Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum Announces Finalists of the Seventh Annual National Design Awards
For the seventh year, the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will honor achievement in the design world with its National Design Awards. The finalists for the 2006 National Design Awards, which will be held on Oct. 18, were announced today by Cooper-Hewitt’s director Paul Warwick Thompson. Recognizing the most outstanding contributions from the design world in the past year, the Awards honor nominees in categories encompassing all areas of design. Mrs. Laura Bush is the honorary patron for this year’s National Design Awards.
“The National Design Awards continue to reflect and celebrate achievements across the design world,” Thompson said. “I’m delighted to announce this year’s award finalists, all of whom have consistently challenged the possibilities of design and have demonstrated innovation through their work in various fields.”
First launched at the White House in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the Awards program celebrates design in various disciplines as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world and seeks to increase national awareness of design by educating the public and promoting excellence and lasting achievement. Every year, the museum invites national leaders in architecture, design, education, journalism, criticism and other areas to nominate designers whose work in the past year has best enhanced the quality of life. A jury of experts in various design fields, chosen by the museum, selects finalists in nine different categories.
Finalists for architecture design, communications design, landscape design, interior design, product design and fashion design have been selected by the jury. Winners in these six categories, as well as the winners of the Lifetime Achievement, Corporate Achievement, Special Jury Commendation, Design Mind and Design Patron awards, will be announced at the end of May. The award recipients will be honored at a gala held at Cooper-Hewitt on Oct. 18. The National Design Awards are made possible by Target.
Design Award Finalists
The winners of the National Design Awards in the categories of architecture, communications design, landscape design, interior design, product design and fashion design will be chosen from 18 finalists.
Finalists for the category of architecture (commercial, public or residential) design are:
Thom Mayne—Principal of Morphosis, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based architecture and design firm, Thom Mayne has won numerous awards for his work in design including the Pritzker Prize for Architecture and a Rome Prize Fellowship. Morphosis’ intuitive and collaborative approach to projects for diverse clients including the state of California, the NYC 2012 Olympic Village, the University of Toronto and MTV has garnered international recognition. A founder of the Southern California Institute of Architecture, Mayne has taught extensively and currently holds a tenured faculty position at UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture.
Stanley Saitowitz—Principal of Natoma Architects in San Francisco, Stanley Saitowitz began his architecture career in 1975. Approaching his process as “human geography,” Saitowitz’s designs carefully consider a building’s placement within its setting. His public buildings include the California Museum of Photography in Riverside, Calif.; the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston; the San Francisco Embarcadero Promenade; the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Ontario, Canada; and the City Hall Plaza in Henderson, Nev.
Bernard Tschumi—Principal of Bernard Tschumi Architects, which has offices in New York and Paris, Bernard Tschumi was known early in his career as an architectural theorist. Exploring the interface between architecture and 21st century living, his projects have included commissions for a 125-acre public park in Paris; the Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts in Tourcoing, France; the Florida International University School of Architecture in Miami; and the Vacheron Constantin headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Tschumi was one of three international finalists selected by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1997 to design its new expansion. He served as dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia from 1988 to 2003. Tschumi will be included in the 2006 National Design Triennial.
Finalists for the category of communications design (graphic and multimedia) are:
2x4—Founded in 1993 by Michael Rock, Susan Sellers and Georgianna Stout, 2x4 works in print, film/video, Web and environment design for clients ranging from Vitra, Knoll Textiles, Prada and Target to the Guggenheim Las Vegas, the Studio Museum in Harlem, N.Y., and the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. The New York-based design firm develops unexpected content for art, design, architecture and cultural clients, following a rigorous analysis of message, program, context and audience. 2x4 was included in the 2003 National Design Triennial and was a 2005 National Design Award finalist for communications design.
Jake Barton—Jake Barton is principal of New York City’s Local Projects, LLC, a design firm that creates media installations for museums and public spaces. Working in diverse media including film, Web sites, and interactive and media-based projects, the group’s work has included productions for the Museum of the City of New York and projects for Grand Central Terminal, the World Trade Center and Times Square. Barton teaches and lectures on interactive communications and design at New York University, Parsons School of Design, and Columbia Architecture School.
Chip Kidd—Writer and graphic designer Chip Kidd has been designing book jackets for Alfred A. Knopf since 1986. His innovative work, recognized by international awards, has helped spark a revolution in the art of American book packaging. Kidd has written about graphic design and popular culture and is an editor of comic books for Pantheon, a Knopf subsidiary. His work will be included in the 2006 National Design Triennial.
Finalists for the category of fashion design (clothing, footwear and accessories) are:
Thom Browne—Thom Browne’s men’s collection is marked by an attention to detail and quality that denies the fussiness sometimes associated with bespoke clothing. The inspirations for his aesthetic stem from late 1950s and early 1960s icons of American style. Browne’s belief that style should generate from the individual and should feel unforced has led to international recognition of his work. Browne will be included in the 2006 National Design Triennial.
Maria Cornejo—Maria Cornejo’s approach to fashion design is at once feminine, architectural, minimal and modern. Zero, her line of sculptural garments based on volume and circular shapes which are often cut from a single piece of cloth, debuted in 1997. Cornejo ignores most seasonal trends, instead continually refining her technique to develop dynamic and intelligent clothing for women. Her work will be included in the 2006 National Design Triennial. Cornejo was a 2005 National Design Award finalist for fashion design.
Peter Som—Peter Som’s aesthetic of unstudied elegance brings a fresh point of view to modern American fashion. The influence of his native San Francisco and its relaxed sophistication can be felt throughout his women’s sportswear collection, as can the ideals of purity in form, function and composition inherited from his parents, both architects.
