Sean Schumacher
Associate Professor
ART BUILDING ANNEX 150
Sean Schumacher (he/they) is a designer and educator whose research focus is in increasing public access to design through media. As a practicing designer, Sean has specialized in creating projects for artists and arts institutions for over a decade, including several years working on Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s internationally-recognized Time-Based Art Festival.
As an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at the Schnitzer School of Art + Art History + Design, their work fosters community and collaboration between students, professionals, and faculty. Along with colleagues Kate Bingaman-Burt and Isabel Bo-Linn, Sean runs Rodeo, the School’s collaboratory studio practicum course; in addition to serving as an in-house studio, Rodeo also acts as an engine of student engagement, playing host to major community events such as the annual Be Honest student portfolio showcase held at Wieden+Kennedy. They also teach and produce Show & Tell, in which first year design students learn about design careers while collaboratively hosting lecturers as a live stage production. They seek to give students agency through collaboration in the classroom, through event production, publication design, and concept development.
Since 2021, they have hosted “Did I Do That?,” an oral history podcast exploring the personal and professional lives of graphic designers through the lens of "making mistakes," and how those creative failures are necessary learning tools. With a light tone pitched at a general audience, the show's goal is to unpack the complexities of design careers, both for those new to the field and outside of it entirely.