Marianne Fairbanks is an Audrey Rothermel Bascom Professor, associate professor of Design Studies and Kohl’s Center Innovation Faculty Fellow in the School of Human Ecology. Trained in fiber arts, her work includes a studio-based practice where she produces woven works and sculptures that experiment with color, pattern and structure.
Outside the studio, Fairbanks created Weaving Lab, which aimed to bring the art and practice of weaving into public spaces while inviting people to try it for the first time and observe how it made them feel. She also co-runs Hello! Loom, a small business that sells handheld, affordable looms to individuals and educators alike. Additionally, she collaborates across campus with engineers and scientists to invent new material applications and design-based solutions.
In November 2023, UW–Madison unveiled “Seed by Seed,” a set of banners displayed on Bascom Hall that Fairbanks co-designed with anthropology PhD student Molly Pauliot and Stephen Hilyard, a professor of digital arts. The banners, featuring Ho-Chunk beadwork designs and imagery, were created as part of the university’s 175th anniversary and the Our Shared Future initiative.