Joe Trumpey

Joe Trumpey is a Professor at the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art and Design and School of Natural Resources and Environment. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute and is a faculty associate with the African Study Center, Program in the Environment, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens. His work bridges art, design, and environmental science, emphasizing sustainability and biodiversity.

Trumpey holds an A.B. in Art and Biology from Wabash College and an M.F.A. in Medical and Biological Illustration from the University of Michigan.

His research focuses on experiential observation, creative processes linking nature and society, and sustainability education. He leads the EcoExplorers field course, conducting global fieldwork in locations like Costa Rica and Madagascar. He founded Michigan Science Art, a collective producing over 5,000 illustrations for Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia.

Trumpey has received the University of Michigan Undergraduate Teaching Award and is a TedX speaker. His creative work explores design, biodiversity, and agriculture, exhibited nationally and internationally.

He lives on a sustainable farm with his family, designing an off-grid strawbale home powered by solar energy.