Be Original Americas Announces Summer Design Fellowship and Benefit Auction
This summer, two college students will earn the chance to study with the best of New York City’s design companies in a fellowship offered by Be Original Americas, a nonprofit committed to preserving original design. The seven week program will afford the winners an opportunity to learn how companies including Bernhardt Design, Carnegie, Chilewich, Design Within Reach, Emeco, Herman Miller, Ligne Roset, and Vitra each make, distribute, and market their products
“The fellowship program is an unprecedented opportunity,” says Sam Grawe, President of Be Original Americas and Global Brand Director for Herman Miller, “for students to see the entirety of the design process—from ideation to point of sale—and develop relationships with industry leaders who are creating and supporting original design.
The program will be funded by an online auction that runs from May 2nd through May 16th. Items up for grabs include Vitra’s Grand Repos lounge chair, signed by its designer Antonio Citterio; Flos’s Snoopy lamp from Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni; a one-year membership to Material ConneXion; and dozens more, all donated by Be Original Americas members and friends. Bidders can check out the items in person at New York City’s WantedDesign, from May 13-16th at the Tunnel in Chelsea.
Undergraduates who reside in the United States and have completed at least three years of study are eligible to apply for the fellowship before April 25th, 2016. The winners will be announced on May 6th.