Cooper-Hewitt Presents Free Public Programs July 24 in Washington, D.C., Celebrating the 10th Annual National Design Awards
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the National Design Awards with free public programs that explore the intersection between design and the world around us. Several of the National Design Award winners will be part of a series of concurrent public programs from 10 to 11 a.m., Friday, July 24, at museums around the Mall. Later that day, First Lady Michelle Obama will host the White House ceremony for the winners and finalists of the 2009 awards and serve as honorary patron for the awards program. Members of the public can learn more about attending these free programs by visiting www.nationaldesignawards.org.
Design X Details: Materials and Their Effects
Francisco Costa (Fashion Design winner) and Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown (Interior Design winners) will discuss the role of materials in their work, while sharing their visions, projects and inspirations. Costa has worked since 2004 as the women’s creative director of Calvin Klein Collection. Tsao and McKown are the partners of TsAO & McKOWN Architects, a New York-based practice known for their well-appointed architecture and interiors. This program is free to the public. Advanced registration is required at www.corcoran.org. Corcoran College of Art & Design (500 17th Street N.W.)
Design X Community: Transform Your Neighborhood
Christopher Sharples, Coren Sharples and Gregg Pasquarelli of SHoP Architects (Architecture Design winner) and Walter Hood (Landscape Design winner) will discuss how design can be used as a tool to create a sense of community. Hood and Pasquarelli will explore the ability of design to influence, unite and link communities through examples drawn from their own work. This program is free to the public. Advanced registration is required at www.nbm.org. The National Building Museum (401 F Street N.W.)
Design X Information: Interpreting the Present and the Past
Boym Partners (Product Design winner) and Steve Duenes of The New York Times Graphics Department (Communication Design winner) will discuss the relationship between current events and their design process. While the Boyms produce work that interprets current events as fodder for souvenirs and memorabilia, the Times’ Graphics Department has to succinctly digest and interpret the news in real time. This program is free to the public. No advanced registration is required. The Smithsonian Castle (1000 Jefferson Drive S.W.)
Design X Experience: The Future of Interaction Design
Jeff Han of Perceptive Pixel Inc. (Interaction Design winner) and Andrew Blauvelt of Walker Art Center (Corporate and Institutional Achievement winner) will discuss the future of interaction design. Han designs and programs the technology that transforms our relationship to work and the world at large. Most recently, Perceptive Pixel became renowned for completely transforming the way television broadcasters, including CNN, Fox and ABC, covered the historic 2008 Presidential elections. As curator and design director of the Walker Art Center, Blauvelt is at the forefront of discussions about the role of interaction design in a museum context. This program is free to the public. No advanced registration is required. Hirshhorn Museum (Independence Avenue at Seventh Street S.W.)
Design X Tomorrow: The Future of Technology and Sustainability
Amory Lovins (Design Mind winner) and Bill Moggridge (Lifetime Achievement recipient) will discuss the future of technology and sustainability. As the co-founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, Lovins has been a leading voice in sustainable thinking for 40 years, acting as a consultant for more than 50 countries and some of the largest multinational corporations in the world. Moggridge is the co-founder of IDEO, a global design consultancy that has transformed the way that design is conceived and realized. He designed the first laptop computer and is a pioneer in the field of interaction design. Together, Moggridge and Lovins will discuss the symbiotic relationship between technology and sustainability and the impact of both upon the future. This program is free to the public. No advanced registration is required. National Museum of the American Indian (Fourth Street and Independence Avenue S.W.)
The National Design Awards and National Design Week are made possible by the sponsorship of Target.
About the National Design Awards
Launched at the White House in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council, the annual National Design Awards celebrate design in various disciplines as a vital humanistic tool in shaping the world. The awards are accompanied each year by a variety of public education programs, including special events, panel discussions and workshops.
National Design Week, Oct. 18-24, aims to promote a better understanding of the role that design plays in all aspects of daily life. The museum will offer free admission to all visitors and provide a range of online resources celebrating design throughout National Design Week. In addition to hosting a Teen Design Fair and Winners’ Panel, the program will reach schoolteachers and their students nationally in the classroom and online at Cooper-Hewitt’s Educator Resource Center (www.educatorresourcecenter.org). The Web site features more than 250 lesson plans aligned to national and state standards that demonstrate how the design process can enhance the teaching of all subjects and features discussion boards that provide a forum for educators to exchange ideas.
About Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
The Smithsonian’s 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.
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