lumni and Friends of the Departement of Design and Merchandising
Design and Merchandising students were able to participate in the first Guatemala study abroad class due to the generosity of Carolyn Fineran and Bob Lindig of Denver, Colorado, who have established a Design and Merchandising International Fund to support high achieving students who are eager to broaden their global experiences but might not otherwise be able to do so due to financial need. Carolyn shared her expertise from a 25-year career in retailing, including ownership of the Tapestry boutique in Denver’s Cherry Creek, as she accompanied the students on the department’s Guatemala trip.
Judi Arndt of Colorado Springs, Colorado has established a planned gift to the Avenir Museum of Design and Merchandising of her extensive and culturally significant collection of textiles from Central, South, and Southeast Asia. The collection is already in use as students study these beautiful and intricate textiles for design, historical, and cultural inspiration in their classes. Judi’s collection adds considerable strength to an emerging Asian focus in the collection. Judi also shares generously of her time through departmental lectures highlighting some of the special textiles she has collected each year.