Join us for a special panel discussion featuring our 2014 National Design Award winners. Panelists will discuss what drives and inspires them as designers, and include John Edson, President, LUNAR (Product Design Award); Aaron Koblin (Interaction Design Award); Narciso Rodriguez (Fashion Design Award); and Robin Standefer, Principal, Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors (Interior Design...
Michael Sorkin is an architect and urbanist whose practice spans design, criticism, and teaching. He is the principal of Michael Sorkin Studio in New York, a global design practice focused on urbanism and green architecture. James Wines is founder and president of SITE, a New York-based architectural studio chartered in 1970. Through his multidisciplinary practice,...
MacArthur Fellow and 2013 National Design Award Winner Jeanne Gang is the founder of Studio Gang Architects, a Chicago-based collective of architects, designers, and thinkers practicing internationally. Gang uses architecture as a medium of active response to contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Each project resonates with its specific site and culture while...
Take a look behind the scenes at the National Design Award Jury process. Hear our 2013 Jurors describe how winners get selected, what it's like to be a part of the Jury, and all the surprises along the way. The 2013 Jury: Charles Adler (Kickstarter) Gail Anderson (Anderson Newton Design) Gisue Hariri (Hariri & Hariri...
The National Design Awards are bestowed at a gala benefit dinner and awards ceremony in New York City each fall. This year's festivities will be held at the spectacular Pier Sixty on the Hudson River on the evening of Wednesday, October 17. This year's vice-chairs are Susan Avarde, Beth Comstock, Aaron Dignan, Phil Duncan, Alice...
Can you explain a little bit about the type of work you do? I manage the National Design Awards program – organizing everything from the nomination, submission, and jury processes to the White House and Gala celebrations. What do you enjoy most about your work? Working with passionate people, both at the Museum and in...
Niels Diffrient (1928–2013) Niels Diffrient loved many things, from airplanes to ice dancing. He loved his three children and his wife Helena Hernmarck, the internationally known tapestry artist. Encircling those close attachments was his abiding love for people. Human beings were the ultimate subject of Niels Diffrient’s world-changing career. Calling himself an “ombudsman between the...
Cooper-Hewitt is pleased to announce the winners of the 2013 National Design Awards: LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT James Wines DESIGN MIND Michael Sorkin CORPORATE & INSTITUTIONAL ACHIEVEMENT TED ARCHITECTURE DESIGN Studio Gang Architects COMMUNICATION DESIGN Paula Scher FASHION DESIGN Behnaz Sarafpour INTERACTION DESIGN Local Projects INTERIOR DESIGN Aidlin Darling Design LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE Margie Ruddick PRODUCT DESIGN NewDealDesign...
What are the National Design Awards? What makes the Awards unique and important to the country and the world? Acclaimed designers and design thinkers Massimo Vignelli, Debbie Millman, Steven Heller, Walter Hood, Davin Stowell and Isabel & Ruben Toledo explain in this short piece about the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt's National Design Awards, its meaning and legacy.
