Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place

Museum announces Stephen Burks as the 2023 Design Excellence Award Honoree

November 19, 2023 - April 14, 2024

Traveler Indoor Armchair with Hood, 2014, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), made for Roche Bobois (France, established 1960), epoxy-lacquered steel, leather cords, leather upholstery, and plume-feather fill, Philadelphia Museum of Art, gift of Roche Bobois, 2016. Photo courtesy of Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
The Others (Lanterns S, M, and Statue Lika), 2017, aluminum, polyethylene fiber, marble, acrylic, and LED solar panels, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by DEDON (Germany, established 1990), High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of DEDON. Photo by Joe Coscia.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Grasso Vases, 2018, glazed ceramic, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by BD Barcelona Design (Spain, established 1972), Courtesy of BD Barcelona Design. Photo by Joe Coscia.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Pixel Throw, 2020, bamboo, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), Stephen Burks Man Made, Inc, New York, established 1997, made by Berea College Student Craft, Berea College (Kentucky, established 1855), courtesy of Berea College Student Craft. Photo by Justin Skeens.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Broom Thing Ambient Object, 2020, mixed materials, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by Stephen Burks Man Made, Inc., (New York, established 1997) and Berea College Student Crafts (Kentucky, established 1855), courtesy of the artist and Berea College, Berea, Kentucky. Photo by Justin Skeens, 2022.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Stephen Burks with Woven TV (Shelter in Place project), 2022, enamel, epoxy resin, LED, and polylactide (PLA), designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by Stephen Burks Man Made, New York, established 1997, collection of the designer. Photo by Caroline Tompkins.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
The Spruce, 2021-2022, oak and aluminum, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), made by Berea College Student Craft, Berea College (Kentucky, established 1855), courtesy of Berea College Student Craft. Photo by Justin Skeens.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Stephen Burks with The Ancestors (Shelter in Place project), 2021, acrylic, epoxy resin, enamel, polystyrene foam, and clay-coated paper, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by Stephen Burks Man Made, New York, established 1997, collection of the designer. Photo by Caroline Tompkins.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Friends and Neighbors Mirrors, 2021, recycled marble and glass, designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by Salvatori (Italy, established 1946), courtesy of Salvatori. Photo by Joe Coscia.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.
Spirit House (Shelter in Place project) (with personal artifacts), 2022, enamel, epoxy resin, LED, and polylactide (PLA), designed by Stephen Burks (American, born 1969), manufactured by Stephen Burks Man Made, New York, established 1997, collection of the designer. Photo by Caroline Tompkins.

Important: By downloading this image, you are agreeing to the following permissions: Images are provided exclusively to the press, and only for purposes of publicity for the duration of an exhibition at the PMA. The Museum grants permission to use images only to the extent of its ownership rights relating to those images--the responsibility for any additional permissions remains solely with the party reproducing the images. In addition, the images must be accompanied by the credit line and any copyright information as it appears above, and the party reproducing the images must not distort or mutilate the images.

Philadelphia, Oct 31, 2023 – The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) today announced that on November 18, 2023, Stephen Burks, an internationally renowned industrial designer, will be honored with Collab’s 2023 Design Excellence Award during a celebration at the museum. Collab, the PMA’s affiliate group for modern and contemporary design, presents this annual award, now in its 37th year, to design icons in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of design. In conjunction with the award, the PMA will showcase Burks’s work in the new exhibition, Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place, which surveys the past ten years of his craft-centered, workshop-based design practice and features a specially commissioned speculative project. The exhibition will be on display at the PMA in the Collab Gallery from November 19, 2023 through April 14, 2024.

For nearly twenty years, Stephen Burks has forged a unique path by finding opportunities for innovation in the space between handcraft and industry, which has become a hallmark of his practice. Burks and his studio Stephen Burks Man Made have been commissioned by many of the world’s leading design-driven brands, including Cappellini, DEDON, Missoni, and Roche Bobois, among others, to develop collections that creatively synthesize handcraft traditions with industrial production. Burks has stated, “Hands have power... Even today, the hand is capable of doing things that machines cannot.” His collaborations with artisans and craftspeople all over the globe, from Senegal and South Africa to Peru and the Philippines, demonstrate the creative impact that the hand can have on industrial products. Guiding Burks’s approach is his underlying belief that design should be inclusive of all cultural perspectives and backgrounds.

The exhibition, Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place, explores new ideas concerning domesticity—namely asking how we can design our interiors to enable joyful living while empowering our creativity. It features nearly 45 key objects from the last ten years of Burks’s practice, as a type of mid-career survey, that exemplifies his aim of “returning the hand to industry.” The furniture, lighting, textiles, and craft-related experiments on view highlight his innovative craft collaborations and demonstrate his holistic approach across the disciplines of art, architecture, and design that underscores principles of synthesizing craft, community, and industry. A highlight is Burks’s Traveler Armchair with Hood (Designed 2014), which was manufactured by Paris-based firm Roche Bobois, with whom Burks is a frequent collaborator. The Traveler, which was inspired by the dense forests photographed by Thomas Struth in his Paradise series from the late 1990s, was the first work by Roche Bobois to enter a museum collection when the PMA acquired it in 2016.

