Marianne Fairbanks is an assistant professor in the Design Studies department at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.  She received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her BFA from the University of Michigan (BFA).  Her work has been shown nationally and internationally in venues including The Museum of Art and Design, NY, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago,  The Smart Museum of Art, Chicago, and Museum London, Ontario.  Fairbanks is a founding member of Mess Hall, an experimental cultural space in Chicago, and co-founder of Noon Solar, a small business that made wearable solar technology to charge personal electronics. Her current work is focused on the intersections of weaving, mathematics, and technology.