Cranbrook Academy of Art Debuts “Fine Design for the End of the World” at the 2016 Collective Design Fair
photo: Austin Swick (3D Design ’17)
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MICH., March 22, 2016 — The 3D Design Department of Cranbrook Academy of Art is pleased to announce its participation in the upcoming 2016 Collective Design fair, taking place May 4-8, 2016, at Skylight Clarkson Sq in West Soho, New York City. View the exhibition website here.
The department has created the exclusive exhibition Fine Design for the End of the World, specifically for this show. This curated exhibition of new work by our current 3D Design students will explore how today’s most pressing challenges – such as social and economic inequalities, rampant material consumption, and environmental degradation – can become subjects for critical and poetic reflection in design objects.
“Cranbrook 3D is focused on experimental design. Our latest research has been in the area of ‘fine design’ (like fine art) where design overlaps with the concerns of the Arts and Crafts,” says Scott Klinker, Designer-in-Residence and Head of the 3D Design Department. “Exhibiting our work at the Collective Design fair in New York City will put our work in front of a new audience looking for ‘collectible design’ – which is different from a typical furniture design trade show. This exhibition will begin to connect our students directly to the best design galleries and design collectors in the world. This is a new platform for Cranbrook 3D Design.”
The 3D Design Department has a long history of collaboration with leading manufacturers and design leaders. In 2012, the department won the Editor’s Choice for “Best School” at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair for work done through the collaborative project “Rest and Concentration in the Workplace,” with Herman Miller.
This year, the Collective Design fair also collaborated with Sight Unseen, the influential online magazine edited by Monica Khemsurov and Jill Singer, who will curate their own show featuring five independent American design studios on the rise. The magazine has already written a piece about the show, featuring Austin Swick (3D ’16).
View the press release from Collective Design for full details about both projects. Cranbrook’s participation in the Collective Design fair is made possible in part by a generous challenge grant from Dan Cramer (Design ’82) of Cramer Studio in Minneapolis. Contact the Academy Advancement Office for more information on how to contribute to this challenge.
The Collective Design fair is a commercial and educational platform featuring thoughtfully selected works from an international roster of established and emerging galleries. The fair has leveraged the city’s energy to become a vital part of New York’s cultural calendar, cultivating a spirit of discovery that appeals to both avid patrons and those new to collecting design.
