Dr. Mary Anne Beecher
Associate Dean (Research)
Head, Department of Interior Design
Associate Professor, Department of Interior Design
404 Architecture 2 Building
t 204-474-6415
f 204-474-7532
MaryAnne.Beecher@ad.umanitoba.ca
Education
Bachelor of Arts, (Interior Design) (Iowa State University)
Master of Arts (Interior Design) (Iowa State University)
Ph.D., American Studies (Iowa State University)
Research
Dr. Mary Anne Beecher’s recent research expands on her previous investigation of the history of the interior design profession as it evolved in the post-war era. Focusing on the establishment of the profession’s identity in relation to the allied design disciplines, she is currently undertaking a study of the role of professional associations in the creation of communication networks, the establishment of a publically-acknowledged identity, and the promotion of the need for the regulation of the profession. As the department’s representative on the PIDIM Council, Beecher is spearheading the organization’s “Legacy Committee” by developing a history of the PIDIM (the Professional Interior Designers’ Institute of Manitoba) through a review of its extensive archival materials. She will pursue an oral history with long-time members in the months to come.
Her second area of research is a creative exploration of a series of abstract wall-hung furniture designs with the support of a University Creative Works grant. Beecher is exploring the use of industrial felt and computerized tools to create contemporary furniture designs. These vertically-oriented objects communicate their purpose and meaning by referencing the scale, shapes or profiles of significant historical furniture forms without replicating their three-dimensionality. The works challenge the notions of monumentality and mobility by taking cues from the Middle Ages when household belongings were routinely moved from place to place and large-scale textiles were frequently hung on walls to introduce color, pattern and imagery into interior spaces while adding an extra layer of protection against the cold.
Head, Department of Interior Design
Associate Professor, Department of Interior Design
404 Architecture 2 Building
t 204-474-6415
f 204-474-7532
MaryAnne.Beecher@ad.umanitoba.ca
Education
Bachelor of Arts, (Interior Design) (Iowa State University)
Master of Arts (Interior Design) (Iowa State University)
Ph.D., American Studies (Iowa State University)
Research
Dr. Mary Anne Beecher’s recent research expands on her previous investigation of the history of the interior design profession as it evolved in the post-war era. Focusing on the establishment of the profession’s identity in relation to the allied design disciplines, she is currently undertaking a study of the role of professional associations in the creation of communication networks, the establishment of a publically-acknowledged identity, and the promotion of the need for the regulation of the profession. As the department’s representative on the PIDIM Council, Beecher is spearheading the organization’s “Legacy Committee” by developing a history of the PIDIM (the Professional Interior Designers’ Institute of Manitoba) through a review of its extensive archival materials. She will pursue an oral history with long-time members in the months to come.
Her second area of research is a creative exploration of a series of abstract wall-hung furniture designs with the support of a University Creative Works grant. Beecher is exploring the use of industrial felt and computerized tools to create contemporary furniture designs. These vertically-oriented objects communicate their purpose and meaning by referencing the scale, shapes or profiles of significant historical furniture forms without replicating their three-dimensionality. The works challenge the notions of monumentality and mobility by taking cues from the Middle Ages when household belongings were routinely moved from place to place and large-scale textiles were frequently hung on walls to introduce color, pattern and imagery into interior spaces while adding an extra layer of protection against the cold.