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

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 »
Doctoral Student Researching Female Representation in Latin American Horror Films
Published October 31, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Person smiling in front of nature background.
Since she was a kid, Ana Patricia Ponce Castañeda has loved horror films and fondly remembers watching scary movies with her mom as she was growing up in Mexico.  Now, a second-year Ph.D….Read now »
Mozilla Grant Empowers African-Informed Approach to Global Technology Design
Published October 30, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Two pictures side by side: the picture on the right features a man in a red shirt and blue blazer smiling; the picture on the right features a woman with short hair, glasses, and a black shirt smiling.
Michigan State University received a 2023 Responsible Computing Challenge Award for $150,000 from the Mozilla Foundation to center African perspectives in technology course/curriculum redesign.The…Read now »
Ask the Expert: How Does Black Horror Help Us Understand Cultural Anxieties?
Published October 23, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Portrait of a woman wearing glasses, a purple dress, and a colorful necklace.
The genre of horror, and specifically Black horror, has been gaining attention in mainstream media in the last decade. Films by Black writers and directors featuring Black actors — think “ Us”…Read now »
MSU Excavations at Isthmia to Use Radio Wave Tracking for Its Collection
Published October 11, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
The MSU Excavations at Isthmia, led by Jon Frey, Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, will soon become one of the first archeological sites in Greece to use Radio…Read now »
Ask the Expert: How Can AI Support Writing and Student Learning?
Published September 14, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
MSU Associate Dean and Professor Bill Hart-Davidson pictured with a background of shifting blue light.
With the start of the school year approaching, educators are wondering how artificial intelligence, or AI, may be used in learning environments, including by students for writing papers. Bill…Read now »
Ph.D. Student Receives $25,000 to Conduct Research in France
Published September 6, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
It’s not often a student receives $25,000 to support their research, but that’s exactly what Hannah Olsen succeeded in doing as a recipient of the highest amount awarded by the Jeanne Marandon…Read now »
Philosophy Professor Honored for Influential Research on Values in Science
Published August 11, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A picture of a woman with a red turtleneck, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
A research paper written by Heather Douglas, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Michigan State University, is being recognized as one of the most influential to ever be published by the Philosophy…Read now »
Undergraduate Research Project to Study Queer Culture in Japan
Published June 1, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Elias Young, a junior Japanese major at Michigan State University, is applying his language skills and interest in LGBTQ+ culture on an undergraduate research project where he plans to create an…Read now »
Fulbright Scholar Award to Support Linguistic Landscapes Research
Published May 24, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
A Fulbright Global Scholar Award received by Meagan Driver for the 2023-2024 academic year will support research on how to bring students’ own “linguistic landscapes” into their foreign…Read now »
College of Arts & Letters Students Receive UURAF First-Place Awards for Research
Published May 8, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Several College of Arts & Letters students earned first-place awards for their presentations at the 2023 University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF). The 25th UURAF at Michigan…Read now »
Ph.D. Student Wins National Award for Work in Queer Theory
Published April 13, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Ruby Mendoza, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University, has won a national award in recognition of their outstanding work in the…Read now »
University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum Set for April 14
Published April 11, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Michigan State University’s 25th annual University Undergraduate Research and Arts Forum (UURAF) will take place Friday, April 14, both online and in person. This hybrid event will feature…Read now »
Supporting Staged Intimacy
Published March 20, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
MSU Theatre Professors Advocate for Safety, Boundaries, and Better Storytelling Through Intimacy Direction Education When Alexis Black was a fight director for Broadway and off-Broadway…Read now »
MSU Professor Receives National Prize for Research on Women and Politics
Published March 13, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Each March, Michigan State University recognizes Women’s History Month, dedicated to honoring the impact women have made in the United States and at MSU. As part of this celebration, we are…Read now »
MFA Exhibition on Display March 11-May 21 at the MSU Broad Art Museum
Published March 8, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
The 2023 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, which runs March 11-May 21 at the MSU Broad Art Museum, will feature the work of the four MFA candidates who are graduating this spring. The exhibition is…Read now »
Apparel and Textile Design Student Wins Trip to New York Fashion Week
Published March 7, 2023 in College of Arts & Letters
Inspired by the cherry blossoms on Michigan State University’s campus in spring, MSU senior Kate Blaszkiewicz created an elaborate one-of-a-kind gown made out of paper, which earned her a trip to…Read now »