Senior Thesis — Calavera Designs

Design in Community, 2026.

Over the past year, increased federal presence, specifically in Minnesota, has heightened concerns around safety within local communities. In response, artists expanded their roles, transforming creative work into tools for advocacy and support. This project explores how design operates within communal spaces. Through stickers, button pins, patches, zines, and screen-printed posters, I asked:

What does the community need now, and what will it need moving forward?
In collaboration with small businesses and organizations, this work raised approximately $6,000. Through this process, I’ve defined my practice: design as a vehicle for connection, belonging, and collective voice. Where design and community are inseparable.
Organizations donated to in the past year: Immigrant Defense Network MN, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Fe y Justicia (Housing for Immigrants), Academias La Paz Community Resource Center , Indigenous Roots BIPOC artist and families' funds.