Stephen Burks (designer) facts for kids

Stephen Burks (born in 1969) is an American designer and a professor at Columbia University. He is famous for working with skilled craftspeople and adding handmade touches like weaving into his designs. Stephen Burks was the first African American to win the National Design Award for product design.

Early Life and Learning

Stephen Burks was born in Chicago in 1969. He studied architecture and product design at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Columbia University. These schools helped him learn how to design buildings and everyday objects.

Designing a Career

Burks started his own design studio in New York in 1997. It was first called Readymade. His special style, which uses handmade crafts and teamwork with artisans, began around 2000. That's when the Italian design company Cappellini started making his designs. In 2003, the fashion brand Missoni asked him to create designs for them.

One of his first handmade items was a set of patchwork vases. Over the years, he has worked with many companies. These include Bolon, Calligaris, Dedon, Luceplan (which makes lights), and Salvatori (a marble company).

Working with Artisans

In 2005, Burks traveled to South Africa. He went there to work with talented craftspeople from countries like South Africa, Senegal, and the Philippines. This trip was supported by an organization called Aid to Artisans. During this time, he started creating handmade furniture, baskets, and fashion items. These designs later became a big part of his famous work.

In 2007, Burks started his own design business. This happened after he met Willard Musarurwa, a street vendor who made wire souvenirs. They met at a design institute in Cape Town. Together, they launched TaTu wire outdoor furniture. This business focused on furniture and objects made with a handmade, artisan style.

Exhibitions and Recognition

In 2011, Stephen Burks had his own art show called "Stephen Burks: Man Made." It was held at the Studio Museum in Harlem. The show displayed how he mixes traditional crafts with modern design. It featured his work with artisans from places like South Africa, Senegal, and Peru.

In 2015, Burks won the Cooper Hewitt National Design Award for product design. He was the first African American to receive this honor. In 2019, he became the first product designer to get a Harvard Loeb Fellowship. This is a special program at Harvard. He has also taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

His designs are kept in many famous museums. These include the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the High Museum of Art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Victoria and Albert Museum. A traveling art show called "Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place" started at the High Museum of Art in 2022.

In 2023, there was an art show at the Milan Furniture Fair. Stephen Burks and Jenny Nguyen pointed out that some designs in the show were criticized. They felt the designs did not explain their cultural background well. This led to the event organizers saying sorry to the public.

Design Style

Stephen Burks is known for working directly with people who make things by hand, like basket weavers. He loves to add these handmade skills into his designs. Burks says his goal is to "bring the hand to industry." This means he wants to combine traditional crafts with modern manufacturing.

Art Shows

• 2011 Stephen Burks: Man Made, Studio Museum in Harlem
• 2022 Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place, High Museum, Atlanta (a show that travels to different places)
• 2023 Stephen Burks: Spirit Houses, Volume Gallery, Chicago
• 2024 The New Transcendence, Friedman Benda Gallery, New York (a group show with other artists)

Awards and Honors

• Illinois Institute of Technology Alumni Professional Achievement Award
• Brooklyn Museum Modernism Young Designer Award
• Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Product Design (2015)
• Architektur and Wohnen Audi Mentor Prize
• 2008 United States Artists Target Fellowship
• Harvard Loeb Fellowship (2019)