University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design to Host ‘The Weitzman School: A Celebration of Design’

Media Contact: Michael Grant, mrgrant@design.upenn.edu, 215.898.2539
 

Philadelphia—The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design will host a public celebration on Thursday, October 3, 2019 to highlight the School’s new name, honor Penn philanthropist and footwear icon Stuart Weitzman (Wharton Class of 1963) and explore the role of design in addressing urgent social issues.
 
The Weitzman School: A Celebration of Design will open with two panel discussions featuring internationally recognized design practitioners, followed by a keynote program hosted by Penn President Amy Gutmann and featuring author and Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger; a dedication ceremony on Stuart Weitzman Plaza, outside of Meyerson Hall; and an exhibition of exceptional student work curated by Professor and Chair of Landscape Architecture Richard Weller in the Upper and Lower Galleries of Meyerson Hall.
 
Weitzman Dean and Paley Professor Frederick “Fritz” Steiner said, “We are thrilled to dedicate a day to recognizing the impact of Stuart’s lifelong support of Penn and to consider the critical role that design plays in so many aspects of our lives today. I hope that anyone who is interested in enhancing the places where we live, work and play will join us as we begin a new chapter in our history thanks to Stuart’s extraordinary generosity.”
 
Stuart Weitzman, who graduated from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1963, is one of the most recognizable names in luxury designer footwear. He founded his eponymous company in 1986. In the ensuing decades, he built Stuart Weitzman into one of the world's most renowned fashion footwear brands. In 2015, he orchestrated the sale of Stuart Weitzman, LLC to Coach (which was renamed Tapestry in October 2017 to reflect its multi-brand identity). Weitzman stayed on as the Creative Director for the company through May 2017 and is currently Chairman Emeritus.

“Stuart combines an intense curiosity about the world with a keen interest in people and, in particular, a great affection for Penn students,” said Penn President Amy Gutmann.  “Keeping that in mind, we have planned programming that will explore a broad range of fascinating and timely topics related to the Weitzman School’s work and mission.  We are honored to be joined by nine visionary designers and thinkers in celebrating the School’s new name and thanking Stuart for his unflagging support of the University and the Weitzman School of Design.”
 
Paul Goldberger, whom The Huffington Post has called “the leading figure in architecture criticism,” is now a Contributing Editor at Vanity Fair. From 1997 through 2011 he served as the Architecture Critic for The New Yorker, where he wrote the magazine’s celebrated “Sky Line” column. He is the author of numerous books, including the new BALLPARK: Baseball in the American City, an architectural history of baseball parks as a form of civic space, published in May 2019 by Alfred A. Knopf. He also holds the Joseph Urban Chair in Design and Architecture at The New School in New York City, and was formerly Dean of the Parsons School of Design at The New School. He began his career at The New York Times, where in 1984 his architecture criticism was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Distinguished Criticism, the highest award in journalism. In 2012 he received the Vincent Scully Prize from the National Building Museum in recognition of the influence his writing has had on the public’s understanding of architecture. In 2017, he received the Award in Architecture of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which called him “the doyen of American architectural critics.”
 
The events of The Weitzman School: A Celebration of Design, all of which are free and open to the public, will be as follows. Online registration is recommended at www.design.upenn.edu/celebration.
 
1:00 – 2:00 pm  
Panel I
Balancing Acts: The Interplay of Design, Technology and the Natural World
 
A dramatically cantilevered building for nanoscience. A green ribbon of park on an abandoned rail line. Iconic product design. When beauty meets efficiency, everyone wins.  Learn from experts how the intentionality of our built environment influences – and sometimes determines – the way we live.
 
Moderator: 
Inga Saffron, Architecture Critic, Philadelphia Inquirer
 
Panelists: 
James Corner, Founder and Director, James Corner Field Operations, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture, Weitzman School
Doreen Lorenzo, Assistant Dean, School of Design and Creative Technologies, University of Texas
Marion Weiss, Cofounder, WEISS/MANFREDI and Graham Chair Professor of Architecture, Weitzman School
 
Location:
Lower Gallery, Meyerson Hall
University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA
 
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Panel II
Whom Do We Honor…and How? Exploring the Meaning of Memorials
 
From statues of generals…to portraits of presidents…to vivid murals on the walls of urban row houses.  Who decides who “rates” a permanent public likeness—and who remains overlooked and underappreciated?  Join the conversation on this nuanced and emotional topic with a panel of experts.
 
Moderator: 
Lisa Servon, Kevin and Erica Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of the City and Regional Planning Department, Weitzman School
 
Panelists:
Christian Benimana, Senior Principal and Managing Director, MASS Design
Sharon Hayes, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Weitzman School
Randall Mason, Associate Professor, Historic Preservation, Weitzman School
 
Location:
Lower Gallery, Meyerson Hall
University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA
 

3:30 – 4:45 pm
Keynote Program hosted by President Amy Gutmann and featuring author and Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger
The Critic Weighs In: A Conversation About Design, Architecture, Landscape and Planning.
 
Location:
Irvine Auditorium
University of Pennsylvania
3401 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA
 
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Naming Ceremony with President Amy Gutmann, Dean Frederick Steiner, and Stuart Weitzman
 
Location:
Weitzman Plaza outside of Meyerson Hall
University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA
 
And Curated Exhibition of Student Work
 
Location:
Lower and Upper Galleries, Meyerson Hall
University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
210 South 34th Street, Philadelphia, PA
 
For more information and registration, please visit www.design.upenn.edu/celebration.