The School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan welcomes Gunalan Nadarajan as the new dean of the School, effective July 1, 2012. Professor Nadarajan is a curator, author, and researcher working at the intersection of the arts, science, and technology. He comes to A&D from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) where he was vice provost for research and dean of graduate students.
University of Michigan Provost Phil Hanlon says “President Mary Sue Coleman and I are very pleased that Gunalan Nadarajan is assuming the leadership of the School of Art & Design at a time when the school and the university are committed to an interdisciplinary education for students.” He adds, “Nadarajan will work to enhance academic programs, improve physical and research capacities, further community outreach, and raise the national and international profile of the school.”
Nadarajan brings to A&D a record of outstanding interdisciplinary contributions in the fields of art, science, and technology through his scholarly research, curatorial work, teaching, professional consultancies, and creative research projects.
As an author, his over 100 published works, as well as conference papers and international lectures, have embraced contemporary art, architecture, art history, robotic arts, critical theory, cyberculture, intersecting histories of art, science and technology, and most recently the changing role of arts and design research. His writings have been translated into more than 12 languages.
As a curator, Nadarajan has curated international exhibitions in Singapore, Indonesia, Korea, Germany, Mexico, the United States, and New Zealand including serving as artistic co-director of the Ogaki Biennale in Japan in 2006 and artistic director of the International Symposium on Electronic Art in Singapore in 2008.
As an innovator working to increase collaboration across fields, Nadarajan has worked on health communication design with the Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Baltimore City Health Department and a neuroeducation initiative in partnership with Johns Hopkins School of Education. He serves as co-principal investigator on a National Science Foundation grant to establish a national Network for Science, Engineering, Art, and Design to advocate for and facilitate innovative collaborations among these fields.
“I hope to lead the School of Art & Design in achieving greater national and international prominence as an educational institution that truly exemplifies what an art school could and needs to be in the 21st century—one that mobilizes creative practice as an engine for cultural change as well as innovation and enterprise, has a strong research presence and profile, and embraces other disciplines and fields in collaborative spirit to tackle the complex challenges of our times,” Nadarajan says.
The School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan
Located within a world-renowned research university, the School of Art & Design’s programs and projects focus on generating new creative work, integrating the cultures of art and design, and engaging with the University, region, and national and international communities. Exemplary faculty, staff, and state-of-the-art facilities, coupled with a strong commitment to cross-disciplinary initiatives and joint faculty appointments with other units on campus, support these objectives.
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