Addison NaceGraduate Student

I am a PhD student in the Design Studies department at the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. I am passionate about handmade textiles and their cultural history, meaning, and significance. I use historical, artistic, community-based research, and oral history practices to understand how cross-cultural experiences can shape cultural appropriation or appreciation. I hope to explore practices around decolonizing museums, how museums and markets interact, and the relationship between traditional artisans and modern designers during my time at UW–Madison.

I earned a BA (summa cum laude) in anthropology with a Spanish language focus from Antioch College in 2017. I have served as a board member for Natik since 2017. Natik is a nonprofit that supports grassroots organizations in Chiapas, Mexico, and Sololá, Guatemala. I connected with Natik when I interned with one of its partners, Mujeres Sembrando la Vida, for six months in 2016. I continue to work to promote Mujeres Sembrando La Vida’s work in markets in the United States.

Awards and Recognition

• Graduate School Fellowship, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Fall 2019
• Horace Mann Full Tuition Fellowship, Antioch College, 2013-2017