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Laura Bush Toasts Design Award Winners

A dinner will be held in October.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 7/24/2007 12:00:00 AM

On Wednesday, July 18, First Lady Laura Bush made a trip to New York. The occasion? A luncheon for the Copper-Hewitt, National Design Museum's 2007 National Design Award winners and finalists, which were revealed in May.

The Design Awards, launched in 2000 as an official initiative by the White House Millennium Council, were conceived to "celebrate the best in American design and promote excellence in the field." The 2007 winners include architecture firm Office dA, graphic designer Chip Kidd, and landscape architect Peter Walker, among other internationally-acclaimed individuals and firms.

A committee of more than 800 leading designers, educators, journalists, cultural figures and corporate leaders from all 50 states were asked to submit nominations for the 2007 awards program. Winners were selected by a prestigious jury of design experts.

"Design continues to play an increasingly important role in our world," says Cooper-Hewitt director Paul Warwick Thompson. "This year's group of honorees truly exemplify the idea of innovation and push the boundaries of their practice, making significant and enduring contributions to the way we live our lives."

On October 18, the museum will hold its annual black-tie ceremony the National Design Awards gala, celebrating the 2007 National Design Awards in the museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden.