David Easton, Pete Hamill, Margaret Russell, and James Turrell to be Honored at Legends 2013

L–R: David Easton, Pete Hamill, Margaret Russell, James TurrellCelebrate Pratt on Monday, November 11 at Legends 2013, a scholarship benefit honoring icons of art and design. Hosted this year against a sweeping backdrop of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline at the Mandarin Oriental, the annual event honors icons of art and design whose works have helped shape our cultural landscape.

Legends 2013 will honor renowned interior designer David Easton; journalist and New York Times best-selling author Pete Hamill; Architectural Digest editor-in-chief Margaret Russell; and groundbreaking contemporary artist James Turrell. Ted Allen, the host of the primetime Food Network series Chopped, will emcee.

Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, will be presenting the award to David Easton; award-winning film and television director Bob Giraldi will be presenting to Pete Hamill; David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, will be presenting to Margaret Russell; and Carmen Giménez, curator of 20th-Century Art, Guggenheim Museum, will be giving James Turrell the Legends award.



The award winners are distinguished individuals whose accomplishments and values resonate with those of Pratt:

David Easton (B.F.A. Interior Design ’63), Principal, David Easton Inc., is being recognized for creating inspired environments that reflect the mastery of his craft and set standards for excellence in design. He has been named to Architectural Digest’s list of the “Top 100 Designers in the World” a record 10 times.

Pete Hamill, who studied illustration and communications design at Pratt in the 1950s, is being recognized as an award-winning American literary icon whose work captures the stories that shape the human experience. A prolific author of numerous articles, essays, short stories, and eleven novels, Hamill’s work often features his New York City hometown.

Margaret Russell is being recognized as one of the world’s leading design authorities and media innovators. Prior to joining Architectural Digest, Russell served as vice president and editor-in-chief of Elle Décor, a publication that she helped launch in 1989.

James Turrell, whose innovative explorations with light and space were featured in three blockbuster exhibitions across the United States in 2013, is being recognized as a role model for visionaries in all fields. His works have engaged viewers with the limits of wonder and human perception for more than half a century.

This year the awards being given to the honorees were designed by seniors in the Industrial Design Department, Alexander Pinks and Isabella Minkyung Shin, who worked closely with Karen Stone, adjunct associate professor and director of design at Knoll, to refine their concepts for an end result befitting the design leaders that would be receiving them.

The event's mission is to raise funds to provide financial aid to Pratt students based on need and merit. Eighty percent of Pratt's students require financial aid to pursue their educations. Every dollar raised through Legends strengthens the student body by increasing the scholarship endowment and allowing the most qualified students, regardless of their financial backgrounds, an opportunity to attend one of the world's foremost schools of art, design, and architecture.

The Legends Awards were conceived in 1999 by the Board of Trustees to celebrate distinguished individuals and companies in the world of art and design, whose accomplishments and values resonate with those of Pratt Institute. Past Legends Awards recipients include Laurie Anderson, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Marc Jacobs, Ellsworth Kelly, Richard Meier, Beverly Pepper, David Rockwell, Patti Smith, Julie Taymor, Bruce Weber, William Wegman, Robert Wilson, and Eva Zeisel.
 
Monday, November 11
6 PM Cocktails, 7 PM Dinner and Awards
Mandarin Oriental, 80 Columbus Circle, New York City

Click here for tickets, tables, and contributions.

Text: Amy Aronoff, Bay Brown
Photos: Michael Weschler, Deirdre Hamill, Quest Imagery, Joshua McHugh, Florian Holzherr