DesignPhiladelphia, Minima Receive Partnership Award

DesignPhiladelphia and Minima will receive the Small Business Arts Partnership of the Year Award for the joint effort that resulted in a model village of affordable homes with modern and sustainable design.

The award will be given Friday, May 15 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center by the Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia – an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce.DesignPhiladelphia, a program of Philadelphia University, and Minima, a high design furniture, object and art show room, created the exhibit, called A Clean Break, with an emphasis on modular and prefabricated homes.

The exhibition’s aim was to propose a viable option for an affordable housing development. It was held on an empty lot on Broad Street owned by the University of the Arts during the DesignPhiladelphia event in October.

“A Clean Break served as a teaching tool regarding the concepts of low waste, good design, recyclable materials and affordable housing, all issues that even in the short time since the October event, have taken on greater importance with the country’s emphasis on a green economy,” says Eugenie Perret, Minima’s curator.

DesignPhiladelphia Executive Director Hilary Jay said the partnership with Minima raised awareness about design excellence, affordability and new technologies among a number of different audiences including neighborhood-based community development organizations.

DesignPhiladelphia is an annual event that unites the diverse design communities throughout the Philadelphia region in over 90 events that highlight architecture; textile, interior, product and graphic design; fashion; and multi media design, among other fields, Jay said. Approximately 235,000 people attended last fall’s event.

-Submitted by Kellie Patrick Gates