PROVIDENCE – DESIGNxRI recently announced that three designers will be inducted as part of the Rhode Island Design Hall of Fame’s 2021 class on Sept. 29 during the nonprofit’s Design Week RI festivities.
Mickey Ackerman, a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, is among the honorees to be inducted. Among his accomplishments are that he established a portfolio of sponsored studios and created real-world design solutions for industry leaders such as Intel, Rubbermaid, Frigidaire and General Mills.
Inductee Laura Briggs, an architect and principal for Providence-based firm BriggsKnowles and a critic with RISD, is noted for her work on super-efficient buildings, adaptable photovoltaic systems and concentrating solar, which has been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Arnold W. Brunner Foundation, Deborah J. Norden Fund and through a fellowship from the MacDowell Colony.
Inductee Rene Payne, founder and director of FAVOR Design & Communications, launched an initiative at her firm called “included” to promote social equity, human dignity and environmental justice.
Adam Anderson, founder and landscape architect with Design Under Sky, and Lois Haranda, printmaker and lead designer for DWRI Letterpress, will also be recognized by DESIGNxRI with the 2021 Emerging Design awards.
The ceremony will be held Sept. 29 from 6-9 p.m. at Farm Fresh Rhode Island, 10 Sims Ave. in Providence. Tickets cost $95 in advance and $100 after Sept. 21. Tickets can be purchased by visiting DESIGNxRI’s website.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
