Student Design Video Presentations

Voting is now closed for the Student Design Competition. Winners will be announced soon.


View all of the video presentations submitted by the students of University of Michigan, Wayne State University, University of Detroit Mercy, College for Creative Studies, and Interlochen Center for the Arts! Be sure to vote for your favorite submission below!

One vote per valid email address. You must vote by Sunday, January 13, 2019, 11:59 PM EST for your vote to count!


Student Team 1

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Benjamin Peace, Shaobo Niu, Da Chen

Description: The DIA inhabits a very enclosed architecture. This project aims to design spaces in the context surrounding the DIA to open its collection to the world.


Student Team 2

School: Interlochen Center for the Arts

Team Members: Yuqi(Alice) Bian, Xueer Wang, Kai Tung Yeung, Hiosut He, Mello Henderson, Jacob Hunter, Gabriel Kennis

Description: In our projects, we will make the museum district have a sense of unity because the building within the district seems very independent of each other, and there’s little to no relationship between the individual buildings. We will create a logo that defines the museum district and it will be placed around its borders. Another problem that our group is going to address is the signs around the district, there are not many maps around the area, and we are going to create stands of electronic maps near the bus stations to make transportation easier.


Student Team 3

School: Wayne State University

Team Members: Xiao Zhou, Kristin Shaw, Gus Navvarro, Shelby Holmes, Allison Elam, Heather Washington, Tori Williamson, Krupa Vora, Jessica Stroble, Mariah Bosquez, Ashaki Zeigler

Description: For nearly a century, the Detroit Institute of Arts has served as the anchor of imagination locally as well as regionally. With a rich history and timeless architecture, this institution has served as the beacon of all things that have been - and things that could be, in the minds of the locals and visitors to the region. It is home to iconic cultural treasures and numerous masterpieces. 51Eighty - Wayne State University's proposal to the DIA Midtown Cultural Connections Student Competition, seeks to advance this legacy.


Student Team 4

School: College for Creative Studies

Team Members: Ashley Hanson, Sophia Yauck, Jonathan Phillips, Lindsey Sieja, Pamela Schmieder

Description: Our concept addresses wayfinding, safety, and engagement within the community. Our illuminated sculptural cubes will be sights of interests that function as orientation points, educational exchange and entertainment zones. They host art pieces inside the cubes, and serve as inviting meeting points for the community on the lawns of each institution.


Student Team 5

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Denise Baran, Alissa Graff, Teresa Cao, Guanrong Wang

Description: We are addressing the lack of digital and physical connection between the cultural institutions in Midtown Detroit. We are approaching this with a digital app, a physical booklet, and a proposal to use the midtown U-M building as a central information hub for the cultural district.


Student Team 6

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Xiaoti Di, Elpis Laipan Wong, Yuanzhao Wang, Zhenkun Zhang

Description: We seek to find a way to open the DIA as a physical institution to the neighborhood by providing alternative ways of the movement of people and building the identity of the DIA. Our ambition is to blur the boundary of DIA and blend it into the city, so that it is activated.


Student Team 7

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Nina Janies, Sarah Thong, Angela Lin

Description: Our proposal for this competition would encompass two parts. One part would be directed toward new people coming into the city with a passport program, and the other would be to involve local school children and incentivize learning through a badge program.


Student Team 8

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Shachi Salvi, Quynh Tran

Description: The challenge we are trying to address is the gentrification and cultural displacement of long-time residents in Detroit. We are proposing a solution that has two main goals. One is to promote connectivity, and the other is to directly involve the community in the district’s growth.


Student Team 9

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Ellie Simon, Anita Michaud, Phoebe Johnson, Leah Graham

Description: Currently, we see that the DIA Plaza area is underutilized, with no real incentives for visitors to remain in the area after they leave one of the institutions. It is time to reclaim this area, focusing on ensuring is it both accessible and welcoming to residents of the city of Detroit. We hope to address the challenge of making this space not an institutional space, but a public space that is open to all, both the Detroiters and those from outside the city. In addition, we aim to find a creative solution for the disconnect that exists between all of the institutions of the Cultural Center.


Student Team 10

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Qinzhi Jiang, Boshu Hua

Description: After researching and interviewing, we find that the disconnection between the surrounding community and the institutes are caused by uneven distribution of information. Citizens are unaware of the resources and often withhold the stereotypical impression of institutes—academic, serious and unwelcoming. To reach those daunted by the elitist appearance of institutes, we construct a playful way to interact with the cultural district distributed via social media. We hope our project will kindly remind citizens of the exhibitions, collections and programs here, and contribute to the outreach efforts of our stakeholders.


