LI EDELKOORT 2008

End of June 2008 the Design Academy Eindhoven announced that Lidewij Edelkoort will resign this fall as chairwoman after ten years positioning Dutch design as a quality brand by building an institute which became international renown.

fig.: Chairwoman of the Board Li Edelkoort photo Philippe Munda

Education

Edelkoort has strengthened the Academy by adding a complementary second system to called the ‘kompas’, thus clustering the theoretical and the constructional subjects, and deepening the design education overall.

New Concepts

Driven by her profession as a trend forecaster she always knew how to spin the Design Academy Eindhoven in the direction needed; this resulted, for example, in setting up the Man and Well being department and initiating the master courses Man and Humanity and the IM Masters, lead by Droog Design.

Exhibitions

During Edelkoort's ten years of leading the Academy many graduates have found there way to the international design podium, among others stimulated by the thematic international exhibits in Milan, New York and Tokyo. The exhibition “Improvisare”, set up in all three cities, gave an insight in the creative process and addressed issues of recycling and immaterial values as an answer to the violent start of the 21st century.

Li Edelkoort was also curator of the exhibition “Post Mortem” in Milan; here she presented how young generations wish to deal with burial and the mourning.

Eindhoven

At the start of her mandate, she brought the annual Graduation from Amsterdam back to Eindhoven. With 18.000 visitors the exhibit became one of the most popular short running design events in the Netherlands. Many initiatives have been developed at Design Academy Eindhoven over time that promote co-operation with other educational institutes, provinces, cities, business and industry. Her passion for entrepreneurship and education will be visible in her future study on developing international design institutes in close co-operation with Design Academy Eindhoven. Lidewij Edelkoort and the Advisory Board mandates Anne Mieke Eggenkamp as chairwoman.

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