Rebecca Schuiling

res@msu.edu
(517) 353-9086

215 Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture Building
375 Wilson Rd
East Lansing, MI 48824

FacultyArt, Art History, and Design

Teaching Specialist
Apparel & Textile Design

Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Rebecca E. Schuiling is a knitwear designer and an educator. Her research focuses on knit materials as a medium for artistic expression and knitted dress through the lens of popular culture. Her work has been exhibited in Slovenia, she has participated in an in international design workshop in China, and has conducted research in Portugal, France, Italy and Thailand.

Prior to entering academia, Rebecca worked in the apparel industry as a knitwear designer and as a designer for Dillard’s Department Store. Currently, Rebecca is an Academic Specialist in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University.

The focus of Rebecca’s teaching centers on her industry experience, concept, research, experiential learning, the design process, and LdL pedagogies. Rebecca’s current courses at Michigan State University include Explorations in Apparel and Textile Design, Design Studio, Knitwear; and History of Dress and Textiles. Rebecca also taught Basic Apparel Structuring, Structuring Tailored and Couture Garments, Textile Materials, Apparel Pattern Design and Accessory Design. Rebecca is the Internship Coordinator for ATD. She also leads a study away program to New York City.

She presents her knit research at international and national conferences. Rebecca is launching an extensive research project into knitwear throughout the 20th century in popular culture. This research will be presented at research conferences and ultimately result in a book.

Artist Statement

My research seeks to provide insight and understanding into knitted dress through the lens of popular culture, and the artists who use knit as a medium to create art. Handcrafts surface as the focal points in several art movements; however, knitting was only included in scant amounts. My contribution to the discipline is addressing this gap in the knowledge by examining the complex and complicated roles of knit within fashion, art, and society.

