Peter M. Wenger

Peter is an artist and designer. He studied fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. His career in architecture includes a decade with Patkau Architects in Vancouver, where he established and directed the Patkau Design Lab. He has lectured, led workshops and served as a critic at universities in Canada and the United States. His current practice focuses on large-scale public sculpture.

At Arts Umbrella, Peter focuses on helping students develop a designer’s mindset, which he believes is a universally transferable skill. In his view, a designer is someone who takes responsibility for how a small part of the world will be arranged, and why. They navigate a complex set of relationships that range from material systems to emotional and cultural experiences. A designer seeks possibility through process, curiosity, and communication. They learn to judge ideas independent of the person who holds them, including themselves. Finally, a designer is someone who understands and values tradition while continually reaching for a new way, for an as yet unimagined path.