Jennifer Webb, associate professor of interior architecture and design and assistant dean of graduate studies, joined the interior design faculty at the University of Arkansas in 1999. The interior design program became part of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design in 2010. During her 25 years with the university, Webb has pursued an active research agenda focused on person-environment fit and investigated the role of privacy in living environments for older adults.
Webb’s research on anticipated living environments for Arkansas residents provided the pilot data for the Arkansas Health and Housing Survey (2006). She was recognized with the Joel Polsky Prize for contributions to the interior design profession for her work on Just Below the Line: Disability, Housing, and Equity in the South, by Korydon H. Smith, with contributions from Webb and Brent T. Williams (University of Arkansas Press, 2010). She has also made contributions to the Universal Design Handbook (McGraw Hill, 2010); a textbook on inclusive design, Diversity and Design: Understanding the Hidden Consequences (Routledge, 2015); and has a book on aesthetics and social justice underway. In 2020, she edited a special issue of the Journal of Interior Design titled “Pushed to the Edge: Marginalization in the Constructed Interior.”
Webb has taught a wide variety of courses in interior design. She co-developed the interdisciplinary course, Diversity and Design, an Arkansas humanities core course at the U of A. As a professional interior designer, Webb has worked in corporate and healthcare design. She is an NCIDQ certificate holder and a LEED Accredited Professional. Since 1999, she has served on the Arkansas State Board of Registered Interior Designers and as the Southwest Chair and as Director of Scholarship on the Board of Directors Interior Design Educators Council. She serves as a member of the Journal of Interior Design Board. In 2019, Webb was named a Fellow of the Interior Design Educators Council.
How did you first get interested in interior architecture and design?
It was a wonderful accident. My first major at the University of Tennessee was in advertising, and I just hated everything about it. I had a job in advertising in school, and I hated it. I was working in a shop in the mall designing windows. I would create a window, and they would sell it the next morning. One of my coworkers told me I’d be a great decorator (which is what the general public commonly called interior designers back then). I’d never even heard of decorating, but I knew I could do that. I went the next day to change majors. Luckily, it wasn’t just decorating, because I would have gotten bored long ago. But I remember walking into that first studio, smelling the air, looking at what the students were working on. It was just so interesting.
What was your path from there to teaching at the Fay Jones School?
It took me seven and a half years to earn my first degree. I went from my senior year in advertising to starting a new major. So, it took a long time.
After graduating, there were even more changes. The firm I was at changed leadership, and I got divorced. I always wanted to go to graduate school, so I went back to the University of Tennessee and got a master’s degree. I was so focused on finishing my thesis that I forgot to look for a job. It sounds stupid, but I was so caught up in what I was doing, and no one ever said anything. I got a gig teaching at Appalachian State in North Carolina. I was there for a year, and I took that time to look for doctoral degree programs. I went to Oklahoma State University and did my doctoral degree, and then I came here to the University of Arkansas as part of the job search process. And it stuck. Every time I’ve been ready to move on or to leave, something changed, a new challenge came about that has made me want to stay. Last time around it was having an opportunity to start working on the MDes graduate studies program.
How did you get involved in the Master of Design Studies program?
I literally just went to talk to Dean Peter MacKeith about an opportunity at a different institution. Then he came back to me and gave me the option to help start the graduate program here. He looked at the things that the school was working on, and he just helped to find that opportunity for me. He helped create a plan for my future, so that was amazing.
What has been your role with the Master of Design Studies program?
I researched different degrees and programs on campus, how they were structured. I figured out the process to create a new degree at the university by going to all kinds of people to help me figure it out. So many different people on campus just loaned their expertise. I haven’t done everything, not by myself at all. I’ve learned everything from the ground up with a lot of help.
My role has really been everything from taking that initial “Is this the kind of degree that we think we’re best suited for?” to “How do we bring it to fruition?” I recruit new students, I advise the students, I help through the administrative process, and I teach some of the classes.
What is a design or research project that you are proud of?
I would say that I’m proud of all the research that I’ve been engaged in. I think the most important thing in the work that I’ve done — whether it’s teaching, research about teaching, or design — all of that has the power to improve people’s lives. All aspects of my work are geared toward making the environment useful, accessible or beautiful.
Is there an accomplishment outside of work that you’re particularly proud of?
There are two things that I’m most excited about. One is riding my bike because I’m not a naturally athletic person. In 2019, my husband, Mark, and I rode our bikes across Missouri for vacation. I never thought I could do something like that. It was really hard. The other accomplishment that I get excited about is our yard. I never envisioned that I was an outdoor person. But we’ve built up the topsoil, and we built stonewalls, and we planted a garden. We’ve done so with an effort to make it insect, bird and critter-friendly, and it’s just exciting. We work on it all the time, and I love being in that space. And I never thought of myself as an outdoor space person.
What would you say is one of the most difficult parts of your job?
Currently, it’s making hard decisions about student assessment. Students aren’t always successful in what they attempt with their work. I’m always trying to take my personal bias out of it. I don’t think the students necessarily know how hard that is or how hard we might try because they probably hear my opinion a lot. When it comes down to assessing, I try to make sure that my personal preference isn’t part of the assessment. I try to really think if each student achieved what we as a program think they need to achieve to move forward. Sometimes it’s not easy. Sometimes they just have a bad semester; sometimes it’s just not the work that they’re most excited about or most interested in.
There are parts that are very objective: Did you meet the building code? There are parts that are subjective: Do I like those materials together? So, I’m always trying to figure out what’s objective and what’s subjective and how to guide the students. Design is complicated, and trying to help students make decisions that aren’t just based on objectives can be complicated as well.
What is your favorite place on campus?
In the studio with students. I love sitting with the student with a piece of trace paper and a pencil. I’m so much smarter when I have a pencil, and so my most favorite place is working on a problem.
What is something you wish your students knew about you?
How much I care about their success. But, I do think they know that. I’m certainly cheesy enough in what I say to them that I hope they perceive it. It is hard sometimes to believe people care about you, especially in the post-pandemic world that we’re in now.
You have been teaching here for 25 years; what changes have you seen?
The types of students, the type of work, and certainly the technology used. I still think we need a balance of how we use digital tools. I’m really trying to help our students feel empowered to like hard work and be willing to try. Recently, students are less prone to trying things they’re unsure about. Part of it is just the generational changes; part of it might be high school experiences, the current social environment, political unrest. But the willingness to try is sometimes 85% of the battle. It overcomes a lack of intuition.
Anything to add?
I’m still excited about the work that I do. I still believe that design has the ability to change the world, and I don’t want to ever lose sight of that.