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For Immediate Release
April 4, 2008
Contact: Felicia E. Molnar, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum,
248-645-3329
Cranbrook Grabs Top Honors in
US News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools”
Renowned Art Academy—home to Bertoia, Eames, Knoll and Saarinen—sustains its record as a leader in the arts
Bloomfield Hills, MI— Cranbrook Academy of Art is once again named the country’s top graduate-only Masters of Fine Arts program. The 2009 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” published by US News and World Report ranks the Academy fourth overall among the 220 Master of Fine Arts programs across the United States. Cranbrook’s departments are all ranked in the top ten for excellence in the survey’s “specialties” categories, including: Ceramics, Fiber, Graphic Design (2D Design), Industrial Design (3D Design), Metals/Jewelry (Metalsmithing), Painting, Photography, Print Media and Sculpture (Cranbrook also offers a graduate degree in Architecture, but US News does not include this subject in its reviews). The US News and World Report rankings are based on a survey of art and design school deans, administrators and faculty completed every five years. Cranbrook Academy of Art has appeared at the top of the magazine’s rankings since they first appeared in 1990.
“The US News rankings indicate how our peers see us, which speaks very well of our programs, our artists-in-residence, and our students,” says Reed Kroloff, Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. “We are a small school with a unique program, so this is not only a complement, but a confirmation that Cranbrook remains a driving force in contemporary art, architecture, and design.”
Cranbrook is a true atelier, where ten Artists-in-Residence mentor 15 students each on a National Landmark campus designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen. Over its 75 years, the Academy’s alumni and faculty have included some of the country’s most renowned artists, architects and designers including the Saarinens, Harry Bertoia, Richard DeVore, Charles and Ray Eames, Maja Grotell, Florence Knoll, Jack Lenor Larson, Daniel Libeskind, Tony Matelli, Hani Rashid, Marianne Strengell, Toshiko Takaezu, Lorraine Wild, and Anne Wilson.
Cranbrook Academy of Art is part of the Cranbrook Educational Community, which includes primary and secondary schools, museums, and a science institute on its 320 acre campus in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
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For Immediate Release
February 25, 2008
Contact: Felicia E. Molnar, Cranbrook, 248-645-3329
David Bright, Knoll, 212-343-4030
Cranbrook Educational Community Announces
$1 Million Gift from Knoll
to Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. (February 25, 2008) --- Knoll Inc. -- internationally renowned for innovation in residential and corporate furniture and textiles-- has announced a $1 million gift to the Campaign for Cranbrook in support of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. This gift, which supports endowment, preservation, renovation and other needs for the Academy and Art Museum, is the largest ever made to Cranbrook from Knoll. It recognizes Knoll's historical legacy and ties to Cranbrook: co-founder Florence Knoll Bassett (neé Schust) is an alumna of both the Cranbrook Kingswood School and the Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"Knoll is honored to make this gift to Cranbrook," says Andrew Cogan, CEO of Knoll. "Since our founding in 1938 by Florence Schust and Hans Knoll, our commitment to innovation and modern design has evolved through very direct ties to the Cranbrook Academy of Art, whose alumni and faculty have contributed to our success."
Knoll is headquartered in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. The company's large portfolio of products are exhibited in major art museums, with more than 40 pieces in the permanent Design Collection of The Museum of Modern Art in New York. While a student at the Cranbrook Kingswood School, Florence Knoll Bassett (neé Schust) became a protegée of Eero Saarinen, whose work the company still produces. In addition to the long collaboration with Saarinen, Knoll has commissioned work from a long list of noted Cranbrook Academy of Art faculty and graduates, including, Harry Bertoia, Niels Diffrient, Michael McCoy, Hani Rashid, Ralph Rapson, Marianne Strengell, and Masamichi Udagaw.
"The shared legacy of Knoll and Cranbrook is nothing short of the re-invention of the American workplace," says Reed Kroloff, Director of the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. "This gift memorializes that relationship, supports the unique environment that made it possible, and ensures that the Cranbrook Academy of Art will remain at the forefront of design innovation."
About Knoll
Since 1938, Knoll has been recognized internationally for creating workplace and residential furnishings that inspire, evolve and endure. Today, Knoll's commitment to modern design, understanding of the workplace and dedication to sustainable design has yielded a unique portfolio of products that respond and adapt to changing needs. Knoll is aligned with the U.S. Green Building Council and can help companies, healthcare organizations and educational institutions achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) workplace certification. Knoll is the contract furniture industry's first member of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX®) and is the founding sponsor of the World Monuments Fund Modernism at Risk program.
About Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
Founded in 1932, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum is acknowledged world wide as a preeminent graduate level school of art, design and architecture. This independent graduate degree-granting institution offers an intense studio-based experience where artists-in-residence mentor students in art, architecture and design to creatively influence contemporary culture. The Academy is the only institution in the United States dedicated solely to graduate art education, granting the Master of Architecture degree and the Master of Fine Arts degree in 2D Design, 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media and Sculpture. Cranbrook is an internationally renowned educational community dedicated to excellence in the arts, education and science. Cranbrook is located at 39221 Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and in addition to the Academy of Art and Art Museum, is comprised of the Institute of Science, Schools and other affiliated cultural and educational programs.
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For Immediate Release
October 1, 2007
Contact: Felicia E. Molnar, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum,
248-645-3329
DaimlerChrysler Financial Services honors
Cranbrook Academy of Art Graduates with the 2007 Emerging Artist Award
Winners' works to be exhibited in Berlin
Bloomfield Hills, MI - This year's DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Emerging Artist Award has been won by the architects Dharmesh Patel and Marty McElveen, recent graduates of Cranbrook Academy of Art's Architecture Department. The prizewinners will exhibit their works in the atrium of DaimlerChrysler Financial Services headquarters at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin from October 5-14, 2007. In addition, both artists' have received stipends for a one-month stay in Berlin and a networking and mentoring program run by the city's Künstlerhaus Bethanien, an artists' residency project.
The Emerging Artist Award, which is being presented this year for the third time, is a result of the long partnership between DaimlerChrysler Financial Services and Cranbrook Academy of Art. The award is presented annually in recognition of a particularly innovative work by a graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art. It gives talented young artists the opportunity to enter into dialogue with fellow artists in Europe and thus further develop their creative capacity.
"The relationship between DaimlerChrysler Financial Services and Cranbrook Academy of Art has grown steadily over the past five years and today represents an inspiring example of the impact corporate patronage can have on art, education and culture in the community," says Reed Kroloff, Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. "The DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Emerging Artist Award is an extension of this groundbreaking partnership, offering the Academy's graduate students the opportunity to present their work to new audiences in Berlin, one of the world's capitals of contemporary art, as they are launching their careers and seeking their own paths as artists."
The award winners -- Dharmesh Patel, who was born in Gujrat, India, and is currently a resident of Pontiac, Michigan, and Marty McElveen, a current resident of New Orleans, Louisiana -- have been working on architectural and design projects for several years. Both of them received Master of Architecture degrees in 2007 from Cranbrook Academy of Art.
"We bring these talented young people to Berlin so that they can benefit from the artistic and cultural environment of Berlin and Europe and gather a wealth of impressions and inspiration here," explains DaimlerChrysler Financial Services Board of Management Chairman Jürgen Walker. "Our experiences of the past two years and our employees' strong sense of identification with this partnership has increased our commitment to this project."
The award-winning outdoor installation created by the two artists consists of two pavilions and a reflecting wall that refer to elements of the Cranbrook grounds, which were designed by Eliel Saarinen. The installation invites viewers to linger, observe, and contemplate. "Technological progress has subordinated craftsmanship to industrial monotony and degraded our man-made environment to a state of apathy," says Patel. "Our works begin where human understanding and the human body 'fail' and look to technology for assistance." McElveen adds, "Digital technology enables us to take an entirely new approach to the way we perceive, create, and ultimately experience space."
"The special combination of creative design, skilled craftsmanship, and technology is clearly evident in the works of these two artists," says Walker concerning the jury's choice of Patel and McElveen for the award. "Their approach to architecture as well as their technical construction process are marked by tremendous innovative power."
Also on exhibition at the DaimlerChrysler Financial Services headquarters in Berlin will be the works of nine other Cranbrook Academy of Art graduates who were nominated for the award: Alexander Tochilovsky (2D Design), Amy Elizabeth Feigley (Sculpture), John Falley (Metalsmithing), Jung Min Lee (Print/Media), Katie Hinton (Painting), Matt Alexander (3D Design), Nancy VanDevender (Textiles), Suk Jin Choi (Ceramics) and Tommy Reynolds (Photography).
DaimlerChrysler Financial Services
DaimlerChrysler Financial Services provides tailor-made financial services that help promote the sale of vehicles from the DaimlerChrysler Group worldwide. On the strength of its comprehensive range of leasing, financing, insurance, and fleet management services, the company manages a contract volume of €113 billion. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services leases or finances the sale of over one third of all the vehicles produced by DaimlerChrysler worldwide. The company, which has its headquarters in Berlin, operates in more than 40 countries and has around 11,000 employees. DaimlerChrysler Financial Services is extensively involved in various social and cultural projects around the world with the aim of opening up new prospects for young people.
