Aspiring designers from diverse backgrounds awarded scholarships
Worldstudio and AIGA, the professional association for design,
award $56,500 in scholarships to creative, socially engaged
students
NEW YORK—July 12, 2010. Imagine you had the
talent, skill, dedication and desire needed to share your vision
with the world, but lacked the financial means to do so. Thousands
of aspiring designers and artists in the United States find
themselves in this very predicament: eager to influence the world
through their creative abilities, yet unable to afford the high
cost of education. Worldstudio AIGA
Scholarships help young people from minority and economically
disadvantaged backgrounds to not only realize their artistic
dreams, but also to give back to their communities.
With the support of generous individuals, organizations and
corporations, Worldstudio AIGA Scholarships allow students who are
studying art and design disciplines in U.S. colleges and
universities to achieve their goals and further their education.
Those donations will help the 26 students selected to receive a
combined $56,500 in scholarships for the 2010–2011 academic
year.
“This is one of the reasons it's so critical that established
designers, corporations and foundations continue to support the
profession through year-end giving, estate planning and attendance
at our fundraising events, where 100 percent of the proceeds go to
programs like this,” said AIGA Executive Director Richard Grefé.
“With continued support, we can provide many more exciting
beginnings for talented and deserving students of design and the
visual arts.”
The scholarship program's primary aims are to increase diversity
in the creative professions, and to foster social and environmental
responsibility in the artists, designers and studios of tomorrow.
To this end, scholarship recipients are selected not only for their
ability and need, but also for their demonstrated commitment to
giving back to the larger community through their work.
“Since we are on the front lines, we know how much of a positive
impact a scholarship has on an aspiring designer or artist,” said
Worldstudio principal Mark Randall, founder of the scholarship
program. “The financial reward is obvious, but what might be less
obvious is the immense pride that these students feel knowing that
their portfolio was selected from hundreds of others by a jury of
professionals working in their chosen field.”
To learn more about the awards, view the students' work and read
their personal essays, visit www.aiga.org/worldstudio-scholarships-2010.
About AIGA
AIGA, the professional
association for design, stimulates thinking about design,
demonstrates the value of design and empowers the success of
designers at each stage of their careers. AIGA's mission is to
advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital
cultural force. Founded in 1914, AIGA remains the oldest and
largest professional membership organization for design, and is a
nonprofit, 501(c)(3) educational institution.
About Worldstudio
Worldstudio is
a full-service marketing and design firm that believes corporations
hold the power to make lasting social and environmental change.
This power and its consequences profoundly impact brand reputation
and equity. Worldstudio works with organizations to connect their
marketing goals with strategies for corporate social
responsibility. Worldstudio creates unique marketing, communication
and branding programs, custom-tailored to clients' needs, allowing
them to engage with key constituencies in a truly meaningful
way.
For further information, please contact:Jennifer
Bender
AIGA | the professional association for design
Tel 212 710 3136 Fax 212 807 1799