Rafael Fajardo Papers

Before coming to Colorado, Fajardo spent six years living, teaching, and working on the US/Mexico border. There, he challenged the canons of design education and attempted to locate a visual expression that was “of the region” and not imposed from outside. His students created ideosyncratic works that have been recognized for their excellence by Milia, the leading global forum for the interactive industries; Walt Disney Imagineering; and, MexicArte, a nationally reknown cultural space in Austin, Texas.

For many years Fajardo has been investigating cultural identity and cultural representation through his visual and intellectual work. His early explorations, completed while receiving his MFA from RISD, garnered recognition from the American Center for Design. More recently, his critical practice has earned him recognition by I.D., The International Magazine of Design as one of the fifty top designers in the US.

In 2005, the Colorado Council for the Arts awarded him a grant to support scholarships for under-represented populations to a game camp he is organizing with the department of computer science at the University of Denver. (rafaelfajardo.com)

Fajardo received an MFA in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1993, a BFA and a BA in Studio Art with a concentration in Design from the University of Texas at Austin. He was a Michener Fellow in Publishing at the University of Texas Press in 1991. Rafael’s research areas include design methods, design education, design pedagogy, ludology, meaningful play, and semiotics. (liberalarts.du.edu/about/people/rafael-fajardo)