Jill Stoll presents at Eye Opener Retreat at Cranbrook Academy of Art

July 9, 2026

BY rawad nahhas

Professor of Practice Jill Stoll was invited by Laurie Haycock Makela to present at the 2026 Eye Opener Retreat at Cranbrook Academy of Art, a five-day gathering of women artists, designers, and educators centered on creative practice, dialogue, and exchange. One of eight invited salon speakers, Stoll presented "Sketchbooks and Consumer Cloth: Restriction as Arrival", an artist talk exploring the role of self-imposed constraints in her studio work.

Drawing connections between her sketchbooks and cardboard weavings, the presentation examined how limitations of scale, material, process, and time have become generative tools rather than obstacles. The talk also reflected on the influence of artist Anne Ryan and considered how creative practice evolves over decades through refinement, restraint, and sustained attention.

Stoll is a Professor of Practice in the Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment, where she teaches beginning design studios and design history.