Amy Green Deines Named Dean of Cranbrook Academy of Art
Bloomfield Hills, Mich., May 19, 2016 – Christopher Scoates, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum, and the Cranbrook Academy of Art Board of Governors announced today that after a comprehensive search, Amy Green Deines, Associate AIA, IIDA, has been named Dean of Cranbrook Academy of Art. She begins her tenure July 1.
Deines is a graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art, having received her Master of Architecture degree in 2000. Most recently she served as a Professor and Interim Dean of the College of Architecture and Design at Lawrence Technological University (LTU), a position she held since 2015. She has also served as the Executive Director of LTU’s Detroit Center for Design and Technology (DCDT) since 2012. Deines succeeds Sarah Turner, who is stepping down from the position.
“Amy Deines’ unique background as a graduate of the Academy and also a practicing educator, designer and educational administrator makes her an ideal choice for this position,” said Scoates. “Her work with the Detroit Center for Design and Technology, in addition to her experience as Dean, shows her aptitude and skill to implement innovative projects that inject energy and an entrepreneurial spirit into the educational experience.”
The DCDT, located in the cultural district of Detroit, includes a storefront gallery, LTU design studios, practice space, K-12 programs, a design business accelerator, and research laboratory. This initiative enables students of architecture and design to study the complexity and opportunities of a city first-hand. As Interim Dean, and in her previous role as Associate Dean, Deines was responsible for raising over $1.5 million in capital and program dollars to allow this project to exist and to facilitate the multiple Detroit and educational initiatives of the College. Deines is also the founder of detroitSHOP, a trans-disciplinary design studio now based at the DCDT.
Deines joined LTU in 2011, first serving as the Chair of the Department of Art and Design and then as Associate Dean from 2013-2014. Prior to her work at LTU, Deines held academic positions at the University of Detroit Mercy, School of Architecture. Deines is a professional designer with experience in both the public and private sectors, specializing in architecture, graphic design, and urban design.
As Dean of the Academy, Deines will assist Chris Scoates with formulating, implementing, and evaluating the institution’s academic policies and programs. She will oversee the academic and programmatic activities of the Artists-in-Residence and their departments, as well as the Registrar, Financial Aid, Admissions and Student Services staff and processes. With the assistance of the Academic Programs Coordinator, she will also develop and manage the Critical Studies, Humanities, and Professional Practices programs, and work with faculty and students to enhance the Visiting Artists and Critics program and promote academic and professional enrichment opportunities for faculty and students. Deines will also oversee recruitment and enrollment at the Academy.
“I believe that today’s most successful contemporary creative practitioners have understood that 21st century innovation is a research-based process that fully engages in a multi-disciplinary, reflective practice,” said Deines. “As an alumna of the Academy, I have a deep respect and understanding of the value that Cranbrook Academy of Art brings to art and design education. Cranbrook continues to reside at the forefront of an art and design education. Its unique model of bridging the Artist-in-Residence with the intellectual and creative agency within the individual departments allows for a hybrid or an unexpected practice to exist and thrive.”
She is a member of the AIA, IIGA, NCIDQ, IIDA, and NOMA. Deines has been elected to serve on the AIA Michigan and AIA Detroit Board of Directors. Deines also sits on the National Organization of Minority Architects Detroit Board of Directors and Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program.
