Professor Mary Anne Beecher recently presented a research paper at the Design History Society’s annual conference hosted by the Izmir Institute of Technology in Izmir, Turkey. The conference theme was “Design and Transience.”  

Professor Beecher presented a paper entitled “The Transience of Pedagogy: Capturing Design Education’s History.” It featured examples from the personal archives of emeritus professors from our Department of Design as case studies of how teaching students to be designers has evolved over time. She also advocated for the preservation of these rare historical resources, given that there are few official archival repositories willing to accept examples or documentation of works created by students. In addition to three days of research papers and keynote lectures, the conference also treated attendees to meals of local and regional foods, tours of local landmarks in and around Izmir (Turkey’s third largest city), and a special tour of an elaborate archeological site at near-by Ephesus and the mountain village of Sirince.