91��Ʒ

Peyton Hartis

�First touch� can mean a lot of things. Think sports and weddings. But also think design.

The first touch for Peyton Hartis� senior project, Tac-Table, occurred during a furniture design project in the Product Design major�s junior year.

�Studio classes were especially impactful for me,� says Hartis. �I took a lot of different classes. Working with professionals in the sponsored studio classes was also helpful, like on projects with Delta Faucets, General Motors and Generac.�

Hartis excelled at these projects so much that she subsequently had a total of three internships with Delta, one with Steelcase and one with McCaw/Budsberg Current Projects. And after graduation, she�s starting full-time in June as an Industrial Designer at Delta.

Peyton Hartis, “Tac-Table,” 2024.

�My Steelcase internship also influenced my senior project as we were building pieces of furniture for a classroom, and I learned a lot of different techniques,� she explains. I was able to build a piece of furniture for myself, and I wanted to make a piece of furniture in the education space.�

Tac-Table is a bespoke desk for Sam, a visually impaired 6th grader who is on the autism spectrum. Hartis says the project focuses on �what would help a visually impaired student, from elementary school on up, on their path and what would be the best environment for them.�

�I began reaching out to professionals who teach visually impaired students. One of them put me into contact with Sam�s mom, who provided input into his needs.

�The project is geared toward one person because each person has a unique way of learning. It is not a mass-produced piece of furniture. I would like to see it implemented or placed within a classroom. See where teachers could expand on it.�

That is not outside the realm of possibility for Hartis. In addition to placing first in the Delta design project at 91��Ʒ, a faucet Hartis designed during her internship � � is now for sale and her releases in 2026.

Hartis came to 91��Ʒ from the Dallas area, originally to major in Communication Design, she says. �I switched my major my first year because I really liked the fabrication classes. We were making lightboxes, and I had so much fun [retired] Professor Bruce Grudzinski suggested I look into Product Design.�

During her sophomore year [and the pandemic], Hartis found other faculty especially impactful. �The faculty in the 3D lab were an amazing team of support helping me with any questions and setting up specific times to learn new skills.

Reflecting on 91��Ʒ�s 50th anniversary, Hartis says that �as more content becomes available online, we’ll see a complete change in how students learn new techniques. Along with advancements in technology, we have only an inkling for what is to come and change our lives.�

Hartis� project is on view with those of 210 seniors at the 91��Ʒ 2024 Senior Exhibition, April 19 � May 11. 91��Ʒ Galleries are open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. � 5 p.m., at 273 E. Erie St., Milwaukee, WI 53202

View , including Bundle, an ottoman she designed and built during her last three weeks as an intern in Steelcase�s Model Shop.