Summer Updates

Students from Metaproject 16 partner with Gardall

Metaproject 16 student work displayed at the Gardall booth during ICFF 2026.

Metaproject 16 Booth Image
Selected students from Metaproject 16 displayed their work at ICFF 2026.

Safety is often understood through the familiar form of a metal safe, built to protect. Gardall’s legacy as a manufacturer of heirloom-quality safes since 1950 reflects a deep commitment to these principles. The goal for Metaproject 16 was to explore the question “what is safe?” beyond the traditional metal box.

Selected Student Work

Diya Das: The Care Chair
Edward Elliott: Cloak
Bennett Hu: Strata
Emma Kobelia: Capsule
Agneya Kulkarni: The Candle Lantern with a Timer
Lydia Pringle: The Sorted Medicine Cabinet
Jason Wu: Branch

Thank you to all who participated! And thank you to all who made this a remarkable and memorable week!

View Metaproject 16

Vignelli Center Summer Workshop 2026

A workshop participant studies bowl designs in the Vignelli archive

Gloria Varinia in the Archive
Participants explored the extensive Vignelli archive with a curated collection organized by archivist Jennifer Whitlock.

2026 Topic: The Bowl
The typology of the bowl was selected for participants of this workshop to consider because of its universal employment as a designed object. Nearly all cultures have created and utilized specialized vessels to contain, display and deploy items of various types. The specific focus and agenda of each individual’s vessel is their choice but must be defined and communicated as part of the project articulation.

Maahi Kukadia watches her bowl being made in glass

Massimo Vignelli’s annotated plate design sketch

Summer Workshop participants outside the Vignelli Center

Project Brief to Sketching to Prototypes
From left to right: Josh Owen introduces the brief as participants begin sketching their ideas. Maahi Kukadia watches her bowl being made in glass. Massimo Vignelli’s sketches for a plate design. Group photo, with full names included in the Summer Workshop book.

View the Workshop

Vignelli Retrospective Exhibition in Milan

Knoll graphics and New York subway designs at the Vignelli retrospective in Triennale Milano

Knoll, NYC Subway and More
Inside the exhibition Lella and Massimo Vignelli: A Language of Clarity.
Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani, DSL Studio © Triennale Milano.

Triennale di Milano
The Vignelli Center assisted with a major retrospective dedicated to the life and work of Lella and Massimo Vignelli. The exhibition explored their lasting impact on international design and graphic culture. Featuring a wide range of objects, drawings, models, publications, and archival materials, the exhibition traced the Vignellis’ creative journey between Milan and New York and their enduring influence across disciplines. The exhibition ran through September 6, 2026.

Gallery view of the Vignelli retrospective

Photographs of Lella and Massimo Vignelli on display

A red V at the entrance to the Vignelli exhibition

Detail of the Vignelli New York City subway map

View the Exhibition

The Vignellis’ Design is One philosophy leaves us with a universal message that design is a lens through which we can envision a more inclusive tomorrow.

Josh Owen

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