Join Kate Aoki, architect and Head of Exhibition Design at the Dallas Museum of Art and Jen Rose, ecological artist, for a candid conversation on the topics of career development and collegiality.
Members - free | Non-members - $5
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Kate Aoki, AIA, is an architect and the Head of Exhibition Design at the Dallas Museum of Art. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textile Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Arlington’s School of Architecture, Kate is fortunate to practice in a profession that satisfies both her passion for fine art and the design of space. She spent more than a decade working in the architecture field, most recently at DSGN Associates in Dallas as a Senior Associate, where she worked on a variety of projects that addressed important community needs. As Head of Exhibition Design at the DMA, Kate designs intimate and expressive spaces in ways that engage visitors while inviting them to learn more about the art they experience and the communities in which they thrive. Kate has dedicated much of her time to participating on art and architectural committees, as well as studio and design award juries. She has a longstanding relationship with the Dallas chapter of the AIA, where she is currently serving as President. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Dallas Architecture Forum, and she has spoken in the past on craft and the art of weaving, and design influences in Dallas.
Jen Rose is an ecological artist who received her MFA in Ceramics from the University of North Texas in 2002. Jen held a faculty position until 2022 at Richland College and maintains an active exhibition schedule. Her solo exhibitions include venues such as the Dallas Contemporary, the Morean Center for clay in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at the Firehouse Art Center in Longmont, Colorado. She is currently represented by Camiba Gallery in Austin, TX where her solo exhibition, “The Unnamable Monster of the American Psyche” opened last September. Jen recently combined her porcelain expertise with her love of nature to create Bee Cups. They are porcelain cups for the garden that collect a teaspoon of water for thirsty pollinators. Bee Cups employ several elements of biomimicry to make the cups look more like flowers to bees, including a UV-reactive glaze that Jen invented in her studio. The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens and the Houston Botanic Garden each hosted 3000-piece installations of Bee Cups in the last 18 months. In 2021 Jen resigned from Richland and now works for herself as an entrepreneur, artist, and inventor.