C. Michael Rodemer

Michael was born on October 16, 1953, in Springfield, Illinois to entrepreneur Carl. H. and his wife Marilyn C. Rodemer. He graduated as a National Merit Finalist from Chesaning High School in 1972 before attending Michigan State University as an honor student. There, he became interested in languages, philosophy, literature, and art and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and German in 1977.

After spending several years abroad, he came back to the U.S. to attend Pennsylvania State University. There, Michael met his future wife, Dörte, an exchange student from Germany, while they both worked as teaching assistants in the German Department. Michael completed his Master of Arts in Comparative Literature in 1984 with a thesis on the Literary and Visual works of Ernst Barlach and Jean Arp. Following his passion for fine arts, Michael next enrolled at The Ohio State University and concluded his education with a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 1986.

After finishing his studies, Michael joined Dörte in Aachen, Germany, producing and exhibiting artworks while she earned her degree in Speech-Language Pathology. They were married there in the spring of 1988. When his job as a lecturer in American Art, Culture, and History at the Eberhard-Karls-Universität moved the pair to Tübingen in 1989, he continued to create. His early work focused on shapes found in nature, including cast bronze sculptures of trees and arboreal neon installations, which were exhibited in several U.S. and German cities. He also began to experiment with interactive computer-coordinated artworks.

The strength of his work during his time in Europe earned him a position as an Assistant Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993. Three years later, he joined the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and remained there until his retirement at the end of 2020 whereupon he was honored as a Professor Emeritus.

At U-M, he continued to expand on his interactive and kinetic artworks, which comprised much of his later work. Inspired by his interdisciplinary education, he also made contributions to the performing arts, establishing a notable partnership with composer and Professor of Music, Stephen Rush. Often referred to as Rush and Rodemer, the duo co-created numerous pieces for both stage and video, including the production of three operas.

Michael was also awarded two Fulbright Scholarships to Germany, allowing him and Dörte to spend the 1999-2000 academic year in Berlin, and the 2009-2010 academic year in Bonn. It was during their time in Berlin, that Maya, their daughter, joined the family, marking the start of a new adventure as a trio.

In spite of his obviously busy professional life, Michael was, first and foremost,a loving and devoted husband and father. Family and friends alike appreciated his honesty, dependability, and kindness. He generously shared his time with others and was ready to help when needed. He spent countless hours with Maya building (or drawing, sawing, sanding, sewing, soldering, programming … you name it) whatever her imagination could come up with that day. Michael was also a fabulous cook, which easily instilled a love of food in all those around him. In his later years, he enjoyed keeping active during weekly ping pong nights and dancing at Zal Gaz.

Michael had a great sense of humor and often erupted into his unique bubbling laugh. He had a longing for life and was always ready for an adventure… or mischief, particularly if it involved any kind of fire. It was never boring to be with Michael, and we will miss him greatly.

Michael is survived by his wife, Dörte A. Junker, his daughter, Maya, his sister Nora “Kathy” and her husband Steve Hoffman, and his nephew and niece, Adam and Alicia, and their families.

A public celebration of life is being planned for March or April 2027. Details will follow.

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to contribute to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in Michael’s name (https://tribute.michaeljfox.org/tribute-page.php?id=3731&np=true)