Cranbrook Academy of Art Announces Redmond Design Prize Winners and 2020 Graduate Degree Exhibition

Simon Anton (L) and Laura Gibson (R)

Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Oct. 9, 2020 — Cranbrook Academy of Art is pleased to announce that Simon Anton, a 2020 graduate of the 3D Design department, and Laura Gibson, a 2020 graduate of the Photography department, have been named winners of the newly established Redmond Design Prize.

They will each receive a $10,000 cash prize awarded by Beth Redmond, an art director and collector based in Los Angeles and New York, who opened the competition to the entire 2020 graduating class of Cranbrook Academy of Art. All students were offered the opportunity to apply for the prize. Redmond will also host a future exhibition in New York to showcase the work of the winners and all finalists.

Redmond says, “Supporting new voices in contemporary art is more important than ever before. This prize will give much-needed assistance and opportunity to artists who are launching their careers during a particularly challenging time. I feel fortunate to be able to amplify their talent.”

Redmond will also sponsor the 2020 Graduate Degree Exhibition of Cranbrook Academy of Art, to be held in May 2021 at Wasserman Projects in Detroit, Michigan. Wasserman Projects helps artists bring to fruition and share new projects that inspire discourse on art and issues that are particularly active and timely in Detroit. Founded by Gary Wasserman, a Life Governor of the Board of Governors of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum and is run by Director + Curator, Alison Wong Academy alumna of Painting 2006, Wasserman Projects promotes contemporary artists from around the world, including alumni of Cranbrook Academy of Art.

This exhibition at Wasserman Projects will feature the work of the entire 2020 graduating class, as their physical exhibition was canceled and moved online this year due to the pandemic.

Susan R. Ewing, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art, says, “we are grateful to Beth for her generous support of our graduates, whose career trajectories abruptly changed course in March. Her gift to make the Graduate Degree Exhibition possible and the creation of the Redmond Design Prize signifies the rallying strength of the greater arts community and commitment to the future.”

Finalists for the Redmond Design Prize include Madelaine Corbin (Fiber); Cody Norman (3D Design); Lucille Olechowski (Architecture); Natalie Wadlington (Painting); and Luke Warren (Sculpture).

About Cranbrook Academy of Art
Cranbrook Academy of Art is the country’s top-ranked, graduate-only program in architecture, design and fine art. Each year, just 75 students are invited to study and live on our landmark Saarinen-designed campus, which features private studios, state-of-the-art workshops, a renowned Art Museum, and 300 acres of forests, lakes, and streams, all a short drive from the art, design, and music scene of Detroit. The focus at Cranbrook is on studio practice in one of 11 disciplines: Architecture, 2D, 3D, and 4D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media, and Sculpture. The program is anchored by celebrated Artists- and Designers-in-Residence, one for each discipline, all of whom live and practice on campus alongside our students. For more information, visit us at cranbrookart.edu.

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