Carol Wilkinson: Design is her specialty

	When not designing promotional items for UNT, Carol Wilkinson, manager of Union Design Works in the University Union, designs and builds sets for local theatre productions.

Carol Wilkinson, manager of Union Design Works, keeps UNT students in the know. Union Design Works, located on Level 2 of the University Union, creates promotional materials such as banners, posters and logos for university events.

Wilkinson is the only full-time staff member in the department. All of her employees are student workers.

"I love the students," she says. "They keep me on my toes and keep me young."

Wilkinson grew up in the small Texas-panhandle town of Olton. She attended college at Angelo State University and graduated in 1988 with a degree in technical theatre design and a minor in art.

She started working at UNT in January 1995, when she says the Design Works office was still pretty basic. All items were traced using a projector and painted by hand. At that time the design office, then known as the Art Center, was located in the basement of the Union. Wilkinson says it was moved several times before arriving at its current location, when all new computer and electronic design programs were purchased.

"That made my job so much easier," she says.

Though her job for the university isn't exactly what she studied in college, Wilkinson says she still makes good use of her degree. She is deeply involved in local entertainment. For the past several years she has designed and built sets for the Denton Community Theatre. She has worked on productions including Music Man, Night Must Fall and the upcoming One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Of all her work with the theatre, she is most proud of her set for Little Foxes. Its early-20th-century style included detailed stenciled wallpaper.

Wilkinson says the process of set designing can be time consuming.

"First, I meet with the directors of the plays so I can get an understanding of their artistic view. Then I map out my designs based on their direction and my research. I make sure the sets are functional but still a complement to the acting," she says.

Many set designers leave their plans to be constructed by others, but not Wilkinson. Her favorite part of the process is the manual labor.

"I'm happiest when I'm hammering, building and painting," she says.

One of the busiest times of year for the Design Works staff is Homecoming.

"We create the banners and posters for the annual bonfire and make most of the Homecoming event promos," Wilkinson says.

After the rush of Homecoming week, she and the Design Works crew aren't as frantic, but there's still plenty to do.

"This office is always full of life; that's what makes working here so interesting," Wilkinson says.

BY PETER HOFSTAD paiswri2@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT celebrates 50th anniversary of desegregation with gala, online scrapbook
• Governor names Rice M. Tilley Jr. new regent, reappoints Strange and Nickell
• UNT raises almost $6,000 in heart walk
• Awards presented at Staff Sack Lunch
• Faculty Senate hears from new engineering dean
• Willis Library offers appraisals at Roadshow
• UNT implementing new Enterprise Information System
• UNT professor creates new curriculum for WIC parents

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