More than 250 guests attended the annual Pratt Institute and Luxe Pack Art of Packaging Award Gala at a private club in Manhattan on April 17. The gala, which supports the Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design and raises funds for scholarships for graduating package design students at Pratt, raised $300,000 at the event and has brought in more than $3.5 million dollars over the last 23 years. The glamorous black-tie fundraiser honored Shiseido for its outstanding commitment to package design and was hosted by Carol Alt, supermodel, actress, and best-selling author and skin care entrepreneur.
The Art of Packaging Award is presented each year to a beauty/cosmetics company that has excelled in the art form and was awarded to Shiseido. Heidi Manheimer, CEO, Shiseido Cosmetics America, and Katsuhiko Shibuya, creative director, Shiseido Co., Ltd from the headquarters in Tokyo, accepted the award.
Manheimer became the first female CEO of Shiseido Cosmetics America in 2006, and, under her tenure, secured the company's place as one of the top 10 prestige beauty brands in the United States. She accepted the award on behalf of the company, and said that it is one that honors tradition, envisions the future, and encourages the next generation of designers. She also stressed the company's enduring commitment to package design, which she said was an intrinsic part of the consumer relationship with the product. She also noted that: “Great designers get their start with professors such as Marc [Rosen] at select institutions such as Pratt.”
Shibuya said that the award was meaningful to receive, especially in New York City where the company's first president, Shinzo Fukuhara, received his education in pharmacy. He noted that packaging expands the experience of beauty, that it communicates without explanation, and lets “the product speak for itself,” as Fukuhara was known to say.
This year, 2012, marks the celebration of Shiseido's 140th anniversary, which coincidentally marks Pratt Institute's 125th anniversary.
“Pratt is celebrating its 125th anniversary and its legacy of innovative art and design education,” said Marc Rosen. “Shiseido's creativity will continue to serve as an inspiration to our students, the designers of tomorrow,” he added.
Special guests included Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte and his wife, Tess; Mike Pratt, chair of Pratt Institute's Board of Trustees; Concetta Stewart, dean of Pratt's School of Art and Design; Peter Barna, provost of Pratt Institute; Nathalie Grosdidier, executive director, Luxe Pack; Donald Stannard, jewelry designer; Elisabeth Thieriot, philanthropist; and Barbara Gyde, senior vice president, Lighthouse International.
Special guests from the cosmetics and package design industry included Cosimo Policastro, executive vice president, Givaudan; Jerry Vittoria, president of fragrances, Firmenich; Theo Spilka, vice president, Firmenich; Henry Renella, senior vice president, global packaging development, Estée Lauder; John Downey, vice president tech driven supplier innovation, Estée Lauder; Peter Acerra, president/CEO, SGD North America; and Francois Sabate, sales and market general manager, Pochet du Courval.
This year's scholarship winners were Renato Martins Cerqueira (M.S. '13) of Brazil; Wei-Hsin Lin (M.S. '12) of Taiwan; Aaron Mickelson (M.S. '13) of New York City; and Maija Rozenfelde (M.S. '13) of Latvia. Each winner's fragrance package design work was on display in the lobby of the event venue.
The Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design is the only scholarship in the world available to college students looking to pursue careers in cosmetics and package design. Each year the scholarship is supported by the cosmetics industry at The Art of Packaging Award Gala, an event that attracts the top-tier of New York City's multi-billion dollar cosmetics industry. At Pratt, Rosen teaches a course on cosmetic and fragrance package design, which is the only one of its kind in the world.
The Pratt program in which Rosen teaches–Communications and Package Design–is ranked as one of the top graduate graphic design programs in the country by U.S. News and World Report and collegecrunch.org.
For more on Shiseido, please visit www.shiseido.com.
Clockwise from Left: Marc Rosen with students Maija Rozenfelde, Aaron Mickelson, Wei-Hsin Lin, and Renato Martins Cerqueira; Katsuhiko Shibuya, Heidi Manheimer, Carol Alt, Nathalie Grosdidier, and Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte; and packaging designs by scholarship recipients Maija Rozenfelde, Wei-Hsin Lin, Aaron Mickelson, and Renato Martins Cerqueira. All images: Patrick McMulla, except top left image: Courtesy of KX Associates.
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Amy Aronoff at 718-636-3554 or aarono29@pratt.edu