Student Team 11

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Ian Geiman

Description: The identity of the space around the Cultural Center Historic District can be leveraged in a variety of tangible and intangible ways to create and expand on the experiences had while visiting the institutions involved here. This identity can work to create connections between and beyond the institutions, which leads to new connections to the surrounding area and beyond.


Student Team 12

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Karis Tzeng, Jila Mendoza, Colin Brown

Description: The cultural district currently features world-class public institutions yet feels disjointed and inaccessible as a district to local and visiting populations alike. Although it is one of the greatest concentrations of cultural establishments in the United States, the district lacks the coherence and public realm attributes needed to become a truly dynamic space for all Detroiters. Hierarchies within the district related to transportation, institutional identity, and messaging limit the potential for greater connectivity.


Student Team 13

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Natalie Cadotte, Kara Burke, Julia Maenza, Alison Albrecht

Description: We hope that structural changes and introducing an app will enhance community engagement with the space.


Student Team 14

School: University of Detroit Mercy

Team Members: Anthony Vannoy, Madison Girolamo, Raya Alshamayleh, Maria Jose, Sara Mitrakovic, Aya Elmokadam, Hanen Mohammad

Description: Our team will discuss the historical relevance of the area. We will tackle that by proposing these historic pop-up displays throughout the cultural center and hoping to spread them throughout the city.


Student Team 15

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Jake Rosenberg, Levi Myers, Ian Rosenblum

Description: Our team is looking to approach this project through a lens of inclusivity as we look to propose a solution that will turn the space into an area that can be utilized by all types of demographics and for people both inside and outside of the city.


Student Team 16

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Nicole Butcher, Garret Wood-Sternburgh, Anqi Xu, Yufeng Wang

Description: The proposed project opens the museum to bring the community to the Detroit Institute of Arts through identifiable objects that as a society take for granted yet provides identity to the city. These objects such as trash cans, bus stops, benches, and swings can further reveal the DIA’s identity by incorporating notable works of art within the object which then can be deployed in and around the museum.


Student Team 17

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Ashley Fleckenstein, Valorie Zhang, Ambika Vohra

Description: Most people are not aware that Detroit has a thriving cultural district with world-class art museums, libraries, and universities. After speaking to visitors of the district, we found most people end up visiting the DIA and heading home. As it stands, the district feels disconnected. The root of the problem lies in a lack of awareness. The Detroit Cultural Village Passport aims to change this.


Student Team 18

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Reem Aburukba, Rachel Rollman, Dalia Marakby, Eleanor Wang, Iris Campbell, Rebecca Haines

Description: We will address the lack of welcoming and connected atmosphere as well as implementing activities for all. We would like to connect old and new Detroiters through public interactive sculptures and design. We aim to make the cultural district more prevalent among all Detroiters by adding an interactive record statue, art-inspired play structure, and more


Student Team 19

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Janani Gandhi, Mae Babbington,
Lindsey Masterman, Jessie Williams

Description: We believe that the key to making the Cultural Center important to Detroit families is ownership, and ownership comes when people are invited into spaces. We feel that low-cost programming starting at a young age is key to invitation, and making the DIA and Cultural Center an indispensable part of locals’ lives.


student Team 20

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Travis Bell, Sayhaan Goraya, Noreen Khan

Description: Our team will attempt to address the issue of underutilization by offering an approach to redesign the space so it is welcoming to both residents and non-residents. Our hope is to create a space in which visitors have the opportunity to engage with Detroit's history and culture. We plan to provide a simple framework for the redesign that is focused on engaging the community and giving community members a voice and stake in their community.


student Team 21

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Jorge Cazares, Caitlin Helgesen, Megan St. Andrew, Yankun Wang

Description: As UX designers, we wanted to enhance the current user experience of visitors to the cultural district in exploratory and interactive ways. Currently, visitors are not necessarily cognizant of the institutions and opportunities available to them in the district. With our solution, users can have a magnified view of the district that's both fun and informative, all easily accessible between their car and their destination.


student Team 22

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Kim Karlsrud, Blake Bellistri, Emily Legleitner, Kate Johnson, Eunji Bae, Courtney Geist, Perry Stella O'Toole, Mika Reedy, Emily Cutting, Kellie Kohler,
Srishti Gupta,

Description: Much of these institutions are self-contained, having knowledge that can only be enjoyed within the interiors of these spaces. By creating a space that goes beyond the interiors of these institutions, and also finds a way to unify them, Midtown Mirrors aims to create an environment that all kinds of people can enjoy in an informal atmosphere.


Student Team 23

School: University of Michigan

Team Members: Megan Chou

Description: Pop-up events can be a way to bring the DIA to the community.