Creative geniuses visit White House as Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum honors extraordinary achievement...On Friday, July 13th at the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama will host a luncheon honoring the winners of the 2012 National Design Awards from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Since 2009, Mrs. Obama has annually hosted the luncheon for some of the world's foremost designers, who are selected by a jury for extraordinary achievement in ten disciplines ranging from architecture to information design. The luncheon will be at 1:00 PM in the East Room. (Above: Mrs. Obama speaking at the 2011 luncheon)
"While we ooh and ahh at their handiwork, we may take for granted all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the process of creation," Mrs. Obama said as praised last year's winners.
The honorees attending the luncheon will include Lifetime Achievement winner Richard Saul Wurman, Design Mind winner Janine Benyus, Communication Design winner Rebeca Méndez, Fashion Design winner Thom Browne, Interaction Design winner Evan Roth and Product Design winner Scott Wilson. Read the winners' bios here.
"The First Lady is a powerful advocate for design innovation and education outreach, and we are truly honored to have her patronage again this year," said Bill Moggridge, director of the museum, and the Lifetime Achievement winner in 2009.
Before the luncheon, the winners will participate in education programs for DC-area high school students during a Teen Design Fair, which will be held in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery.
Target is a sponsor of the awards. Red Burns will be this year’s Design Patron, Moggridge announced on Monday, in recognition of "her outstanding support and patronage within the design community." The Design Patron is chosen by the museum. Burns is arts professor and chief collaborations officer for the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. She is being recognized for her role as founder of ITP and for her innovations and achievements in the communication technology field.
The awards debuted in 2000, as part of the White House Millennium Council, with First Lady Laura Bush as the patron. The awards recognize extraordinary contributions to design in 10 categories: Lifetime Achievement, Design Mind, Corporate and Institutional Achievement, Architecture Design, Communication Design, Fashion Design, Interaction Design, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture and Product Design.
*Photo by Lawrence Jackson/White House
