ITMA Names Design Winners

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 6/1/2009 12:00:00 AM

High Point, N.C. —

The Educational Foundation of the International Textile Market Association recently named the winners of the annual Virginia Jackson Design Awards competition.

The Virginia Jackson Design Awards recognize outstanding textile design students in three categories — jacquard, dobby and print — that are judged on aesthetic form, ability to be manufactured and applicability to furniture products. Ten designs selected as winners, and they will be displayed in Suites at Market Square throughout Summer Showtime June 7–10.

This year, the competition saw its largest-ever pool of entries — 79 from eight schools. The schools included Rhode Island School of Design, Philadelphia University, Syracuse University, Kansas City Art Institute, North Carolina State University and first-time participants University of Georgia, Michigan State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"A big part of the mission of ITMA's educational foundation is to encourage creative individuals to enter the home furnishings textile field, and we are always thrilled by the excellence of the entries we receive," says Catherine Morsell, executive director.

The winners in each category were:

Jacquard

1st Place (Tie) —Chelsey Bills and Saera Lee, Rhode Island School of Design; 2nd Place — Jennifer Sulikowski, Philadelphia University; Honorable Mention — Nidhi Reddy Kasula, Philadelphia University.

Dobby

1st Place, Boyoung Moon, Philadelphia University; 2nd Place, Shizuka Ono, Rhode Island School of Design; Honorable Mention: Amanda McGonagle, Philadelphia University .

Print

1st Place — Jessica Sheehan, Syracuse University; 2nd Place — Hyunjin Shin, Philadelphia University; Honorable Mention — Lei Ting — Philadelphia University.

Each winner receives a monetary prize, and each first-place winner's school also receives $1,000 donated to its textile design department.

In addition, the first-place winners in each category are flown expenses-paid to Showtime to be honored and meet with members of the industry during an evening social event.

Judges for this year's competition were Wesley Mancini, Wesley Mancini Ltd.; Kim Grimsley, Circa 1801; Sara Gray, Sara Gray Design; David Petrusch, Marlatex; and Laura Levinson, Valdese Weavers.