HW Pick: NYC Celebrates Global Design During NYCxDESIGN Week

May 30, 2016

design1With Harlem being one of the great arts mecca’s in the world, we were especially interested in the NYCxDESIGN, New York City’s two-week celebration of global design afew weeks ago.

design8The fourth annual celebration included expanded programming, with celebrities, over 500 events held throughout the City, the inaugural NYCxDESIGN Awards and the addition of NYC Design Talks and the Design Pavilion, a five-day public activation that consisted of a curated collection of creative structures and interactive installations located at Astor Place Plaza.design2

“NYCEDC is proud to have hosted yet another successful NYCxDESIGN celebration. The celebration has greatly expanded on a citywide and international scale since its inaugural launch just four years ago, which is a true testament to the economic power of the growing design community in New York City, ” said NYCEDC President Maria Torres-Springer. “I thank Swiss watchmaker, Rado, for their sponsorship and all of the members of the NYCxDESIGN Steering Committee for their tremendous dedication and creativity in making this year’s celebration a true success. We are excited to further community engagement and expand programming next year.”

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With 500 entries and nearly 50 winners, products traveled around the globe to celebrate 15 days of design, while projects were all Big Apple and five borough-based.  From an underground low line lab in lower Manhattan to affordable housing in Harlem…

“This past Saturday, New York was the real design star as Interior Design magazine and ICFF launched the first-ever NYCxDESIGN Awards,” remarked Interior Design Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen. “With 500 entries and nearly 50 winners, products traveled around the globe to celebrate 15 days of design, while projects were all Big Apple and five borough-based.  From an underground low line lab in lower Manhattan to affordable housing in Harlem, culminating with the ‘I heart New York’ winner for the New York Police Academy in College Point Queens, New York City and the power of design has never shone brighter.”

design3“This year, Parsons presented more than 50 end-of-year exhibitions, public programs, workshops, and open studios as part of NYCxDESIGN. The work our students create is cross-disciplinary, collaborative and socially engaged, and NYCxDESIGN gives us a remarkable opportunity for us to share it with the New York City community,” said, Joel Towers, Executive Dean of The New School’s Parsons School of Design.

design4“I am thrilled to be a member of this year’s NYCxDESIGN steering committee, and to have been an integral part of the planning and execution of such an exciting week for design in New York,” said Collective Design Founder Steven Learner. “As part of NYCxDESIGN, Collective Design was extremely successful this year. We welcomed more than 11,000 visitors, not only 4,000 collectors, designers, and tastemakers on opening night alone, but we also engaged with the ‘next wave’ of collectors, people new to collectible design through the inclusion of young galleries, programming and special installations. Each year, our fair gets more creative, includes more galleries and projects, welcoming a wider audience of New Yorkers and international visitors. I’m already looking forward to next year’s fair, where I hope to share our vision of inclusiveness and a sense of discovery with even more exhibitors and innovative projects.”

design5“We were excited to partner with so many great leaders in New York City’s design community, NYCEDC and NYC & Company to launch the inaugural establishment of the Design Pavilion and NYC Design Talks during this year’s NYCxDESIGN celebration,” said Ilene Shaw, founding principal of event producer Shaw & Co. Productions.  “The NYC Design Talks and Design Pavilion were widely attended by thousands of visitors, encouraged community engagement and increased awareness of the power of design and the many opportunities in the design world. I look forward to expanding these opportunities during next year’s celebration.”

design9“Design truly took over all five boroughs this year. This year’s edition of NYCxDESIGN marks a big step for the initiative that is largely attributed to greater international involvement. At both of WantedDesign’s locations, we welcomed more than 17,000 visitors, with an impressive percentage of international participants like never before. Thanks to the year-long effort of the Steering Committee, a stronger NYCxDESIGN campaign, Rado’s sponsorship, the shuttle bus initiated by Soho Design District and greater media coverage, this year’s celebration was not to be missed. We were thrilled to again host the NYCxDESIGN party at Industry City that was attended by about 4,000 guests. This is really unique and the biggest design reunion of the year in town,” said Odile Hainaut and Claire Pijoulat of WantedDesign. “We were proud to develop WantedDesign Manhattan as a key international, trade-focused show and to grow WantedDesign Brooklyn at Industry City as the destination for design education and acculturation, making it more accessible to the community, including WantedDesign’s new involvement at Seaport Studios with our pop-up store running until June 30. We look forward to working with the Steering Committee to continue growing NYCxDESIGN next year, with hopefully more support and greater international alliances that will help us create larger public installations and events, as well as growing the number of visitors.”

design7“When I saw that RADO was searching for projects that captured the spirit of lightness through innovative design, I knew I had to submit my work. After spending a year on making that very idea of ‘lightness’ tangible- both aesthetically and by creating in a way with concern for environmental impact- I was really honored and excited to see that Rado and WantedDesign embraced the concept and the work. To be in the company of the people from Rado, WantedDesign, NYCxDESIGN, and all the other exhibitors is truly an honor,” said Kimberly Markel, winner of the first-ever U.S. Rado Star Prize.

design6This year’s celebration included the first annual NYCxDESIGN Awards, presented by Interior Design magazine and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF).  Awardees consisted of companies and design leaders who excelled in design fields such as urban design, fashion, architecture, technology, public space projects and more. For a full list of this year’s winners, visit 2016 NYCxDESIGN Awardees.

design11New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is the City’s primary vehicle for promoting economic growth in each of the five boroughs.

Photo credit: Ikon+NuDesign for WantedDesign


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