Recognizing Excellence: Awards, Prizes and Scholarships

The Rowena Fund established an awards program to promote, celebrate and encourage the pedagogy. The Fund presents three annual awards: The Rowena Reed Kostellow Award and the Young Designer Award for professionals, The Rowena Reed Kostellow Student Prize (cash directly to students) and Rowena Reed Kostellow Pratt Scholarships

The Rowena Fund thanks all the generous contributors - our alumni, friends and design-driven companies such as Knoll and HumanScale who have provided in-kind donations of showroom venues and services for events. The Rowena Reed Kostellow Fund is a non-profit organization hosted at Pratt.

The Rowena Reed Kostellow Award

In the Rowena Fund’s first year, Bruce Hannah helped launch an annual award in Miss Reed’s name to honor significant individuals who exemplify the design and ethical principles she espoused. Honorees are nominated and chosen by fund colleagues and trustees. The annual Rowena Reed Kostellow Award celebration is the fund’s major fundraising event and a popular opportunity for friends, alumni, faculty, former and current students to honor this pioneer design teacher and to introduce the ideas of this design education pioneer to new generations of designers who can carry on her legacy.

“Rowena embodied all that is special about Pratt, and her teachings have helped make the Institute what it is today.”

— Thomas Schutte, Former Pratt Institute President, upon accepting the 2017 Annual Rowena Reed Kostellow Award

The first Rowena Award was given in 1990 and since that time annual awards have been made to a diverse group of distinguished recipients: master teachers, designers from multiple disciplines including industrial, automotive, jewelry, glass, ceramic, graphic and exhibition design, and distinguished practitioners in architecture, music, and the arts.

The first trophy was designed and produced by a student, which has now become a tradition. We select an example of one of the best 3D exercises and commission the student to transform it into a limited edition trophy cast in bronze or carved in exotic wood (copies go to the president of Pratt, the ID department, and to the student).

Rowena Reed Kostellow Award Recipients:

2018: John Cafaro (BID ‘77)

Transportation and industrial designer, GM Chief designer and designer of the Corvette and Camaros from 1986 to 1999. “Rowena, had a profound impact on all of us for sure.”

2017: Dr. Thomas Schutte (MBA Indiana University, PhD University of Colorado/Boulder)

President Emeritus, Pratt Institute (1993-2017), President of RISD (1983-1993), President Philadelphia College of Art (1975–83), and supporter of design.

2016: Linda Celentano (BID ’80)

Industrial designer, housewares (Nambé), medical (Medin Corp), and Professor; began teaching 3D in 1996. lindacelentano.com

2015: RitaSue Siegel (BID ’61, MID ’68, Fellow IDSA)

Premier global design executive search expert, and author. ritasue.com

2013: Charles Pollock (BID ‘53) (1930 – 2013)

Furniture and industrial designer for Knoll, Castelli and Bernhardt. With George Nelson designed Swaged chair. The Pollock Chair is in the permanent design collection MoMA.

2012: William Katavolos (ID Certificate ‘49)

Designer, architect, teacher and big thinker: Model 3LC T Chair 1952 Laverne with Douglas Kelly and Ross Littell. Founded Center for Experimental Structures at Pratt in 1978. williamkatavolos.com

2011: Leonard Bacich (BID '63, MID '71) (1942 - 2010)

Professor beginning in the 60’s. "Lenny will be remembered as an educational master who taught students how to reach into their souls to see order and beauty," — Jeffrey Kapec

2009: Tom Patti (BID '67, MID '69)

Industrial designer, glass artist, and inventor. While designing inflatable plastic houses for the developing world, he became interested in the potential of commercial glass in both large and small outdoor sculptural environments, and as blast protection. tompatti.com

2006: Ted Muehling (BID ’75)

Industrial designer, inspired by organic forms found in nature, creates beautiful jewelry and decorative objects for Nyphenburg, Steuben Glass, Biedermeier, and more. tedmuehling.com

2007: Lucia DeRespinis (BID '52)

Industrial designer, teacher at Pratt since 1979. Worked with George Nelson, “I did everything, I designed everything from rugs to tableware to exhibits and trade shows to graphics to restaurants to interiors. Everything.”

2005: Louis Nelson (BID ’58 MID ’64)

Director of his design firm, Designer Korean War Veterans Memorial, Dag Hammarskjöld Medal, Nutrition Facts on America’s food packages, louisnelson.com

2005: Judy Collins

Songwriter and singer “Both Sides Now”, “Send in the Clowns”, “Suzanne”, “Someday Soon” and the 2018 single “Dreamers”. judycollins.com

2004: Bruce Hannah (BID '63)

Furniture designer for Knoll, educator, and author: 10,000 Thinks. Teaching at Pratt from ’73, ID department Chair 1986-94. “Mock it up before you f-ck it up.” brucehannahdesign.com

2003: James Fulton (BID ’51) (1930-2003)

Fellow IDSA, industrial designer, Director of his firm Fulton and Partners, worked with Raymond Loewy, Chairman of Pratt’s Board of Trustees, sailor, and publisher of ID magazine

1998: Ralph Appelbaum (BID ‘64)

Exhibition and industrial designer, Director of his own firm, RAA. Designer of African American Museum, Clinton Library and the Holocaust Museum. Fellow SEGD. raany.com

1997: Eugene J. Grossman (BID ’57)

Corporate identity designer, founder Anspach Grossman Portugal (now part of Brand Union, now SuperUnion), designer of Citicorp, Navistar, Unisys.

1996: Dr. William A. Fogler (BID ‘55, PhD ’73 Tufts) (1929 -1998 )

Doctorial thesis: Perception of Form and Depth as a Function of Retinal Stimulation. Professor at Pratt from 1960 and ID department Chair 1973-75.

1995: Gerald Gulotta (ID ’49. MID ‘83) (1921-2018)

Industrial designer, tableware, glassware, porcelain, ceramic, silver, and stainless steel for Royal Doulton, Block China, Steuben Glass, Corelle for Corning (archives at Syracuse Special Collections Research Center) and teacher at Pratt from the 50’s, ID dept. Chair 1971-73.

1993: Eva Zeisel (1906 –2011)

Ceramics designer, born in Hungary, and teacher; created ceramics laboratory at Pratt in 1940. “Beautiful things make people happy.”

1992: Ivan B Rigby (1908-2000)

Carnegie Tech student of Kostellow and Dohner, sculptor and photographer. Professor at Pratt from the 40’s.

1990: Gina Caspi (MID’80, BA in Art and Design Hofstra University ‘75)

Sculptor, since 1986, full professor at Pratt graduate school and sculptor. caspistudio.com