Photo by Bob Martus
Cas Holman first developed her imaginative approach to toy design while growing up in the foothills of the Sierras, where plentiful sticks and mud made for endless possibilities of play. She stayed in Northern California to earn a BFA in Feminist Theory and Fine Art, Sculpture from University of California at Santa Cruz, finally heading east to follow it up with a MFA in 3D Design from Cranbrook Art Academy.
Holman is currently a Professor of Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), splitting her time between Providence and Brooklyn. She is inventor and assignee on two toy patents with a third pending. Her work has been exhibited internationally in Tokyo, Hamburg, Seoul, Moscow, Hong Kong and London.
In her spare time and when her canine companions deign to allow it, Holman tinkers* in her studio, creating objects that allow our imaginations the room they need to roam. She believes that good toys make good people and, in spite of her years of advanced academia and industry accolades, she holds sticks and mud in the highest regard as toys.
*Tinkering includes but is not limited to: drawing objects and the people who use them; making wooden, paper, cardboard and rubber things; making things out of other things; making useful but more often (and more satisfyingly) useless things.
