An important advantage for design students at Lawrence Technological University’s (LTU) College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) is the opportunity to learn from and work with faculty who have real-world experience and help solve real-world problems.
Design students in the Design Declassified-sponsored studio last semester worked with Erika Cross, CoAD adjunct professor of design and owner of Ann Arbor-based Erika Cross Studio, a multidisciplinary design practice, to create everyday products with a unique twist.
Jared Siefert, founder and CEO of Designed Declassified, said, “It was an honor to provide materials and witness the students at LTU push new boundaries. As an industrial designer, I’m grateful for the chance to support the next generation of artists and designers. I was genuinely impressed by the creativity, dedication, and craft each student brought to their work, and I hope they carry this learning experience into their professional careers.”
Juniors Ashgen Boyer, Lourdes Davish, Delanie Shorten, and Ryan Sukhraj, and senior Sofia Eddy exhibited their product design work at Ann Arbor’s pop-up CultureVerse Gallery through January 5, 2026. The exhibition, curated by Anna Gersh, was titled “Artists & Their Teachers: The Power of Mentorship in the Transfer of Ideas.”
According to A2 Jazz Fest, sponsor of the Ann Arbor exhibit: “The Upanishads, the great classic of Indian spirituality, describe in detail the critical nature of the teaching and learning relationship to support student development in an appropriately challenging and intentionally scaffolded way. In these times of information overload, misinformation, and ‘alternative facts,’ people everywhere are looking for trustworthy resources that have their best interests at heart.”
CoAD Interim Dean Lilian Crum said industry-sponsored studios like this one with Design Declassified, a sustainable building materials company, are invaluable to CoAD students. The partnership was supported by Centrepolis Accelerator.
“They provide real-world constraints, professional expectations, and collaborative opportunities that prepare students for the complexities of contemporary design practice,” she said. “This partnership challenged our students to design products while addressing adaptability, resilience, and environmental impact. Working with 100 percent recycled and recyclable HDPE sheets, students were able to research, sketch, prototype, and test innovative solutions that transform Design Declassified materials into meaningful, sustainable design outcomes. We’re grateful to Design Declassified for sponsoring this important studio.
“These student works will be showcased at the May 2026 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York City.”
ICFF is an annual contemporary design fair that showcases trending furniture and industrial design. Founded in 1989, the ICFF has hosted hundreds of international exhibitors, both established brands and emerging designers.
Cross said, “The students didn’t just meet the challenge of this new material; they fully embraced its creative possibilities. By leaning into the experimental and exploratory nature of the course, they produced sophisticated work that reflects both their unique perspectives and the material’s incredible versatility.
“We’re proud that these six CoAD ‘emerging designers’ will have the chance to represent the exciting work of all our design students.”
The pieces that will be exhibited at ICFF are exciting outgrowths of the mentorship Erika Cross provided to her students in this product design studio.
