CCA News
National Design Awards to Be Celebrated at White House Luncheon July 21
Posted on Monday, July 19, 2010, by Samantha Braman
Mark Breitenberg, CCA provost and president of the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), served as chair and jury member of the 2010 National Design Awards and attended the NDA luncheon celebration of the winners and finalists on July 21 at the White House in Washington DC. First Lady Michelle Obama was the honorary patron for this year's awards and hosted the event. Watch her speech here.
The awards are given every year and aim to promote, celebrate, and distinguish design in varied disciplines as a vital means of expression. The awards are always accompanied by public educational and outreach programs, including special events, panel discussions, and workshops. This year, prior to the celebratory luncheon, the award winners participated in a Teen Design Fair—an educational program intended to help introduce high school students to careers in design—at the Grand Salon of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery. Tim Gunn, CEO of Liz Claiborne Inc. and cohost of Lifetime's Project Runway, gave the keynote address. The NDA winners and finalists will be honored again on October 14 at a gala dinner in New York.
In his chair statement Breitenberg expressed how pleased he was with the awards process and with the overall results: "I was particularly impressed with the depth of deliberation and debate by the jury in making its selections. Despite a diversity of viewpoints and professional backgrounds, a strong consensus emerged around all of the winners and finalists, largely the result of the jury's commitment to listening to each member's interpretation and assessment of the nominees' work as they developed their own opinions. In every category, the final decisions represented strong majorities of our opinions, in several cases unanimity. In addition to the main criteria of 'excellence, innovation, and enhancement of the quality of life,' strong consideration was given to forms of diversity that reflect the truly national scope and ambition of the design awards, as well as to work that demonstrates a profoundly empathic understanding of our individual and collective human experience."
The First Lady's emphasis on arts education and her support of the National Design Awards has helped increase awareness of the critical role that art and design play in the lives of individuals of all ages. The National Design Awards were launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council. There are 10 categories: Lifetime Achievement, Design Mind, Corporate and Institutional Achievement, Architecture Design, Communication Design, Fashion Design, Interaction Design, Interior Design, Landscape Design, and Product Design.