Maja Vidaković Lalić facts for kids

Maja Vidaković Lalić (Serbian Cyrillic: Маја Лалић; born April 30, 1972) is a Serbian architect. She is famous for starting and leading the Mikser Festival in Belgrade, which began in 2006. She has been called one of Belgrade's most important architects.

Early Life and Education

Maja Vidaković Lalić was born in Smederevo, a city in Serbia. She studied architecture at the University of Belgrade. Later, she earned a master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University in the United States.

Her father is from Serbia, and her mother is from Mostar, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Maja is married to Ivan Lalić, who is a playwright. They have two children, a daughter and a son.

Maja's Career Journey

Working in New York City

From 1999 to 2002, Maja Vidaković Lalić lived and worked in New York City. She worked for a company called Kramer Design Group. There, she helped manage projects for big fashion brands like Donna Karan and Escada.

While at Columbia University, she also helped improve city areas in New York City, Brussels, and Prague. This work focused on making urban neighborhoods better places for people to live and visit.

Starting the Mikser Network

Maja returned to Serbia in 2002. She then helped create the Mikser network. This organization grew into a larger group that launched many exciting projects. Her first big project was a conference in Belgrade in 2003. A famous architect named Rem Koolhaas was the main speaker at this event. Maja had met him earlier in New York City.

The Mikser Festival

In 2006, Maja Vidaković Lalić started the Mikser Festival. This is an annual event in Serbia that celebrates design, architecture, city planning, new technologies, art, music, and communication. The festival brings together experts from Serbia and other countries.

The festival offers many activities, including talks, competitions, and workshops. There are also art shows, concerts, movies, and theater plays. In 2017, about 75,000 people visited the Mikser Festival.

Mikser's Other Projects

The Mikser Festival is part of the larger Mikser organization. This group also includes:

• Mikser House: A gallery and cultural space in the Savamala neighborhood of Belgrade.
• reMiks Studio: This studio helped coordinate a visit from designer Karim Rashid to Belgrade in 2008. He designed a cafe there. The studio also led renovations for major stores in Serbia.
• Supermarket: Maja designed Belgrade's first concept store called Supermarket. It opened in 2009. This unique store sells clothes, books, and art prints all in one place. It also has a spa, a restaurant, and a hair salon.

Helping Others: Miksalište Refugee Center

In August 2015, Maja helped create the Miksalište Refugee Center. This center was set up to help people during the European migrant crisis. It has helped over 100,000 people who were traveling through Serbia to reach Western Europe.

Since 2015, Maja has also helped young Serbian designers show their work at the Milan Furniture Fair. This has helped them get attention from media in Italy and other countries. In 2017, she co-founded a branch of the Mikser House in Sarajevo.

Recent Work and Recognition

In 2019, Maja Vidaković Lalić was recognized as a "Big SEE Visionary." This award was for her great work with the Mikser platform and festival.

She is currently working on a new Mikser festival that will focus on sustainability. She is also developing a special educational program for schools. This program will teach about the circular economy, working with the United Nations Development Programme.

Awards and Honors

Maja Vidaković Lalić has received many awards for her work:

• She won the European Citizenship Award in 2016.
• She has received several prizes from Belgrade's Architectural Salon.
• From Columbia University, she was honored with the Lucille Smyser Lowenfish Memorial Prize and the Kinne Fellows Memorial Prize.
• She also received a European Movement Award in Serbia.
• She was given the Fulbright Prize for her work with refugees at the Miksalište center, which she founded in 2015.