NYCxDESIGN returns to liven up the city and to bring together a creative community in a dynamic calendar of events and exhibitions to celebrate 10 magnificent years, including highly acclaimed international brands, young talents, handmade masterworks and experimentation. This year’s version promises to be full of new developments, as narrated in a preview by Rachel Loeb – President and CEO NYCEDC; Elissa Black – Executive Director NYCxDESIGN; Claire Pijoulat – Co-Founder WantedDesign; Valerie Hoffman – Program Director NYCxDESIGN; Ilene Shaw – Founder of Design Pavilion
“This 10th Anniversary of the Festival is a particularly meaningful moment – says Elissa Black – as we connect the national and international design community to NYC’s diverse array of design talent that is shaping our collective future.” In an ongoing dialogue between companies and new emerging realities, on stage at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center, from 15 to 17 May 2022, ICFF: The International Contemporary Furniture Fair and WantedDesign with the Look Book – a careful selection of the best studios in North America – and the Launch Pad, covering new faces of international design.
From 7 to 15 May, Design Pavilion returns with “Open to the Sky” – a series of public installations in landmark locations like Times Square, Pulitzer Fountain Plaza, Flatiron Plaza – as well as Design Talks NOW 2022 in partnership with NeueHouse New York.
People are eagerly awaiting the 7th edition of NYCxDESIGN Awards, honoring the best projects in a range of different categories. The winners will be announced in a special ceremony by the editor-in-chief of Interior Design magazine, Cindy Allen. Special initiatives include IMPACTxDESIGN in partnership with Caesarstone, with outdoor installations by Karim Rashid and Kickie Chudikova in Dumbo Brooklyn and Downtown Manhattan (on view until 2023).
DRINKSxDESIGN will involve the protagonists of the wine-food scene in New York: a group of restaurants – coordinated by NYCxDESIGN with Eater and Punch – will offer special cocktails inspired by design, architecture and sustainability. STAYxDESIGN on the other hand will connect visitors to the world of New York hospitality, offering welcome discounts: partners include Civilian, Ace Hotel Brooklyn, Ace Hotel New York, Arlo NoMad, Arlo Midtown and Arlo SoHo.
The new generation is the focus of Student Showcase Night, with the presentation of projects by the students of Cooper Union, Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Parsons, Pratt and School of Visual Arts (SVA), while ChangeMakers will show projects by the urban design and architecture workshop of NYU, guided by Louise Harpman.
To discover the design way of life in New York City and its five boroughs – Manhattan, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island – after the success of the edition in November 2021 the open studios tours are back, in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene, Nomad & Flatiron, Red Hook, Long Island City and Harlem, for a backstage look at some of the most innovative design firms.
Rockwell Group will host a walking tour to explore the evolution of the Theater District; Madison Avenue B.I.D. celebrates its annual Art & Design Weekend from 14 to 15 May; IDSA: The Industrial Designers Society of America organizes a virtual and physical event; Interior Arts Building presents the semester program Design61 (12 May).
The path between contemporary and design will be narrated in CURRENT, an exhibition curated by Marcus and Tess De Paula; in Radiator Show, in Gowanus, visitors can see independent design of the new generation; Pink Essay – the creative studio of David Eardley, Anna Theroux Ling and Matt Pecina – will organize its most impressive group show; Bergdorf Goodman Home welcomes DesignLab 2022 curated by Culture Object; MAD – Museum of Arts & Design presents the exhibition “Flower Craft” featuring avant-garde creations; and Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum features “Nature by Design: Botanical Expressions,” investigating botanical interpretations through the decorative arts from the late 18th to the early 20th century.
Design, in any case, is everywhere: in the charm of the SoHo Design District, the industrial archaeology of Industry City, the converted Brooklyn Navy Yard, the cultural verve of the South Bronx and Harlem… “Last year we presented NYCxDESIGN with hybrid events that were a great success – says Valerie Hoffman – and looking forward to this special edition and future interactions, we will continue to bridge the gap between live and virtual experiences, creating powerful connections to the incredible design ecosystem of New York.”
