Cranbrook Academy of Art, where Knoll co-founder Florence Knoll studied, has awarded Susan Yating Qiu and Beau Sinchai the 2014 Florence Knoll Scholarship and Kass Bradley Scholarship, respectively.
Florence Knoll Scholarship. Established in 2004 by Knoll, Inc, the Florence Knoll Scholarship is awarded yearly to a graduate student with the aim of supporting the creation of art and design at Cranbrook Academy of Art.
This year's recipient of the Florence Knoll Scholarship, Susan Yating Qiu, is a second-year student in the 3D Design Department. Originally from Baotou, China, she received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Industrial Design from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2011.
“I am exploring how to use natural elements and natural-looking elements to create furniture to bring nature back into contemporary spaces,” Qiu says of her work. Prior to attending Cranbrook, Qiu interned at two design firms in China as both a graphic designer and product designer. Her work was presented at the 2013 International Contemporary Furniture Fair
Kass Bradley Scholarship. In honor of Kass Bradley, former Knoll President and COO, the Kass Bradley Scholarship is awarded annually by the Cranbrook faculty to a student who is pursuing museum studies, a curatorial project or research related to connoisseurship in association with the Cranbrook Museum of Art.
This year's recipient of the Kass Bradley Scholarship, Beau Sinchai, is a first-year student in the 3D Design Department. Originally from Trad, Thailand, he received a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities in 2013.
Of her designs, she says, “I am most efficient in hand drawing and painting. However, I have the most fun when I am able to turn my 2D works into a 3D objects.” She also works with ceramics, wood and metal.
In addition to Florence Knoll, Cranbrook alumni also include Knoll designers Harry Bertoia, Ralph Rapson and Eero Saarinen, whose father, Eliel Saarinen, directed the school's architecture program, as well as Masamichi Udagawa of Antenna Design.
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