Entertainment design: my lighting and media track at the University of Iowa

A Lighting and Media Designer is a designer who creates the world of the play in collaboration with other artisans and focuses action within this world. As a lighting designer, my role is to make sure the audience can see the actor, create a mood for the playing space, and detail the composition of the stage. As a media designer, my role may complement the other design areas or drive the production as its own character. Together these design roles, lighting and media, may balance each other in fantastic, meaningful ways, or prove to be a more functional means of providing a light source for the actor to be seen. What drives me as a designer is the development of our human potential, protecting the sovereignty of every being on this planet, and learning from the past and our elders to design a visionary future. These are guiding principles of my life and work I learned through my indigeneity and life’s practices.

What I have learned from my educational path and experiences at the University of Iowa are to respect my design process and other collaborator’s approaches. This awareness has opened my communication pathways and has allowed myself and my collaborators to have the necessary conversations. We are better able to communicate in the collective process of design, thus creating a better-informed production. What others may learn from my work is remembering patience in the craft when collaborating. Furthermore, learned is perseverance in progressing with new technologies. Equipment is forever evolving, opening routes not considered before. I am excited to be a part of the forefront of this technological evolution, as well as, entering my creative evolution as an Entertainment Designer.

The entire breadth of my thesis portfolio can be found at this link: https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/islandora/object/ui:dfolio