Bauhaus Ball
Craftsmanship & Creativity Abound at the Bauhaus Ball
On October 23, the New York School of Interior Design hosted a costume ball that engaged the entire community in a fun, immersive lesson in the principles of the Bauhaus movement. At a faculty meeting months before, instructors Stefanie Werner and Francisco De Leon raised the idea of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus with a party in the tradition of the movement’s famous costume balls. Barbara Weinreich, director of undergraduate programs, took the helm of the project, envisioning a collaborative effort between faculty, students, and staff. Says Weinreich, “We challenged participants to make a wearable creation of repurposed materials that expressed Bauhaus design principles. Francisco had the idea that students could also redesign the NYSID logo in the Bauhaus style, so we planned to award prizes for best costume and best logo to students.” The faculty created a course in Canvas, the College’s web-based learning management program, where students could find images and inspiration guides for the costumes and the logo design. A team of faculty and staff that included MPS in Interior Lighting Design director Shaun Fillion, archivist and librarian Julie Sandy, MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments director David Bergman, and instructor Brian Lee met weekly to plan and create the lighting, banners, installations, and projections that would utterly transform the auditorium. Craig Young ’19 (MPS-L) provided a lighting installation of silhouettes. Students Shane Curnutt and Julissa Altmonte decorated the tables, making them look like Bauhaus paintings and Albers textiles.
Ultimately, the students’ costumes stole the show. Says Weinreich, “When the parade of costumes began, we were blown away by the creativity!” BFA student Shane Curnutt won the costume contest and MFA-1 student Praveena Aleti won the logo design contest. Says Weinreich, “Most of all, I loved the collegial collaboration between people of different ages and disciplines that resulted in a memorable design event.”
David Sprouls, president of the New York School of Interior Design, welcomes readers to the Summer 2023 issue of Atelier.
The New York School of Interior Design’s one-year, post-professional Master of Professional Studies in Lighting Design (MPSL) has a 100 percent employment rate for graduates within 6 months of the program’s completion, and has for years…. MPSL Program Director Shaun Fillion, LC, CLCP, Educator IALD, as well as alumni Estefania Diaz ’15 (MPSL) / ’16 (MPSS), Lighting Designer at Ventresca Lighting Designers; Iliana Filotheidi ’19 (MPSL), Senior Lighting Designer at HLB Lighting Design; and Diogo Coelho ’18 (MPSL), Lighting Product Manager at Amerlux, share their insights.
NYSID alum Robert Kaner ’02 (AAS) designed this interior for a couple who had multiple residences and would be spending only part of their time in New York.
2022-23 has been a banner academic year for NYSID students in regard to winning industry-wide competitions.
Interior designers’ relationships with artisans are extremely valuable. Designers and master craftspeople become partners in making, collaborating around every detail to turn their customers’ dreams into reality. Perhaps there’s no one better suited to teach what’s behind this process than Harry Heissmann, the owner of Harry Heissmann Inc. and the instructor of NYSID’s quartet of courses called “Advanced Trade Techniques,” which teach students high-level designing in Custom Upholstery (I), Custom Flooring (II), Custom Wall Treatments (III), and Custom Cabinetry (IV). Heissmann shares his thoughts with Atelier Managing Editor Jennifer Dorr here.
NYSID’s Alumni Council is led by two dynamic designers: President Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS) and Vice-President Krista Gurevich ’16 (MFA1). When alumna Leslie Robinson ’21 (MFA1) caught up with the pair, they were excited to discuss the new Alumni Council Scholarship, which was first awarded at Gala 2023.
“As our leadership team focused on goals for the firm’s next 20 years, we recognized the significance of supporting the academic foundations of our industry. What is a better investment than the continuing education of our future industry leaders?”
NYSID alumna Maria Spears left the NYSID Board of Trustees at the end of 2022, after a six-year tenure, in order to focus on family and traveling the world with her beloved husband, William. From the time she joined the board in May 2016, Spears was a visionary and generous benefactor of the College. Says NYSID president David Sprouls, “If you know Maria, you understand that her energy, vibrance, and enthusiasm are infectious. She’s had a tremendous impact on NYSID’s students in more ways than one.”
On Tuesday, April 11, the New York School of Interior Design held its “Gala 2023” in a private club in New York City, securing more than $600,000 for scholarships. NYSID Trustee Alexa Hampton, emceed, lending both humor and insight to the evening.
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the New York School of Interior Design honored the class of 2023 with a graduation ceremony at 92Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. One hundred sixteen interior designers obtained their degrees after much hard work and tenacity. Eighty-five graduates walked the stage.