Tamara McLean's work resides at the intersection of past and present, using large-scale environmental design installations to connect people with the places they inhabit. As an interdisciplinary artist specializing in graphic and interactive design, her practice fosters informed contemporary dialogues through immersive experiences. Her installations resonate with audiences on multiple levels, encouraging exploration and reflection on historical and cultural contexts.
McLean's career has been marked by significant milestones, including the Minneapolis College of Art and Design Master of Arts Graphic and Web Design Merit Scholarship and the Ernie Moll Scholarship. Her collaborative endeavors have been celebrated with the IIDA Showroom and Large Booth Design Award at NeoCon and multiple AAF American Advertising Awards. Her work has been showcased at renowned events such as the Evolving Graphic Design Symposium, the Southeastern College Arts Conference, and the Society of Experiential Graphic Design, underscoring her growing influence in the industry.
A recent milestone in McLean's career was her collaboration with the Mead Witter School of Music on the project 'Harmonies Unbound: A Digital Media Collage Inspired by Stanislav Skrowaczewski's 'Music for Winds’' This project, born from the University of Wisconsin Wind Ensemble's interpretation of Skrowaczewski's work, is a testament to McLean's ability to merge visual art and music. The resulting digital media collage transcends temporal and spatial boundaries, capturing Skrowaczewski's ethereal essence through a visual lens. The project weaves together image fragments, colors, and textures into a multi-layered narrative that mirrors the emotional tapestries of the music.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison funded McLean's innovative curriculum proposal on augmented reality (AR) in graphic design education. Her research was presented and published at the SEGD Academic Summit in 2023. As she pursues a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Fellow, McLean welcomes collaborations and aspires to create future installations for galleries, museums, public spaces, and commercial interiors, aiming to entertain, inform, and inspire.
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