NYCxDESIGN Launches Emerging Designer Residency in partnership with ARTSTHREAD at Hudson Yards
The Special Pop-Up Studio to Showcase Work of Four Recent Graduates through June 2021
NYCxDESIGN is proud to announce the organization’s first Emerging Designer Residency in partnership with ARTSTHREAD at Hudson Yards. Now through June 2021, four recent graduates from FIT, Parsons School of Design, and The School of Visual Arts, will transform a highly visible storefront on Level 4 of The Shops at Hudson Yards into a pop-up studio where they will spend thirteen weeks working on their impressive portfolios and showcasing finished projects. Brought to life in a museum-like setup, the public is invited to view the design process in action as the designers in residence – Lenny Vuitton, Yi Hsuan Sung, Xin Min, and Lizzy Itzkowitz – create one-of-a-kind products live in the space.
The designers’ projects range in medium: Lenny Vuitton will develop a rug-making practice inspired by his fun and colorful paintings; Yi Hsuan Sung will produce lamps with a faux flower-making system using agar, food waste, and 3D-printed molds; Lizzy Itzkowitz’s pop-up silkscreen lab will showcase the versatility of her cartooning and patterning; and Xin Min will create a series of 100 teacups using a variety of ceramic techniques, including wheel, hand-building, and slip casting.
Visitors can read more about the program and each artist through QR codes printed on the space’s windows. Contact information for each designer is also available for the public to inquire directly about purchasing the pieces they see in the making.
For many years, NYCxDESIGN has leveraged its strong community relationships to facilitate valuable connections between designers and local spaces to provide exposure for designers and cultural activations. This program allows NYCxDESIGN to take that facilitator role to the next level and connect designers with space to showcase their work and enable them to expand their portfolios and produce products that can be sold to support their growing businesses.
“NYCxDESIGN is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation of designers in New York City and supporting the creative pipeline,” said Valerie Hoffman, NYCxDESIGN Program Director. “The innovative and hungry spirits of these young designers shape the future of our city, and it is ever important to NYCxDESIGN that we help nurture that talent, especially in this period of recovery and growth.”
“We are thrilled to be working with NYCxDESIGN and ARTSTHREAD to provide a space for these talented, emerging artists to create and showcase their work for all New Yorkers in a new, safe and socially distant way,” said Stacey Feder, Chief Marketing Officer for Hudson Yards. “Community and culture have always been central to Hudson Yards and we are proud to welcome this unique studio installation to the neighborhood.”
The four residents were selected in partnership with ARTSTHREAD, a launchpad for the next generation of creative talent representing 300,000 students in 125 countries from over 900 design schools. “We are immensely proud to be partnering with NYCxDESIGN and Hudson Yards on this incredibly proactive initiative for the four designers from three leading New York design schools,” said Alex Brownless, Co-Founder of ARTSTHREAD. “As an online platform, ARTSTHREAD is a major advocate of both online and offline activities that can launch an emerging creative’s future career.”
Lenny Vuitton will expand on his work at the intersection of interior design, decoration, and fashion to develop a rug making practice inspired by his fun and colorful paintings. He will also introduce a sustainability factor into his work by creating pillows out of the rug scraps. Lenny Vuitton is a fine artist and fashion designer who recently graduated from FIT with an MFA in Fashion Design.
Yi Hsuan Sung brings nature’s beauty into interior space with an awareness of environmental impact as her primary pursuit as a designer. She will produce lamps and a chandelier with a faux flower-making system using agar, food waste and 3D printed molds. Yi Hsuan is a textile designer who recently received her MFA in Textiles from Parsons School of Design.
Lizzy Itzkowitz’s pop-up silkscreen lab showcases the versatility of her cartooning and patterning. As she creates hand-printed silkscreen pillows and playful greeting cards, she shares her mission of spreading happiness and energizing the world with her fun and intricate designs. Lizzy Itzkowitz is a cartoonist, illustrator, pattern designer, and GIF creator who graduated from The School of Visual Arts.
Xin Min’s tabletop designs for the modern lifestyle illustrate her minimalist, yet delightful aesthetics and maximum practicality. To show a variety of ceramic techniques, Xin will create a series of 100 tea cups using a wheel, handbuilding, and slip casting. Xin Min graduated from Parsons School of Design. Her work focuses on tabletop designs incorporated with the modern lifestyle.
Follow @nycxdesign and @artsthread throughout the residency to learn more about each designer and their work.
About NYCxDESIGN
NYCxDESIGN is a not-for-profit organization committed to empowering and promoting the city’s diverse creative community. Since its inception as a grass-roots organization, NYCxDESIGN has been an influential and unifying entity by nurturing, supporting, and providing opportunities for NYC’s design sector on a global stage. NYCxDESIGN organizes exceptional year-round programming, including its annual international festival. Strategic leadership includes a new Board of Directors and a Steering Committee made up of representatives from NYC’s design schools, museums, cultural institutions, design districts/centers, and trade shows. Diversity, purpose, cultural placemaking, economic opportunity, and creativity are core to the not-for-profit’s values. NYCxDESIGN is supported by NYCEDC, SANDOW Design Group, Caesarstone, Eventscape, and Material Bank and is in partnership with Metropolis, Luxe Interiors & Design, Interior Design, The New York Times, The Architect’s Newspaper, and Sixtysix. nycxdesign.com
About ARTSTHREAD
ARTSTHREAD is the world’s leading digital platform for emerging creatives worldwide. For over the last 10 years they have built relationships with over 900 higher education institutions in 120 countries. ARTSTHREAD has helped thousands of emerging designers & artists connect with the industry. www.artsthread.com
About Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards is a new neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side developed by Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group. Hudson Yards is home to a collection of leading retail brands in every category from luxury to fast fashion, including new experiential concepts and first-ever stores from popular online retailers. The neighborhood features restaurants and food experiences by chefs and restaurateurs José Andrés, David Chang, Michael Lomonaco, Costas Spiliadis, Stephen Starr, rhubarb hospitality collection, D&D London and more; dynamic cultural institutions; state-of-the-art modern residences; more than five acres of public plazas, gardens and groves; the world’s first Equinox Hotel; commercial office space for industry leaders including Facebook, WarnerMedia, BlackRock, and more; and eventually a new 750-seat public school–all offering unparalleled amenities for residents, employees and guests. For more information on Hudson Yards, please visit www.HudsonYardsNewYork.com.
