The show is a subset of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, or the Milan International Furniture Fair, where designers and artists show their recent work. SaloneSatellite is a portion of the fair for young and student designers.

"SaloneSatellite was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," says Copenhaver. "It's such a prestigious event in arguably the design capital of the world. It was sensory overload walking into the fairgrounds for the first time."

Copenhaver's exhibited work was a desk called "Mobi," for its adaptability and portability. It has two surfaces, adjustable into small spaces, and folds down to store easily. Other NMU students were presenting bookcases, chairs, art pieces, garbage cans, and even light switches of their own design.

"Walking by other booths proved to me that NMU's human-centered design program is viable and on par with graduate schools and global programs, not just those in the U.S.," says Copenhaver.

The other participants were Stephen Andersen, Alicia Bastian, Mia Cinelli, Jon Fancher, Austin Gatz, Andrew Harmon, Troy Hild, Nick Mailhiot, Kelsey McKinney, Nicole Morris, Mathew Otto, Patti Parish-Tourville, Maggie Pierce, Zach Smith, Mitch Steinmetz, Adam Trebel, and Peter J. Pless.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Peter Copenhaver, Northern Michigan University