Frank Lloyd Wright and Martha Stewart named among most impactful American designers
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York has recognised 15 American architects, designers and companies that have "left a lasting mark on the field" to mark the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The 15 Gala Honorees range from historic architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Louis Sullivan to celebrity Martha Stewart and technology company Adobe.
"Remarkable individuals and institutions"
"American design has been shaped by remarkable individuals and institutions whose ideas continue to influence the way we experience the world," said Cooper Hewitt director Maria Nicanor.
"In the year of the United States' 250th anniversary, we are proud to recognize both contemporary leaders and historic figures whose work has left a lasting mark on the field."
Cooper Hewitt selected a range of honorees that covers a panorama of media and time periods.
Among the historic figures are architects Wright and Sullivan; industrialist and Cooper Union founder Peter Cooper; designer Candace Wheeler; and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
For the contemporary figures, the museum selected three corporations, including furniture company MillerKnoll, retailer Target, technology company Adobe, and luxury jewellery house Tiffany & Co, now a subsidiary of LVMH.
Lack of diversity
Fashion designers Thom Browne and Tory Burch were selected, as was philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, creative director Jenna Lyons and media personality Martha Stewart.
Artist and architect Maya Lin, known for designing the Vietnam War memorial, is the only contemporary architect selected for the honour, and the only person on the list who is neither white nor a corporation.
The designation was launched to coincide with the yearly National Design Award Gala.
This year's National Design Awards winners are Robert Earl Paige, Estudio Teddy Cruz + Fonna Forman, Mattaforma, Frida Escobedo Studio, Thought Matter, Laura Kurgan, Josh Tafoya, Charlap Hyman & Herrero, Ten Eyck Landscape Architects and Berea College Student Craft.
The Cooper Hewitt celebrates design culture through its exhibitions. Currently, it is exhibiting a DIY listening room by American designer Devon Turnbull in the historic Carnegie Library as part of an audio design exhibition.
Smithsonian institutions have grown under increasing pressure to conform to Donald Trump's Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History executive order, with the president demanding details of the 250th celebrations by the institutions, according to PBS.
The image is courtesy of Cooper Hewitt.
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