School of Interiors 50th Anniversary – College of Design – 38°84° the power of place
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School of Interiors 50th Anniversary

The School of Interiors turns 50 in 2022!

To celebrate this milestone, mark your calendars for in-person and online events throughout the Fall 2022 semester. In-person events may also be attended virtually via Zoom. All times listed are Eastern Time (ET).

50th Anniversary Exhibition

An exhibition of student, faculty and alumni work will take place during the month of October at several on-campus and online locations.


Alumni Networking Events

Monday, Oct. 17 | Noon
Tuesday, Oct. 18 | 5 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 19 | 8 a.m.
Free-wheeling Zoom conversations hosted by alumni about practice, design education, and life, with door prizes for best Zoom backgrounds. BYOB (bring your own beverage/lunch)

Join Any Session via Zoom


Design Chat

Wednesday, Oct. 19 | Noon | eSports Auditorium at the Cornerstone and via Zoom
Brooke Wargnier (Class of 2016)
Opening Practice Through Experimentation + Trial and Error

Join Event via Zoom


Design Educators’ Conversation #1

Thursday, Oct. 20 | 10 a.m.
A face-to-face session as part of the Interior Designer Educators Council Midwest Conference in Chicago. Conversations facilitated by UK faculty. Recorded with a follow-up report on the conversations.  If you are not attending the Midwest Conference, please join the Design Educators Conversation #2.

Design Educators’ Conversation #2

Thursday, Oct. 20 | Noon | Zoom
Invitations to 25-30 educators outside the Midwest region.  Conversations facilitated by UK faculty. Recorded with a follow-up on the conversations.

Join Event via Zoom


Keynote Address: Shashi Caan

Friday, Oct. 21 | 3:30 p.m. | Worsham Cinema (in UK Student Center) or via Zoom

Design thought leader Shashi Caan (SC Collective, New York) challenges future designers to excellence by examining future trends and issues in design.

Shashi Caan is acclaimed internationally for bridging the divide between design practice, theory, and education. She has held senior positions at major firms, including Gensler, and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM). Caan is the former Chair of the Interior Design Department at Parsons The New School of Design in New York City. She holds master’s degrees in both Architecture and in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute, and a BFA (with honors) from Edinburgh College of Art in the United Kingdom.

Keynote sponsored by the UK School of Interiors, the UK International Center, the Gaines Center for the Humanities, and the UK Office of Sustainability.

Register for In-Person Event

Join Event via Zoom

Happy Hour

Friday, Oct. 21 | Following Keynote Address | The Cornerstone (401 S. Limestone)
Join us at the Cornerstone directly following Shashi Caan’s keynote for a reception and conversation.


Scholarship Fundraising Dinner & Awards

Saturday, Oct. 22 | 6-8 p.m. | Harris Ballroom (in UK Student Center) or via Zoom
Recognition of influential UK School of Interiors alumni and friends. Watch parties in Florida, Texas, Chicago, Seattle and more.

Register for In-Person Event

Join Event via Zoom

Interiors 50th Anniversary Graphic

Be sure to follow the UK School of Interiors on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn for more information and updates regarding our 5oth anniversary celebration.


UK School of Interiors Archive

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the School of Interiors, this archive was created to show the progress the school and the design industry have made over the years. We thank all of our alumni for sharing their talent with us to make the project possible.

Visit the 50th Anniversary Archive


The School of Interiors 50th Anniversary Celebration has resulted from the great thinking and actions of many.

We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of members of the Steering Committee: Alaina Bauer (Class of 2016), Allison Carll (Emeritus Faculty), Holly Cline (Class of 2009 MA), Ann Dickson (Emeritus Faculty), Chris Estes (Class of 1991), Brad Fister (Class of 2016), Haydon Gaines (Class of 2021), Mallory Hall (Class of 2009, 2013 MA), Lu Ann Holmes (Class of 1979), Jordan Hope (Class of 2009), Ashlyn Jones (Class of 2018), Bailey Jones (Class of 2018), Tanya Jones (Class of 1987), Sissy Judy (Class of 2005), Kourtni Kessler (Class of 2013), Ashley Lai (Class of 2003), Patrick Lee Lucas (Faculty, Class of 1998 MA), Renae Mantooth (Class of 2014), Stephanie McCrery (Class of 1993), Keith Miller (Class of 1993), Tristan Morgan (Class of 2007), Mary Lee O’Bryan (Class of 1983), Anne Prather (Class of 2016), Darci Puryear (Class of 2000), Rebekah Radtke (Faculty, Class of 2008); Marlo Ransdell (Class of 2002, 2004 MA), Terry Rothgeb (Emeritus Faculty), Greg Shafer (Class of 1980), Jessica Shah (Class of 2014), Helen Turner (Director), Susana Verni (Class of 2013), and Marissa Wilson (Class of 2013, 2017 MA).

In addition, we acknowledge current UK School of Interiors students who served as research team members and project coordinators for the celebration: Audrey Alford, Kaitlynn Bender, Emily Brown, Allison Bryant, Caroline Bryant, Ethan Cofer, Dallas Ditto, Ro Glenski, Caroline Gravatte, Ella Greiwe, Danica Hak, Destiny Laing, Flare Matthews, Caroline Middleton, Katie Plummer, Cassie Stevens, Sarah Ward, and Madison Wilkirson.