Wed, Sep 23
|Cranbrook Art Museum
Book Launch: Fine Design by Scott Klinker
Celebrate the Launch of Fine Design: A Studio Guide to Remixing Design, Art, Craft, and Industry by former Artist in Residence of 3D Design, Scott Klinker
Time & Location
Sep 23, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Cranbrook Art Museum, 39221 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304, USA
About the event
Join us to celebrate the launch of Fine Design: A Studio Guide to Remixing Design, Art, Craft, and Industry by former Artist in Residence of 3D Design, Scott Klinker (CAA MFA Design ‘96). The new publication is a guide to contemporary studio practice that combines instructional methods with significant student and alumni projects developed during his years at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Scott will be joined in conversation by Andrew Blauvelt, Director of Cranbrook Art Museum, following the talk.
Scott Klinker designs furniture, lighting, and spatial systems that operate at the intersection of design, architecture, art, and craft. Trained as an industrial designer, he approaches each project through an architectural lens, exploring how people inhabit and experience space. His studio is based in Metro Detroit, Michigan.
Scott Klinker Design Studio balances industry collaborations with cultural and experimental work. He has partnered with design-driven companies including MillerKnoll, Alessi, Steelcase, Landscape Forms, and Burton Snowboards. His industry projects have received numerous professional awards, while his limited-edition works are represented by Playground Detroit.
From 2001 to 2025, Klinker served as Designer-in-Residence and Head of the 3D Design program at Cranbrook Academy of Art, one of the world's leading graduate institutions for art and design. During his tenure, he mentored more than 170 designers from around the globe. The program's emphasis on research and experimentation profoundly shaped his design philosophy, methods, and international network of collaborators.
In 2026, Klinker authored Fine Design: A Studio Guide to Remixing Design, Art, Craft, and Industry published by the Eindhoven-based Dutch design publisher Set Margins.
Klinker earned an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art and has held professional positions at IDEO in Palo Alto and Sony Ericsson. Before returning to Cranbrook, he taught design for two years in Japan at the Kanazawa International Design Institute.
UN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
We use Detroit's UNESCO City of Design designation as a call to action for Detroiters to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities, contributing to the active effort of solving global interconnected issues.