Helen Maria Nugent's Bio
Helen Maria Nugent is a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, in Scotland, where she received a B.F.A. with honors in Environmental Art (site-specific public art/design) and a Master of Design. Recent interviews with her can be found in the 2005 book, Global Scots, by Kenny MacAskill and Henry McLeish for Luath press and in the winter 2005 edition of Innovation, the journal of the Industrial Designers Society of America.
Since 1997 Helen Maria has taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture and Designed Objects (AIADO). She currently directs the graduate and undergraduate programs in Designed Objects and teaches studio courses focusing on the design process, thematic object design, lighting, and materiality. She has lectured at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Northwestern University, and Syracuse University, and curated the exhibitions ‘Beyond Function: The Art of Furniture’ for the Chicago Cultural Center, and ‘ThickDesign 05’ for the Betty Rymer Gallery. She serves on the board of the Chicago Furniture Designers Association.