Lutsen Design Conference Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary

Captivating speakers, creative communication, and camaraderie distinguished the Lutsen Design Conference during the early years. For its fifth anniversary, forward thinking conference chair Mark Odegard and his committee booked a stellar slate of speakers (Robert Abel, Phyllis Flood, Barbara Nessim, and Jayme Odgers) who addressed the brave new world of computer design and photography, and helped participants gain a better understanding of this new digital technology. They encouraged conference attendees to accept and embrace these new methods of production, which were fundamentally changing the way the graphic design profession was practiced. As an anniversary bonus, for the first time the fish bake on the beach was not cancelled because of bad weather!

The second Designing for Society Award was presented to Mildred Friedman for her tireless work at the Walker Art Center editing Design Quarterly, curating influential design exhibits (The Architecture of Frank Gehry, 1986; DeStijl: 1917-1931, Visions of Utopia, 1986; Tokyo: Form and Spirit, 1989, and Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, 1989). Ms. Friedman, known to many as Mickey, also established the Walker’s design internship program in 1980. It is now called the Mildred Friedman Design Fellowship.