Cranbrook Academy of Art
Founded in 1932, Cranbrook Academy of Art is a preeminent graduate school of art, design and architecture. The Academy is the only institution in the United States dedicated solely to graduate art education, granting the Master of Architecture degree and the Master of Fine Arts degree in 2D Design, 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metalsmithing, Painting, Photography, Print Media and Sculpture. Carl Milles, Harry Bertoia, Charles and Ray Eames, Maija Grotell, Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Daniel Libeskind and numerous other Cranbrook artists have had a major impact on the art, design, and architecture of our time. Further information is available on the Internet at: www.cranbrook.edu
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For Immediate Release
May 10, 2007
Contact: Felicia E. Molnar, 248-645-3329
Reed Kroloff
Appointed Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art
Bloomfield Hills, MI- Following a national search, Reed Kroloff has been appointed director of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum, effective September 1, 2007. Currently dean of the Tulane University School of Architecture and the former editor-in-chief of Architecture magazine, Kroloff will succeed Gerhardt Knodel, who is retiring from the Academy after more than 30 years of service.
"Given Reed's national prominence, varied experiences and remarkable accomplishments, we are confident he will help lead the Academy to new heights of artistic greatness," says Rick Nahm, president of Cranbrook Educational Community.
"After a seven month national search, Reed emerged as the unanimous choice," says Maxine Frankel, board chair of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum. "Reed brings wisdom, vision, energy and passion to this position and is looking forward to working collegially and collaboratively with our staff, board and the other Cranbrook institutions."
Kroloff is looking forward to joining the Cranbrook community. "Being asked to help translate Cranbrook's remarkable legacy into an engine for 21st century creativity is an honor," he says. "I can't wait to get started."
During his tenure at Tulane, Kroloff had a significant impact on the School. He arrived there one year before Hurricane Katrina and helped lead the School to recovery and prominence in the post-storm environment, including raising a record $3 million in gifts and research grants; retaining 97 percent of the School's students and 100 percent of its faculty after the storm; and playing a significant role in citywide planning and rebuilding efforts.
The recipient of the American Academy in Rome's 2003 Rome Prize Fellowship, Kroloff previously served as the Editor-in-Chief of Architecture magazine. Under his direction, Architecture received more awards for editorial and design excellence than any magazine of its type, and quickly became the leading design publication in the nation. His writing has appeared in many other magazines and newspapers as well, including recent features in Artforum and Metropolis. Kroloff has been interviewed and profiled by national newsmedia such as NBC News, NPR's "All Things Considered," and the New York Times.
Before joining Architecture in 1995, Kroloff taught at Arizona State University, where he was a tenured professor, and the assistant dean. At ASU, he received the first-ever "Award for Academic Excellence" from the Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Through his practice Jones/Kroloff Design Services, Kroloff advises a range of institutions on architect selection and design strategy. His clients have included, among others, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Ministry of Culture of the Federal Government of Mexico, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art, the
University of Connecticut, the History Channel, and Detroit's own Motown Center Project. The combined construction value of the projects on which Jones/Kroloff has advised now exceeds $500 million.
Kroloff lectures widely, and is a regular visiting critic at architecture schools and professional organizations across the country. He holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, and has practiced architecture in Texas and Arizona. Kroloff serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, ranging from the Register of Peer Professionals of the United States General Services Administration to the Public Architecture Foundation.
Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
Founded in 1932, Cranbrook Academy of Art is a preeminent graduate level school of art, design and architecture. Offering an intense studio-based experience, artists-in-residence mentor students in art, architecture and design to creatively influence contemporary culture. The two-year Masters of Fine Arts program at Cranbrook Academy of Art enrolls more
than 150 students who pursue degrees in nine disciplines including 2D Design, 3D Design, Ceramics, Fiber, Metal, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture and a Master of Architecture degree. Upon successful completion of his or her course of study and work, each student presents a thesis project in a group exhibition at Cranbrook Art Museum. One of the region's leading contemporary art museums, Cranbrook Art Museum provides access to Cranbrook's remarkable past through its collections and tours while offering changing exhibitions by the world's most innovative artists including Cranbrook Academy of Art students and faculty. Cranbrook is an internationally renowned educational community
dedicated to excellence in the arts, education and science. Cranbrook is located at 39221 Woodward Avenue in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and in addition to the Academy of Art, is comprised of the Art Museum, Institute of Science, Schools and other affiliated cultural and educational programs.###