Manitoga/The Russel Wright Design Center announces that it will bestow its signature award upon two key figures from the worlds of design and nature – David Rockwell and Verlyn Klinkenborg. Manitoga will host the 13th Annual Russel Wright Awards at a ceremony on June 9 in Mary’s Meadow in Garrison, NY. Recognizing those who uphold the aesthetic of Russel Wright, the center will honor and celebrate the works of world-renowned architect David Rockwell and esteemed American nature writer, Verlyn Klinkenborg.
Each year, The Russel Wright Award acknowledges those who carry forward the legacy of iconic mid-century industrial designer Russel Wright. This year, the award will recognize David Rockwell, architect, founder and president of Rockwell Group, for his recent work in the Hudson Valley including the design of Roundhouse at Beacon Falls – an extensive renovation and transformation of 19th and early 20th century industrial buildings into an environmentally conscious destination hotel, restaurant and spa. Verlyn Klinkenborg, another honoree of the Russel Wright Award, is author and New York Times columnist for “Rural Life” whose writings, in the spirit of Russel Wright’s Manitoga, connect readers to the natural world.
“Our 2013 honorees represent the arc of Wright’s prolific career from early designs for the stage to his masterful synthesis of design and nature at Manitoga where he celebrated the drama and the poetry of daily living. We are thrilled to present this year’s Russel Wright Award to such distinguished creative professionals.”
“It’s a great honor to receive the Russel Wright Award,” said David Rockwell, founder and President of Rockwell Group. “Russel Wright was a design visionary who – among numerous accomplishments – transformed his passion for good design into products that brought pleasure and joy to many American homes. So I feel fortunate to be among such an incredible group of honorees, including this year’s co-recipient Verlyn Klinkenborg.”
The afternoon will include hors d’ouevres and cocktails at Wright’s home at Manitoga, a National Historic Landmark and the only 20th century modern house open to the public in New York State. There will also be the event’s signature Auction and Russel Wright Award Presentation in Mary’s Meadow. Manitoga’s house, studio and woodland garden will be open through the afternoon.
RUSSEL WRIGHT’S modern design emphasized beauty in everyday living and transformed American lifestyle at mid-century. Manitoga is also a charter member of National Trust for Historic Preservation Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program, and a World Monuments Watch Site. Its mission is to preserve Wright’s home, landscape and design legacy and share them with professionals and the public.
Rockwell Group is an award winning, cross-disciplinary 140-person architecture and design firm specializing in cultural, hospitality, retail, product, and set design. Based in New York, with satellite offices in Madrid and Shanghai, the firm crafts a unique narrative and an immersive environment for each project. David Rockwell’s interest in theater has informed much of the firm’s work, including: W Hotels in New York, Paris, Singapore, and Vieques; the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center; 2013 Tony Award-nominated set designs for Broadway’s Lucky Guy and Kinky Boots; Neuehouse, opening in 2013 in New York; exhibition design for the future National Center for Civil and Human Rights, opening in 2014 in Atlanta; The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel; set design for the 2009 and 2010 Academy Awards ceremonies; Canyon Ranch Miami Beach; the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles; Nobu restaurants worldwide; and the Imagination Playground initiative. For more information, please visit www.rockwellgroup.com and www.facebook.com/RockwellGroup.
In addition to his column “Rural Life” in The New York Times, Verlyn Klinkenborg’s books include The Rural Life (2004), Making Hay (2003), Timothy; or Notes of an Abject Reptile (2007), and the recently released More Scenes from the Rural Life as well as introductions to the books: Gardenscapes (2003, Aperture) by Lynn Geesaman, A Natural History of North American Trees (2007) by Donald Culross Peattie, Woodcut (2012) by Bryan Nash Gill, and Bee (2012) by Rose-Lynn Fisher. Articles for National Geographic include “Green Roofs” and “Our Vanishing Night.” Klinkenborg lives on a farm in Austerlitz, NY in Columbia County.
For further information on the 13th Annual Russel Wright Award or Manitoga’s other programs and events, visit www.russelwrightcenter.org or call 845-424-3812.