Finalists in the category of interior design (residential, corporate, cultural and commercial interiors) are:
Michael Gabellini—Michael Gabellini is a principal at Gabellini Sheppard Associates, LLP in New York, a multidisciplinary design firm specializing in architecture and interior design projects. With a goal of creating pure, graphic environments that do not detract attention from their purpose, the firm has created interiors for fashion, museum and commercial art galleries, and has worked on designing and restoring public spaces. Gabellini’s work was included in the 2000 National Design Triennial. Gabellini was a 2005 National Design Award finalist for interior design.
Annabelle Selldorf—Annabelle Selldorf is principal of the New York-based architecture and design firm Selldorf Architects. Recognized for balancing contemporary design with sensitivity to the history of a location, the firm has worked on residential and commercial projects internationally. Cultural and art-related endeavors, a particular focus of the firm, have included the Neue Gallery in New York, the Museum of Biblical Art in New York and a number of gallery spaces. Current projects include the interiors for Philip Johnson and Alan Richie’s Urban Glass House in downtown Manhattan, N.Y.
Tsao and McKown Architects—Founded in New York in 1985, the architecture and interior design practice of Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown aims to achieve precision and strength in design while creating spaces that accommodate flexibility and change. The firm’s many design and architecture commissions have included private residences in New York City and Singapore, international hotels and restaurants, museum and exhibition projects, retail spaces and civic projects including a series of public school libraries in New York City.
Finalists for the landscape design (urban planning, parks, gardens) category are:
Andrea Cochran—Founder and principal of San Francisco-based Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture, Andrea Cochran’s varied projects include gardens for residential, commercial and institutional clients, with emphasis placed on integrating personal meaning into each project. Cochran serves as a commissioner on the civic design committee of the San Francisco Arts Commission and on the executive board for the Architecture and Design Forum at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Cochran served on the 2005 National Design Award jury.
Martha Schwartz—President of Martha Schwartz Partners in Cambridge, Mass., and London, Schwartz’s internationally renowned work in landscape architecture spans 25 years. Her diverse commissions have included public and civic buildings, plazas, parks, urban redevelopment, reclamation projects, mixed-use developments, art commissions and private residences, all with a dual commitment to aesthetics and an environmentally sound practice.
Ken Smith—Principal of Ken Smith Landscape Architecture in New York, Smith has worked on a wide variety of national and international projects in more than 20 years of both private and public practice. He is particularly committed to creating parks and public spaces in order to improve the quality of urban life. Smith lectures extensively on landscape architectural theory. His work will be represented in the 2006 National Design Triennial.
Finalists for the category of product design (consumer goods, technology, home and office furnishings) are:
Antenna Design—Founded in 1997 by Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Moeslinger, Antenna Design’s mission is to elevate and excite the experience of everyday objects and environments while creating user-centric designs. Among the firm’s best known projects are the design of New York City’s subway cars and ticket vending machines and JetBlue Airline’s check-in kiosks. In 2003 Antenna was included in the National Design Triennial and was a National Design Award finalist for product design.
Jonathan Ive—Jonathan Ive is the senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, where he has led since 1996 a product design team widely regarded as one of the industry’s best. He was named Designer of the Year (2003) by the Design Museum of London and was awarded the title Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts. Apple was included in the 2000 National Design Triennial and will be represented in the 2006 National Design Triennial.
Bill Stumpf—Bill Stumpf is a principal at Stumpf Weber Associates, a design firm working in the field of contemporary furniture. Stumpf approaches design as a process of improvisation and discovery. He previously worked with Herman Miller, Inc. where he designed the Aeron Chair, which is widely regarded as the world’s most comfortable office chair. Stumpf was a 2005 National Design Award finalist for product design.
The 2006 National Design Awards nominations were solicited from a committee of more than 800 leading designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from every state in the nation. The finalists and winners are selected by a panel of seven distinguished jurors, each a leader in his or her respective field. The 2006 jury includes:
• Cindy Allen, editor-in-chief of Interior Design magazine
• Yves Béhar, founder of San Francisco-based design firm fuseproject
• Michael Bierut, a partner at New York graphic design firm Pentagram
• Roger Mandle, president of Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R.I.
• Enrique Norten, founder of the New York- and Mexico-based architecture firm TEN Arquitectos
• Janet Rosenberg, founder of Canadian landscape architecture firm Janet Rosenberg + Associates
• Stefano Tonchi, style editor for The New York Times Magazine
Related Educational Programming
A variety of educational public programs is offered every year in conjunction with the National Design Awards. Organized by Cooper-Hewitt’s education department, the series of public programs includes lectures, roundtable discussions, and workshops based on the vision and work of the National Design Award winners. Many of the programs will be held in the Target National Design Education Center at Cooper-Hewitt.
During the week of the National Design Awards, Cooper-Hewitt will launch the first ever National Design Week, an education initiative that aims to reach school teachers and their students nationally, both in the classroom and online. Focused lesson plans created to demonstrate how design thinking and the design process can enhance the teaching of all subjects will help teachers to promote innovation, critical thinking, visual literacy and problem solving across their curriculum.
In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and schools nationwide will also sponsor events during National Design Week.
About Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The museum presents compelling perspectives on the impact of design on daily life through active educational programs, exhibitions and publications. Founded in 1897 by Amy, Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—as part of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967.
About Target
Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at 1,418 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today’s best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Whether visiting a Target store or shopping online at Target.com, guests enjoy a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to thousands of unique and highly differentiated items. Target gives back more than $2 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs. Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.
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