Cooper Hewitt’s 16th Annual National Design Awards

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum will celebrate outstanding achievement in American design this fall with its 16th annual National Design Awards program through out October 2015.  This year’s recipients are Michael Graves for Lifetime Achievement; Jack Lenor Larsen for Director’s Award; Rosanne Haggerty for Design Mind; Heath Ceramics for Corporate & Institutional Achievement; MOS Architects for Architecture Design; Project Projects for Communication Design; threeASFOUR for Fashion Design; John Underkoffler for Interaction Design; Commune for Interior Design; Coen + Partners for Landscape Architecture; and Stephen Burks for Product Design.

First launched at the White House in 2000 as a project of the White House Millennium Council, the National Design Awards were established to promote design 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. First Lady Michelle Obama serves as the Honorary Patron for this year’s National Design Awards.

National Design Week, 10–18 October 2015, aims to promote a better understanding of the role that design plays in all aspects of daily life. Launched in 2006, this educational initiative makes great design widely accessible to the public through interactive events and programs for students, teachers, corporate professionals, designers and Cooper Hewitt’s dedicated audience.

“With the reopening of the museum this past year, Cooper Hewitt is scaling new heights to educate, inspire and empower our community through design,” says Baumann. “I am thrilled and honored to welcome this year’s class of National Design Award winners, all of whom represent the pinnacle of innovation in their field, with their focus on collaboration, social and environmental responsibility, and the fusion of technology and craftsmanship.”

A jury of design leaders and educators from across the country, convened by the museum, reviewed submissions resulting from nominations submitted by the general public. Individual nominees must have been practicing professionally for a minimum of seven years; Lifetime Achievement nominees must have been practicing professionally for a minimum of 20 years. Winners are selected based on the level of excellence, innovation and public impact of their body of work. Unlike the jury-selected awards, the Director’s Award is chosen by Cooper Hewitt director Caroline Baumann, and given to an individual in recognition of outstanding support and patronage within the design community.