Rebecca Mushtare

Biography

Rebecca Mushtare is an interaction designer and visual artist. Her creative work explores privilege, power dynamics, chronic illness, and access. Research interests include digital accessibility, design for older adults, and design for civic engagement. Audience experience and community are always core to her work. She serves as the creative director for Vote Oswego, a campus student voter registration and get out the vote initiative. Rebecca is also the co-founder and design director of the Recollection Project, which brings community together through objects, storytelling and exhibitions. Rebecca is also the co-host, with John Kane, of the Tea for Teaching podcast.

Research 

Professor Mushtare has research interests in accessibility, design for older adults, and design for civic engagement. She regularly collaborates with her students on community projects that address these issues. Most recently projects have included Vote Oswego—a nonpartisan voter mobilization campaign, and Recollection: Storytelling through Mementos—a non-digital interactive exhibition designed with and for older adults, currently on a one-year tour of adult care facilities in CNY.

Publications 

• Rank and Mushtare. “Personas as a Tool for Teaching Civic Communication.” Journal of General Education. Vol. 68, no 3-4, 2019, pp. 252-262.
• Rank, Mushtare, Tylock, and Huynh. “Transforming Campus Voting Drive Into Interdisciplinary Service-Learning Projects.” Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Vol 23, No 2, 2019. 131–146. Web. 
• Mushtare, Rebecca. “Beyond the Visual: Designers With a Seat at the Table.” Transformation: The Changing Nature of Design in the 21st Century. Association of Registered Graphic Designers (2016). Web.

Conferences 

• “Learning During the Pandemic: Takeaways from interviews with students with disabilities”,   co-presented with Amy Fisk, SUNY Conference on Instruction and Technology, Virtual (May 27, 2021)
• “10-Day Accessibility Challenge Pilot Program,” co-presented with Michele Thornton and Kate Percival, 12th Annual CUNY Accessibility Conference, CUNY (April 9, 2021)
• “A Qualitative Analysis of Remote Learning Barriers Among Students with Disabilities,” co-presented with Amy Fisk, 12th Annual CUNY Accessibility Conference, CUNY (April 8, 2021)
• “Access as Design Requirement: Improving Attitudes and Commitment,” Design Incubation Colloquium 6.3: Fordham University, Virtual (May 16, 2020)
• “Podcasting for Professional Development,” co-presented with John Kane. Online Learning Consortium: Accelerate Conference, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Lake Buena Vista, FL. (November 21, 2019)
• “Accessibility: Dismantling Digital Borders.” Border Control: New Media Caucus Symposium, Stamps School of Art and Design, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI. (September 21, 2019)

Awards and honors 

Professor Mushtare has been co-awarded with Michael Flanagan multiple grants (Health Foundation for Western & Central New York, Leon J. Goldberg Charitable Trust and CNY Arts Community Arts Grant)  support the Recollection Project. She was also awarded a Curriculum Development Award from Teach Access, served as an Artist-in-Residence at The Nottingham (a senior living community), had creative work commissioned through ArtsWestchester, and been awarded internal grants for research and creative pursuits including the Scholarly and Creative Activity Grant, Faculty Mini Grant and a Faculty-Student Challenge Grant.

Performances and exhibitions 

Mushtare has exhibited extensively in the region including a solo exhibitions in both the Rome Art and Community Center and Westchester Community College Center for the Digital Arts Gallery , two-person exhibitions at HERE Arts Center in NYC and at the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts, and multiple group shows including exhibitions at ArtsWestchester, Bertha V.B Lederer Gallery at SUNY Geneseo, Rockland Center for the Arts, Art Gallery in Reisman Hall at Cazenovia College, Lapham Gallery, Memorial Art Gallery etc. She’s also shown work nationally including a solo exhibition at East Central College Gallery in Missouri and several group exhibitions in California, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, Connecticut, Indiana, and Rhode Island.

Education 

• MFA, Computer Art, Syracuse University
• BFA, Graphic Design, State University of New York at Oswego