New Voices, New Visions: DI’s Spring 2026 Creatives-in-Residence

Kim Kapera

Community Member

Kim Kapera (she/her) is a photographer and mixed media artist selected as one of Akron Soul Train's 2026 artists-in-residence. Her passion for stories and culture has most recently been pursued through the lens of her Polish heritage. She is interested in exploring traditional Polish folk art in modern applications, incorporating themes of nostalgia and identity. Kim studied photojournalism and French at Ohio University, and holds a bachelor's degree in visual communication. The ethnographic research project she completed in Morocco was awarded first place in the Journalism Department at the 2012 Ohio University Creative Exposition. 

Mimi Lemar

Undergraduate Student, Fashion Design & Sustainability

Mimi Lemar is a senior at Kent State studying fashion design with a minor in sustainability. Since the fall of 2024, she has also worked as a crew member in Design Innovation's REACTOR makerspace, where she's developed a fascination about how digital technologies reinterpret crafts that have previously been done by hand. As a continuation of that curiosity, her project for this residency is a collection of three looks that deconstruct and redefine lace using contemporary technology. Through this collection, she will explore lace as both a historical craft and a material transformed through digital processes, examining how technology reshapes labor, texture, and meaning. She aims to answer the question, “Can technology replicate traditional craftsmanship, or is it creating a different craft in and of itself?”

Connor Ruppelt

Alumnus & Community Member

Connor Ruppelt is an artist based in Cleveland, Ohio and earned his BFA from Kent State University in 2023. His creative practice currently focuses on documenting spaces and daily life through 3D scanning and digital media. As a creative-in-residence at Design Innovation, he is combining physical and digital processes to create collage and assemblage-inspired explorable landscapes in an interactive immersive experience.

A Platform for Exploration, Collaboration & Impact

The CIR Program is designed to catalyze creative inquiry and hands-on experimentation, encouraging residents to explore new technologies, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and connect with the wider public through interactive programming and exhibitions.

Throughout the semester, residents will:

• Develop and prototype original work in the DI Hub’s REACTOR maker environment
• Host a public-facing event such as a workshop, demonstration, or artist talk
• Participate in an end-of-semester exhibition in the DI Gallery
• Present their work at DI Day, Kent State’s annual celebration of creativity and innovation
• Reflect on their process in a documented creative portfolio

The community is invited to follow the residents’ journey throughout the semester and attend upcoming events and exhibitions that showcase their work.

learn more about the CIR Program