Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Announces Winner of K-12 Doodle 4 Google Design Contest and Launches Exhibition
The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum will present the exhibition “Doodle 4 Google: If I Could Do Anything, I Would...” from May 27 through Aug. 15 in the Target National Design Education Center. The exhibition features the winning designs from the 2010 Doodle 4 Google competition for K-12 students from around the country and includes educational programs for teachers and students focusing on the problem-solving nature of the design process.
The exhibition, “Doodle 4 Google: If I Could Do Anything, I Would...,” a partnership between Cooper-Hewitt and Google, presents the 40 finalist designs selected among more than 33,000 entries submitted by K–12 students from all 50 states in Google’s annual contest. Inspired by Google’s theme “If I Could Do Anything, I Would...,” children from across the United States were challenged to think like designers and use Google’s iconic logo as a springboard to convey their message.
Student submissions were judged on artistic merit, creativity, representation of the theme and other criteria. A panel of expert judges selected the top 40 doodles across grade groups, and the public voted online for the four National Finalist designs. Millions of votes were cast online from May 18-25.
Makenzie Melton, a third grader at El Dorado Springs R-2 Schools in El Dorado Springs, Mo., was named the national winner of the 2010 Doodle 4 Google competition. The winning doodle is titled “Rainforest Habitat” to express her concern that “the rainforest is in danger, and it is not fair to the plants and animals.” Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience at Google, announced the winner during a special ceremony to honor the regional winners. Melton’s doodle will appear on the Google home page Thursday, May 27. Courtesy of Google, the champion “doodler” will receive a $15,000 college scholarship and a $25,000 technology grant for the student’s school.
The exhibition “Doodle 4 Google: If I Could Do Anything, I Would…” will be accompanied by a number of educational programs for children, including a drop-in design workshop on alphabet building, a “zine” design workshop and a program on monograms and embroidery. Graphic design strategies will be included in summer development workshops for educators, featuring tips and resources on how to incorporate design thinking into their classrooms.
“We’re very excited to again partner with Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum this year on our Doodle 4 Google competition,” said Mayer. “Cooper-Hewitt is hosting an exhibition throughout the summer of our top 40 student finalists, as well as providing educational programs that focus on teaching the components of design. Their commitment to design and education aligns perfectly with the goals of Doodle 4 Google.”
“At Cooper-Hewitt, we are invested in design education in its broadest sense: how the design process can be used to help kids learn problem solving skills in their classrooms,” said Caroline Payson, director of education at Cooper-Hewitt. “As a judge for the Doodle 4 Google contest I was impressed, not only with the creativity and hard work demonstrated in the designs, but also by the way the kids solved the ‘design problem’ of illustrating their wishes and dreams through a logo format.”
The customization of the Google logo started in 1999, and the doodles are created by a team of Google designers, including webmaster Dennis Hwang. The doodle team has creatively depicted worldwide events, anniversaries and holidays with doodles that incorporate the Google logo.
Further information, competition details, videos and past doodles contests are also available at www.google.com/doodle4google. Image files of past Google doodles and materials from last year’s competition are available at www.google.com/doodle4google/press.html.
Doodle 4 Google Judges
This year, the judging was also aided by a group of highly esteemed expert jurors, including: Paige Braddock, Charles M. Schulz/Peanuts Creative Associates; Susan Brandt, Dr. Seuss Enterprises L.P.; Eric Carle, author of The Very Hungry Caterpillar; Frank Caruso, King Features (Betty Boop and Popeye comics); Karen Driscoll, Sesame Workshop; Andy Harkness, Walt Disney Animation Studios; Ryan Heuser, Paul Frank Industries; Jim Lee, DC Comics (Batman and Robin, Superman comics); Keith Malone, Lego Group; Bob Pauley, Pixar Animation Studios; Caroline Payson, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; and Evelyn Viohl, Barbie-Mattel.
About the 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.
The museum’s award-winning, nationally recognized education programs—including A City of Neighborhoods, Design Directions and Summer Design Institute—encourage students and teachers to see themselves as designers in their own right as they engage in the design process through active observation, discussion, strategies for visual communication and critique.
The museum is located at 2 East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue in New York City. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Public transit routes include the 4, 5 and 6 subways (86th or 96th Street stations) and the Fifth and Madison Avenue buses. General admission, $15; senior citizens and students ages 12 and older, $10. Cooper-Hewitt and Smithsonian members and children younger than age 12 are admitted free. For further information, please call (212) 849-8400 or visit http://www.cooperhewitt.org. The museum is fully accessible.
# # #
SI-228-2010
