As personal as it gets:

My name is Jamie Evelyn Goldsborough and I am currently a first year graduate student pursuing a Dual Master of Architecture and Master of Arts in Design Criticism at University of Illinois at Chicago. I graduated from Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, Indiana in May of 2013, and moved to Chicago to begin working as an Environmental Graphic Designer at Selbert Perkins Design. I will be writing to provide perspectives, rememberings and thoughts on being a student at UIC’s School of Architecture and Chicago design life.

I became interested in the thought of pursuing a graduate degree in architecture during my undergraduate senior year. While studying abroad in Italy for an art history course, exhibition design as a field became an immediate interest of mine as a way to pursue graphic design and my developed love for academia. When I returned, I began tailoring my education to fit those desires and interests. I declared a Minor in Art History and a Certificate in Museum Studies to supplement my BFA in Visual Communication Design. I worked as an exhibition intern at the Indianapolis Art Center fulfilling curatorial and administrative duties before being hired full-time between guest services and education. With the Indiana Historical Society, I was a design and production intern within the exhibitions department, producing in-house immersive experiences of Indiana’s past including re-creating an original Eli Lilly production factory during the 1950’s.

I was appointed the graduating class of 2013 commencement speaker, and moved to Chicago the next day. It was an exciting whirlwind of change and emotion, and I began my career as an Environmental Graphic Designer at Selbert Perkins Design in the West Loop of Chicago. I worked on large signage and wayfinding master plans such as the Minnesota Vikings Stadium with HKS and the Beverly Center LA with Studio Fuksas. As well as smaller projects like the re-branding of Bella Bridesmaids and signage and environmental graphics for Harper Court in Hyde Park. SPD provided me exactly what I was looking for, and I left with a sense of unfinished business because of the great people, projects and opportunities I was leaving behind. I learned the basic operations of an architecture studio as well as ADA regulations, architectural standards, materials, fabrication, new-business, marketing, etc.

So—after two and a half years of professional work, my desire to go to graduate school was still fiery inside of me and I decided to follow through and here I am. My interests in design are still, and will always be, vast—graphics, exhibitions, curatorial, academia, research, architecture, service, writing, etc. I know the best way for me to explore and be true to myself is on this four-year track at UIC!

I hope you enjoy all that I have to share over the next three years. Cheers!