The works from Burks’s professional practice are presented in the gallery alongside five prototypes from his new speculative project—Shelter in Place—which explores radical new ideas regarding design's relationship to our spirituality, our homes, and our communities, post-pandemic. The Shelter in Place commission emerged from discussions between Burks and the High Museum of Art’s Curator of Decorative Arts and Design and exhibition organizer, Monica Obniski, that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project allowed Burks to imagine multiple radical concepts for the home, including Spirit House, which functions as a modern portable altar and reflects Burks’s ongoing interest in design’s ability to connect us to our need for spirituality and ritual.

Eileen Tognini, Collab Board Member, commented, “We are thrilled to celebrate Stephen as this year’s Design Excellence Award honoree. His ability to combine craft with industrial production, while embracing cultural diversity around the globe is truly special and deserves much praise. He continues to think holistically about design and recognizes the enormous power of design to improve our everyday lives and our society more broadly in this current post-pandemic moment.”

Sasha Suda, George D. Widener Director and CEO at the Philadelphia Museum of Art said, “The PMA is committed to championing a broader and inclusive curatorial direction, one that involves taking a more thoughtful approach to the collections in which we choose to invest and display. Stephen’s conviction that design is cultural production and that it has the opportunity to represent everyone’s approach to life is truly inspiring. The PMA is honored to host this important exhibition and we look forward to welcoming visitors to start their own conversations about their relationship with design and home.”

Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, published by the High Museum of Art and Yale University Press, featuring essays by High Museum of Art curator Monica Obniski, author and historian Glenn Adamson, curator and critic Beatrice Galilee, and an introduction by Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola, who was honored with the Collab Design Excellence Award in 2017. Additional texts include an interview with Burks by Michelle Joan Wilkinson, curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, and a conversation between Burks and the late bell hooks.

Collab Design Excellence Award
The Collab Design Excellence Award presentation ceremony and opening celebration for the exhibition will take place on Saturday, November 18, 2023. Stephen Burks will discuss his work at the event in conversation with Alisa Chiles, Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, who curated the exhibition in Philadelphia. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit @collabpma. The 2023 Collab Design Excellence Award is sponsored by Amuneal and Poor Richard’s Charitable Trust, Roche Bobois, DEDON, Eileen Tognini Design, Haworth, Marguerite Rodgers Interior Design, Millésimé, Minima, and Rago Wright Auctions.

Collab Student Design Competition
Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place is also the inspiration for Collab’s 2023 Student Design Competition, which is held annually and is now in its 30th year. Collab has invited university-level design students from around the country to submit their own designs for a unique vessel that incorporates both technology and “the hand,” inspired by Burks’s craft-based approach to industrial design. Design submissions received by November 8, 2023, will be evaluated according to their originality and creativity, evidence of applied research, and their ability to be manufactured. The winners, who receive cash prizes and recognition on the Philadelphia Museum of Art website, will be announced in a feedback session with the judges on November 15, 2023.

Public Programs
The Philadelphia Museum of Art will host a variety of public programs associated with the exhibition, including a panel discussion in February 2024 on diversity in the arts featuring Stephen Burks in conversation with several artists. More information to come. For additional programming, please see @collabpma

Organizers
Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, in collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The organizing curator is Monica Obniski, Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the High Museum of Art. In Philadelphia, the exhibition is curated by Alisa Chiles, Assistant Curator of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture.

Support
Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place is made possible by The Lisa S. Roberts and David W. Seltzer Endowment Fund in Support of the Collab Design Excellence Award Exhibition. Additional support is provided by Collab.

About Stephen Burks
A Chicago native, Stephen Burks (b. 1969) is one of the most recognized American industrial designers of his generation. He has worked as a product development consultant in close collaboration with artisans and craftspeople on six continents. Burks and his Brooklyn-based studio Stephen Burks Man Made have been commissioned by numerous global design-driven brands to develop collections that engage hand production as a strategy for innovation including Cappellini, Dedon, MASS Design Group, Missoni, & Roche Bobois. His work has been exhibited internationally, including the Studio Museum in Harlem and the High Museum of Art. Burks is the first African American to win the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Product Design and the first industrial designer to be awarded the prestigious Loeb Fellowship at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

About Collab
Founded in 1970, Collab is a Philadelphia Museum of Art member group that supports modern and contemporary design at the museum through acquisitions, exhibitions, and programs. Collab’s annual Design Excellence Award honors a designer of international renown with a celebration and exhibition at the PMA. This signature event has brought design icons to Philadelphia since 1986. To learn more, visit www.philamuseum.org/join/friends-groups/collab

About the Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is a national and international destination for art, but first, we are Philadelphia’s Museum of Art – for all the many diverse communities of the city. Through our collections, exhibitions, events, educational activities, celebrations and more, the PMA is a storyteller, and we welcome everyone to be part of the story -- our doors are wide open. To learn more, visit www.philamuseum.org.

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