Carley Hodgkinson & Erin Ashenhurst's Journey Through Dutch Design
When Erin Ashenhurst and Carley Hodgkinson stepped off the plane in the Netherlands, it took only a moment to realize something was off: winter had arrived early - very early. Wrapped in jackets better suited to a gentle Surrey breeze, they exchanged a look of instant understanding: We have under packed.
However, it set the tone for a week full of surprises - not just cold weather, but ideas, conversations, and moments that would quietly transform how they think about design and education at the Wilson School of Design. Warmth appeared quickly, though, in the form of Dutch hospitality, long chats over hot cones of fries (they made it their mission to try every version they encountered), and the shared thrill of discovering a new creative landscape side by side.
Their trip grew from a simple but important need. Both Erin and Carley were in the earliest stages of the Graphic Design for Marketing program review, specifically the curriculum map, which Carley jokingly describes as “useful and painful in equal parts.” They were asking themselves the same questions design educators everywhere are wrestling with: How are programs adapting to AI? What skills matter most for the next generation of designers? How much structure is helpful, and how much freedom fuels creativity? And most of all, what does meaningful design education look like in the years ahead?
Supported by the Mobility for Internationalization Fund, they travelled to Fontys University in Tilburg and immersed themselves in Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven - hoping to see these questions alive in real classrooms.
For Erin, the visual world of the Netherlands became an experience in itself. Walking through the streets, she found herself surrounded by huge murals, layered textures, bold colors, and images that weren’t confined to galleries or screens. It felt as if design was stitched into the fabric of the city.
“It really affects your experience to be surrounded by large-scale murals and cultural imagery,” she said. “We’re working on a publication right now about ‘Big Pictures,’ and being immersed in that environment directly informed our research.”
Erin Ashenhurst
The streets, the walls, the public installations - everything functioned like a living sketchbook. It reminded her that design doesn’t just communicate; it shapes the culture it lives in.
Fontys University gave them another moment that stayed with them. After touring the campus in Tilburg, they sat in on a graphic design class where students presented branding concepts. Even with presentations delivered in Dutch, the environment felt pleasantly comparable to KPU’s Graphic Design for Marketing program. Carley and Erin then had the opportunity to meet with international students in a program called Transmedia. Led by coordinator and instructor Maaike Reijnders, the program focuses on storytelling across multiple platforms. The projects students were tackling were conceptually demanding, and yet the students were navigating with confidence, guided through exploration, discussion, and thoughtful exercises. Watching them work, Carley was struck by how expansively the students were thinking.
It brought her to a simple but powerful realization: technology can support creativity, but it cannot replace deep critical and conceptual thinking. Seeing that level of intellectual rigor in action reminded her of why design education matters and what the heart of it really is.
Not every meaningful moment happened in a classroom. One evening, they attended an experimental performance at Dutch Design Week in a makeshift two-story plywood theatre. Two dancers moved through a raw, unpredictable, slightly strange performance, the kind of art that feels risky and intimate at the same time. Carley felt transported back to her art-school days at Emily Carr in the late ’90s: lo-fi, a bit chaotic, and completely unforgettable.
Both faculty members returned home with new energy for their teaching. Carley came back excited about material practice, the kind of deep making she saw everywhere in the Netherlands, where design often sits at the intersection of craft, technology, and art. She also returned with her camera roll full of unexpected textures, colors, and compositions. For her, these weren’t just pretty photos, they were teaching tools. “To many students, starting a project is the hardest part,” she said. “Bringing in my own lived experiences gives them a concrete way to begin.”
Erin returned with ideas that go beyond the classroom. The trip sharpened her sense of what global design education looks like and how the Wilson School of Design can participate in those larger conversations, especially around sustainability, visual culture, and creative leadership. And with her stepping into the Chair role in the spring, the experience also gave her insight into the kinds of questions students ask when they’re exploring exchanges and international pathways. Now, she’ll be able to guide them with deeper understanding and first-hand context.
For both Erin and Carley, the trip became much more than a professional development activity. It was a reset, a reminder of why they teach, why design matters, and how connecting with peers and students across the world can refresh one’s confidence in their purpose as educators. It also reaffirmed something else: KPU is already doing so much right, and experiences like this only strengthen what’s possible.
“It’s been a great reset for my teaching practice and helped reinforce all the things we’re doing really well at KPU. Plus, the travel, such a joy to be out in the world.”
Carley Hodgkinson
Erin captured it just as clearly: “The trip had so many layers of positive impact, for us as researchers, for our curriculum, and for the students.”
Their journey, supported by the Mobility for Internationalization Fund, is already making its way into classes, conversations, strategy meetings, and student opportunities at the Wilson School of Design. And that cold October wind that greeted them on day one? In its own way, it also became a teacher - reminding them that stepping into something unfamiliar, even unprepared, can open the door to the warmest insights.