University News

Faculty Invited to Teach at International Winter School for Language Testing Research
Published February 20, 2025 in College of Arts & Letters
Assistant Professor Koen Van Gorp and Professor Paula Winke from the Department of Linguistics, Languages, and Cultures (LiLaC) at Michigan State University were two of five international professors…Read now »
Lecture Series Showcases Strong Connection Between Religious Studies and MSU Libraries’ Special Collections
Published January 29, 2025 in College of Arts & Letters
A collage of five photos. At the center is the MSU Libraries Special Collections logo, with a green shield, white text, and the Spartan helmet. Surrounding it are four portraits of individuals. Top left: a woman with shoulder-length dark hair and a white blouse in a yellow-lit hallway. Top right: a man with a beard, wearing a blue plaid shirt and gray cardigan, standing outside a wooden building. Bottom left: a woman with gray hair and a blue shawl in front of a wooden door. Bottom middle: a woman wearing glasses, a red sweater, and a patterned scarf, standing outdoors. Bottom right: A man with a shaved wearing a grey shirt and back suit smiles in front of a stained glass window.
Religious Studies faculty will discuss how the MSU Libraries’ Special Collections informs their teaching and research as part of the Collecting Religion Lecture Series offered this semester. Hosted…Read now »
Online Repository at MSU to Host NEH-funded Research Expanding Public Access
Published January 28, 2025 in College of Arts & Letters
Four people stand behind a table that has brochures and a laptop on it. There’s a white tablecloth that says: “Knowledge Commons.” Behind the people are two large banners. The banner on the left says: “Discover. Connect. Share.” The banner on the right says: “Knowledge Commons” repeated across the banner.
Knowledge Commons, managed by Michigan State University, was awarded a multi-year contract from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to host and make publicly available NEH-funded…Read now »
Several College Projects Supported by HARP Development and Production Awards
Published December 13, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A collage of eight photos arranged in a grid. The top left square features the MSU Spartan helmet logo on a dark green background. The other seven squares display individuals smiling or posing for the camera against various backdrops.
Projects by College of Arts & Letters faculty, ranging from a linguistic course, to traveling exhibitions, to books on a range of subjects, received support this year from Humanities and Arts…Read now »
MSU Faculty, Students Support U.S. Embassy Climate Project with International Ballet Company
Published December 12, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A group of performers are lined up in a V-shape on a black theatre stage.
At Michigan State University, faculty and students are using theatre and dance to illuminate the effects of climate change through a project in partnership with Bullfrogs Ballet artists, educators,…Read now »
Tracing the Roots of Indigenous Science Fiction and Futurisms in America
Published November 18, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A picture of a woman in a white blouse with beaded accessories smiling and interacting with a young child wearing a blue vest. Another young child, dressed in bright blue regalia and a headband, dances nearby. Chairs and spectators are visible in the background.
A photo of a Star Wars stormtrooper that hangs in Blaire Morseau’s home epitomizes both her childhood passions and current research pursuits. The photo appears in a frame with a unique Southwest…Read now »
Ask the Expert: Making Holiday Meals More Welcoming
Published November 13, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
MSU Assistant Professor Megan Dean wearing a blazer and glasses leans against the doorframe of a hoop house. Behind her are leafy green vegetables growing in rows.
Holidays and celebrations often involve eating together with family and friends. But what does it mean to eat well together? How can food allergies, restricted diets, and even certain medications…Read now »
Professor Works to Expand Horizons in Russian Language Learning with New Online Resource
Published October 11, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
When the war in Ukraine altered the landscape of global politics, study abroad opportunities, and perceptions of Russian speakers, Shannon Donnally Quinn, Associate Professor of Russian in the…Read now »
College Welcomes 41 New Faculty and Staff Members
Published October 1, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
This year the College of Arts & Letters welcomes 41 new faculty and staff members. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the College of Arts & Letters’ 2024 Faculty and…Read now »
$3M Mellon-Funded ‘Creativity in the Time of COVID’ Has Local and Global Impact
Published September 27, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
When the world went into lockdown in the face of COVID-19 and while adapting to social distancing, zoom, and masks required, many, in their isolation, turned to art and creative expression as a way…Read now »
New Award Offers Apparel and Textile Design Students Trip to New York Fashion Week
Published September 17, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A photo of two people standing in front of an architectural display. The woman on the left has long brown wears a black leather jacket and carries a red purse; the man on the right has short, choppy hair and wears a suit coat covered in pins and a dress.
A new award is giving Apparel and Textile Design (ATD) students at Michigan State University the opportunity to attend New York Fashion Week (NYFW), one of the most prestigious fashion events in the…Read now »
MSU Researcher Awarded $650K NSF Grant to Expand Educational Opportunities Through Linguistics Project
Published August 29, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A child watches while an adult, squatting down to be at eye level, shows the child the screen of a mobile phone.
Michigan State University Researcher and Assistant Professor of Linguistics Betsy Sneller was awarded $646,385 from the U.S. National Science Foundation, or NSF, to expand educational opportunities…Read now »
Philosophy Ph.D. Candidate Recognized for Outstanding Achievement in the Letters
Published April 26, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Nic Cottone, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State University, was awarded the 2024 Varg-Sullivan Endowed Graduate Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Letters in…Read now »
Ask the Expert: How Is Spirituality Expanding Beyond Religion?
Published April 22, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
A man with a beard looks at a stained-glass window that has sunlight shining through it.
Spirituality is declining in the United States if you focus on religious affiliation, but that isn’t the whole story according to Morgan Shipley, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at…Read now »
Afrofuturism & Quilting Exhibition: Exploring Connections Within Teaching, Learning, and Quilt Praxis
Published April 17, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Stitch by stitch, quilt making has played an integral role in African American history. But the storytelling embedded in the quilts themselves is more than mere tradition.In the Afrofuturism &…Read now »
University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum Set for April 12
Published April 9, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Michigan State University’s 26th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) will take place Friday, April 12, both online and in person at the Breslin Student Events…Read now »
Registration Still Open for 9th Annual Global Digital Humanities Symposium
Published March 6, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
This year’s Global Digital Humanities Symposium at Michigan State University will, in large part, focus on ethical Artificial Intelligence with each of the three keynote speakers planning to…Read now »
Researching the Role of Community for Black Students at Predominately White Institutions
Published March 4, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Woman sitting on a couch looking at camera with many photos pasted on a white wall behind her.
Evamelo (Eva) Oleita, who is among the inaugural class of students majoring in African American and African Studies (AAAS) at Michigan State University, is researching the experiences of…Read now »
Apparel and Textile Design Students Receive VIP Behind-the-Scenes Access to New York Fashion Week
Published February 21, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Two Michigan State University senior Apparel and Textile Design majors, Abigail Jones and Whitney Howard, received a one-of-a-kind behind-the-scenes look at the fashion industry during the February…Read now »
MSU Students Earn New York Fashion Week Trip with Creative Sustainable Designs
Published February 6, 2024 in College of Arts & Letters
Senior Apparel and Textile Design majors Abigail Jones and Whitney Howard both earned a trip to New York Fashion Week with their winning designs created for the Michigan State University Spartan…Read now »
Several College of Arts & Letters Projects Supported by HARP Grants
Published December 13, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A collage of photos of various different people in front of a collection of backgrounds.
Twelve College of Arts & Letters faculty members currently are working on projects supported by 2023 Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) Grants. The projects range from mixed media…Read now »
1855 Professor: Researching and Teaching Native American Environmental Ethics
Published November 17, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Elan Pochedley, Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Michigan State University, focuses much of his research and teaching on understanding the sustainable stewardship that…Read now »
Religious Studies Professor Returns to Her Native Community for 1855 Professorship
Published November 10, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Blaire Morseau grew up in New Jersey and spent most of her life there, including her undergraduate years at Rutgers University, yet she considers Michigan her home. As a citizen of the Pokagon…Read now »
Research Shines New Light on Role of Women in Founding Jewish American Education
Published November 6, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Laura Yares has spent “years sitting in archives” researching a period of Jewish American education that historians have largely overlooked as insignificant, a period in which very little had…Read now »
Indigenous Language Revitalization a Top Priority for Linguistics Student
Published November 1, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A picture of a woman with long brown hair, glasses, and a red shirt with a light pink dress posing beside a poster board.
As a Linguistics major with a minor in Indigenous Studies, Mikayla Thompson has a passion for Indigenous language revitalization and is a proud descendant of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Her…Read now »