Invest in young designers: 2008 Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships

Last spring, the Worldstudio AIGA Scholarship program awarded $60,500 in scholarships to 31 minority and economically disadvantaged students who study art and design disciplines in U.S. colleges and universities. Through these scholarships, Worldstudio works to increase diversity in the creative professions and to foster social and environmental responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow.

Scholarship recipients are not only selected based on their ability and need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to giving back to the larger community through their work.

This year, Worldstudio has already collected donations totaling more than $90,000. With continued support, we can provide many more exciting opportunities for talented and deserving students of art, architecture and design to explore their craft. Students are currently applying for this year’s scholarships; the deadline is April 11.

Donations for Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships to date include:

$15,000
Coyne Family Foundation
Kraus Family Foundation

$10,000
Anonymous
Gianninoto Fund/AIGA
Mohawk Fine Paper

Up to $5,000
Larsen Design
Rockwell Group
Henry Wolf Foundation

And through their support at the 2007 Design Legends Gala:
Design Within Reach
Lippincott
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
Mohawk Fine Paper
MTV Networks
Pentagram New York
Target

TOTAL: $90,113

AIGA Design Archives make their way to the Denver Art Museum

As AIGA anticipates the annual judging of more than 3,600 entries received for this year’s
“365” and “50 Books/50 Covers” competitions, the Denver Art Museum looks forward to the arrival of the selections from the 2006 and 2007 shows. All 391 selected entries from these two years will join the archives and will be destined for future exhibitions at the Denver Art Museum. Last year’s selections from
“365:29” and “50 Books/50 Covers of 2007” will travel to the Denver Art Museum to accompany the previously selected archived works in March 2009.

AIGA’s assistant curator of graphic design at the Denver Art Museum, Darrin Alfred, is settled into his position. He has begun the process of cataloging the archive and is in the initial planning stages for the inaugural exhibition. A survey of the AIGA design annuals for more than 25 years has already been completed. The Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton building, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, houses the artifacts from AIGA’s competitions held from 1980 to the present.

Photos: Esto Photographics, Inc.

The AdamsMorioka Archives Vault houses invaluable design artifacts of the last century

The AdamsMorioka Archives Vault, named for the donors of the first major grant toward the preservation of AIGA’s institutional archives, is located in the National Design Center in New York City. Thanks to the grant, AIGA was able to fully renovate its vault, complete with shelving, flat files and archival storage containers, so that the artifacts now reside in a stable environment and are easily accessible to researchers and visitors.

These artifacts are invaluable to AIGA members and design scholars who can benefit from an intimate study of the artifacts documenting the organization’s long history and association with the century’s most influential designers. The archives complement the online AIGA Design Archives, documenting selections from “365: AIGA Annual Design Competitions” and “50 Books/50 Covers.”

The vault is open Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., by appointment only. Use of the vault is a benefit of AIGA membership and is also made available to nonmembers whose focused research in the history of AIGA, the profession or design may be assisted by this resource.

To ensure that the AdamsMorioka Archives Vault will continue to expand in the coming years, AIGA invites members to contribute authentic, unique materials demonstrating design excellence, such as works by AIGA Medalists, imprints from AIGA’s Keepsakes series, or correspondence between AIGA’s founding members. To schedule an appointment or for more information, contact Heather Strelecki.

2007 Design Legends Gala

Design Legends Gala to be held this September New York City

AIGA’s fifth annual fundraiser, the Design Legends Gala, will be held September 18 at New York City’s Chelsea Piers. The monies raised at this grand event help fund the AIGA Design Archives, Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships as well as initiatives to increase the diversity of the design profession. The Design Legends Gala also awards the AIGA Medal, the highest honor of the graphic design profession, to those who have made exceptional contributions to the fields of design and visual communication. For the complete list of past recipients since 1920, visit www.aiga.org/medalists.

This year, AIGA named Gail Anderson, Clement Mok and LeRoy Winbush as the AIGA Medalists for their sustained contributions to design excellence and the development of the profession. AIGA will also celebrate the Corporate Award recipients, the 2008 AIGA Fellows, recipients of the 2008 Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing and Criticism and recipients of the Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships.

This year’s honorary committee, consisting of design leaders who will lend their support to the 2008 Design Legends Gala, will be announced shortly. Volume (San Francisco) will design the program for this year’s event.

Recent contributions

AIGA thanks those who have given back to the profession through its Legacy Campaign since the beginning of the year.

Supporters, $1,000-$2,999
Janet DeDonato
Lorraine Wild

Friends, up to $1,000
Jessica Eve Goldfarb
Rolando Jaime
Wendy Quesinberry
Liz Rotter
Kathleen Schenck Row
Gillian Salit

To see the full 2008 list of donors, visit www.aiga.org/contribute-donors-2008.