FIT Interior Design Students Present “Covid-19 Community Memorial Design Competition” Feb. 17
IFDA Student Spotlight:
FIT Interior Design Studio III Students Present “Covid-19 Community Memorial Design Competition”
Join the IFDA for a very special presentation spotlighting exceptional student talent from Professor and Architect Marvin Clawson’s Studio III Interior Design Course at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
First Prize: Mia Felicissimo
About the Studio III COVID-19 Memorial Project:
The challenge: to design a local memorial that honors those who have been lost to Covid-19 and brings solace to our community. Grand Prize: $1,000
The Covid-19 pandemic is far from being controlled and has already claimed over 600,000 deaths around the world. This incredible loss is compounded for many families who were not able to say goodbye to their loved ones in person due to hospital safety measures or hold proper funerals because of the incredible scale of the situation. In the face of these tragedies, how can a local community memorial honor those who have passed and bring solace to families? The calculation of loss goes beyond simple numbers, each loss impacts family, friends, and a community as a whole.
Throughout history, memorials have been an important way to reflect on this loss and allow a community to grieve and come together in solidarity. Covid-19 has affected every community and culture a little differently. In order to reflect this reality, each memorial should be intimate and personal; reflecting the local context and the impact this pandemic has had.
Second Prize: Do Hyun Chang
The Studio III class focused on a small office and flagship showroom for an innovative material and a large flagship office for an innovative technology. These are the bookend projects for the studio. A project that elicits an emotional response is placed between the two corporate projects in order to introduce the students to conceptual design and its relationship to social issues.
This year the Covid-19 Community Memorial International Design Competition was selected as the “Emotionally Evocative” Project. The challenge was to design a local memorial that honors those who have been lost to Covid-19 and brings solace to the designer’s own community.
The projects were judged on the following criteria: design, personal impact, community impact, practicality, and presentation.
Third Prize: Shannon Chin
Shannon Chin was selected as a Finalist for Covid-19 Community Memorial International Design Competition!
Date:
Wednesday, Feb 17th, 2021
11:00 am
Click Here for the Link to Join
Prof. Marvin Clawson, AIA, NCARB, ASID, NJCID is a Principal and co-founder of Clawson Architects. Clawson Architects’ portfolio focuses on private residences and institutional projects and have received numerous awards from the American Institute of Architecture for projects in both categories. Marvin is an Associate Adjunct Professor at FIT since 2009 and received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Adjunct Teaching in 2020, a recognition of excellence in teaching . Marvin’s teaching fuels his passion to maintain a critical practice based on humanistic design principles and an individual’s interaction with the built environment. It is there that he strives to create a better world for his clients and community through stewardship and sustainability.
Mia Felicissimo is entering her fourth semester at the Fashion Institute of Technology, as an Interior Design Major. Even before starting as a Freshman at FIT, she enrolled in several Pre-College programs with Fashion Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art and Design and the New York School of Interior Design. Mia was also involved with several art groups including the New Jersey Community Arts Association, and was awarded first place in their art competition with the 2019 Lorraine Strangfeld Memorial Scholarship. Along with studying in FIT’s Presidential Scholars program, Mia also works as a paid intern with a well-known and successful Interior Design firm. Mia wishes to further her education with hopes of working in Commercial Design.
Do Hyun Chang is a second year undergraduate student, pursuing Interior Architecture and Design as her major at the Fashion Institute of Technology, FIT. During her first year, she was selected to represent her work at the FIT Exhibition, Picturing Space. Her desire to provoke sentiment and emotion within a space is continuously observed as she strives to learn how the work of one can impact many. She hopes one day to see how design is another language of speaking to another person’s heart.
Shannon Chin is an Interior Design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Baruch College, where she majored in Computer Information Systems and double-minored in New Media Arts and Theatre. After graduating, Shannon worked as the lead UX/UI and graphic designer for Wethos, a New-York-based tech startup focused on helping nonprofit organizations find freelance talent. There, she helped develop the company’s brand identity and online platform.
Shannon was selected as a Finalist in the COVID-19 Community Memorial Competition. She is always striving to create designs that are mindful of, and meaningful to, those who experience them.
ABOUT IFDA
The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), founded in New York City in 1947 with 11 chapters worldwide, provides a professional forum for communication and interaction among its high-profile members. The IFDA, a not-for-profit volunteer-run association, also promotes career advancement and educational opportunities and is structured to increase public awareness of the furnishings and design industry through specialized programming, networking and service to the community.
