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Monday, April 25, 2011

60 Companies Accepted by Accent on Design & Handmade Juries

From some 400 applicants, an influx of 60 new designers, artisans and design-forward companies will enhance the design offerings at the summer 2011 New York International Gift Fair® (NYIGF®). A wide range of product categories, materials and design inspiration — represented by these newcomers from across the United States, Africa, Asia, and South America — will be showcased throughout NYIGF’s Accent on Design® and Handmade® divisions.
“Both Accent on Design and Handmade are design-focused, and form as well as function, is a key consideration for selection by the jury,” said Dorothy Belshaw, NYIGF director and GLM senior vice president. “As diverse as these companies are, they share a commitment to thoughtful product design.”
Some 21 companies have been accepted into Accent on Design, a dynamic, juried collection of nearly 200 contemporary and innovative suppliers across all gift, home, and lifestyle categories. Summer 2011 newcomers to Accent on Design represent home décor, furnishings and decorative accessories, as well as personal accessories including tools, technology accessories and jewelry and sustainable goods such as reusable water bottles and bags made from reclaimed materials: BACSAC® (gardening containers); Bend Seating (wire chairs); borealis studios (blown glass and ceramics); Carga Bags (bags made from industrial materials); Cashmere Republic Ltd. (cashmere accessories and blankets); De Soto Glass Design (blown glass accessories and lighting); Eleven Design Studio (contemporary toys); furthurdesign (handmade modern glass objects and lighting); iitala (tableware); Karim Rashid (key chains); KOR Water (reusable water bottles); LIB editeur d’idees (housewares); Meghan Patrice Riley (mixed media jewelry); MYdrap (cloth serviettes and placemats); Native Union (personal technology accessories); Nikkuu (lighting and hybrid furniture); Pigeon Toe Ceramics (modern home décor, stationery and jewelry); Scandic Imports (Finnish home furnishings); Urban Butik (Scandinavian home accessories); Vanessa Yanow (flame worked glass and jewelry); and Zipit USA Inc. (bags created from long strips of zipper).
Accent on Design Selection Committee members are: David Alhadeff of The Future Perfect; Ilene Shaw of Shaw + Co! Productions; Kathy Thornton-Bias of MoMA; Laura Young of Areaware; Miguel Calvo of Design & Research; and Wilma Wabnitz of Wabnitz Editions.
NYIGF’s Handmade division encompasses two distinct collections — Handmade® Designer Maker andHandmade® Global Design — each of which is juried separately. Handmade® Designer Maker, which focuses on limited-production designer maker resources, will welcome 30 newcomers to its roster of 375 designers. Summer 2011 acceptances will present a range of functional and decorative objects in all media, such as personal and decorative accessories, furnishings and stationery, as well as a selection of modern jewelry artists.
Applicants accepted to Handmade Designer Maker are: annie|catherine, inc. (stationery and art prints); Argento (jewelry with precious metals and stones); Artistrystone (concrete tiles and architectural art); Barbara Sipher Studio (paintings on canvas); Beth North (metallic and wood jewelry); Cara Romano: Studio Jewelry (metal and fiber jewelry); Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics (ceramic tabletop and accessories); Debra Folz Design (furniture and tabletop accessories); Ferdinand (eclectic personal accessories); Gilmor Glass (blown glass tabletop and accessories); Ginger Kelly Glass Studio (glass décor and furnishings); Haptic Lab (quilted maps); Jane Owen (leather bags and personal accessories); Jenn Bell (glass tiles); Kosoy + Bouchard (clay, glass, and porcelain interior accents); Lesley Anton Handmade Ceramic Lighting (ceramics and lighting); Lola (hats and accessories); Manuel Ferreiro (bronze sculpture); Marion Cage (pendant jewelry); Pigeon Toe Ceramics (modern home décor, stationery and jewelry); Robert Siegel Handmade (ceramic and porcelain tableware); Rust Design (personalized dinnerware); Shanna Murray (illustrated stationery and wall decals); String Theory (jacquard woven scarves, shawls and throws); Sophie Hughes Jewelry (sterling silver jewelry); S.Stein (workbags, wallets, toolbelts); Tina Petra Handmade (gold, silver and enamel jewelry); Uncommon Handmade (modern furniture and room accents); Walk Up Press (letterpress printed stationery); and Woolbuddy (needle-felted stuffed animals).
Handmade Designer Maker jurors are: Ellen Corsell from Blue Heron Gallery; Gail Garcia, dinner-ware.com; Elizabeth Garvin of Elizabeth Garvin; John Gilvey of Hudson Beach Glass Inc.; and Franci Sagar from Museum of Arts & Design.
Handmade Global Design, will welcome nine companies representing artisanal craft from around the world, bringing to 200 the division’s import resources with a focus on good design, traditional craftsmanship, and community building. Summer 2011 acceptances include: Aria Handmade (jewelry made from natural materials found in Amazon Rain Forest); Craftspring Products (eco-friendly and fair trade home and personal accessories); Leah Singh (home accessories and jewelry from India); Mr. Ellie Pooh (stationery from Sri Lanka); My Perennial (home and personal accessories from Hungary); Quazi Design (home accessories and jewelry from Swaziland); Rosecraft (mohair jewelry from Swaziland); Wakami (jewelry and gifts from Guatemala); and Woven Promises (silk scarves and shawls from Ethiopia).
Handmade Global Design jurors are: Ellen Dorsch of Creative Women; Colvin English of By Hand; Jasperdean Kobes of Bamboula Ltd.; Leslie Mittelberg of Swahili Imports; Alden Smith of Aid to Artisans; and Phyllis Woods of Tribalinks.
From more than 200 applicants to Handmade, String Theory, textile designers from Canada, was named recipient of the first annual Carol Sedestrom Ross “Maker-to-Market” Scholarship. Named in honor of the late Carol Sedestrom Ross, GLM’s former director of craft marketing, the Scholarship was created to assist designer-makers in entering the wholesale marketplace and honors Ross’ long-time dedication to bringing handcrafts into the mainstream gift and home marketplace. The winner receives complimentary exhibit space in Handmade, travel and hotel accommodations, and pre- and post-show marketing support and market-readiness consultation from By Hand.
NYIGF runs Saturday, August 13, through Thursday, August 18, 2011, at the Javits Center and Passenger Ship Terminal Piers 92 and 94 in New York City. NYIGF is the nation’s premier gift, home and lifestyle marketplace, with 2,800+ exhibiting companies featuring an extraordinary breadth and depth of design-driven home fashion products and complementary giftware. Some 35,000 attendees from all 50 states and more than 85 countries worldwide are expected. Information and registration is available online at http://www.nyigf.com/.

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