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Inspiring encounters at NY Design Criticism Intensive
Visit at Jeanette Abbink's workspace in Gowanus, Brooklyn circled around the importance of printed matter.
what we write when we write about design, a new mentoring program for visual arts writers kicked off in New York in May in conjunction with the annual NYCxDESIGN. The first week-long professional development intensive included a rich and thought-provoking program of behind-the-scenes visits and lively discussions. This year the mentoring program, organized by the FCINY and funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, focuses on design criticism.
Cooper Hewitt's triennial Senses offered an immersive exhibition experience. Thematic of the triennial was further explained to the group by Cara McCarty, the Curatorial Director of the museum.
Aaron Miller, Brand Content Editor of Herman Miller, welcomed the mentoring group to Herman Miller's showroom.
The aim of the newly launched program is to develop and share the participants’ expertise in writing, cultivating a critical voice, addressing current and future notions of design and understanding the role of design in society and urban environment – namely the cities of New York and Helsinki. The participants – Aileen Kwun, Tiffany Lambert, Hannu Pöppönen, Eeva Rönkä, Ville Tikka, and Kate Wagner – play significant role in building the contents and outcomes of the program. The Chief Mentor of the mentoring program is Allison Arieff.
The New York intensive in May included site visits to Google, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, WantedDesign, and Brooklyn Museum; meetings with Alexandra Lange of Vox Media, Jeanette Abbink of Rational Beauty, Alan Rapp of Monticelli Press, and Aaron Britt of Herman Miller; and participating in exclusive discussion events such as MoMA’s R&D Salon 25 hosted by Paola Antonelli, and TimesTalks Art + Design Festival with David Adjaye & Thelma Golden.
The second professional development intensive will take place during the Helsinki Design Week in September. Between the two intensives, the participants continue to work independently and online in collaboration with the chief mentor.
Finnish participants of the mentoring program: Eeva Rönkä, Ville Tikka, and Hannu Pöppönen.
Kate Wagner is familiarizing herself with the extensive library of the Monticelli Press, which was introduced to the group by publisher Alan Rapp.