National YoungArts Foundation and Arquitectonica Lead YoungArts’ Design Arts Discipline

John Clark, Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Rich Kohan and Marisa Fort
John Clark, Bernardo Fort-Brescia, Rich Kohan and Marisa Fort

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

The National YoungArts Foundation and Arquitectonica have teamed up to promote YoungArts’ Design Arts Discipline, aimed at supporting the students of architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, industrial design, graphic design, fashion design, and interaction design by providing educational experiences and professional opportunities.

WREPhoto Credit: World Red Eye

The dynamic duo of these design powerhouses seeks to educate today’s young luminaires and enable them to envision a much-needed sustainable solution for the city of Miami. At a time when the city is undergoing an exciting design boom, this initiative is extremely monumental.

Arquitectonica Design workshop visiting artist Jacob Lenard and winner Heather Hart

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

YoungArts Design Discipline was launched in 2013 with Frank Gehry as artistic advisor. The recently announced five-year partnership with Arquitectonica continues YoungArts foray into design, and is comprised of masterclasses during YoungArts Miami regionals week and internship opportunities. The initiative kicked off this March with a Design Arts master class or charrettes, where students were asked to create a Wi-Fi/gadget charging and information kiosk, similar to Escale Numérique in Paris spearheaded by leading figures from the firm including including Bernardo Fort-Brescia and Marisa Fort.

Felix Reyes
Felix Reyes

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

“As one of the world’s leading architecture and design firms, Arquitectonica will offer invaluable insights and professional development opportunities to YoungArts Winners in this field. We look forward to working together to champion outstanding young talent—in the design arts and beyond,” said Lisa Leone, Vice President of Artistic Programs for YoungArts.

Bernardo Fort-Brescia & Carlos Rosso
Bernardo Fort-Brescia & Carlos Rosso

Photo Credit: World Red Eye

Additionally, Arquitectonica has joined forces with the University of Miami and the Related Group, bringing in the school’s architectural students and challenging them to create design solutions that activate the proposed public boardwalk along the Biscayne Line. These challenging, real-life projects afforded students the ability to take part in a pivotal moment of the history and design of Miami, as they revitalize the Edgewater area and transform it into Miami’s soon-to-be prime real estate territory.