JUDITH WEHMEYER ON THE DEPARTMENT’S EDUCATIONAL MISSION

Judith Wehmeyer was appointed head of the Product Design department at ArtEZ Academy in Arnhem in 2012. She is co-directing studio BoomWehmeyer, teaches on topics of Design Consciousness in the department and is engaged in the international debate on design education and how design could be practiced.

‘The Product Design Department values ambition, craftsmanship and know-how. Being a successful student to us means making the field of design your own, reinterpreting existing ideas and standards. We ask our students to foster an inquisitive attitude, a workshop mentality and a critical view on the world.

Educating a new generation of designers is possible only in close cooperation with society and the field of professional design. We would not want it to be otherwise. It makes our department energetic and enterprising. Our teachers have their own studios and work for national and international design companies, connecting them to our department. All this makes Product Design Arnhem an educational node of expertise and diversity. Our network in the world of professional design is extensive It includes collaborations with companies such as the British based international shoe manufacturer Clarks and educational projects supervised by visiting professor Lance Clark.

Product Design Arnhem educates practical idealists. Design to us is a pluralistic field. It shapes our world. Our teaching staff and network are focussed on delivering a new generation of design students, one that opens new fields of work and adds high quality to the existing practice of design.

The future is bright looking at the possibilities of what design can enable!’