Colombian Designer Awarded Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise

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Quilian Riano wins $35,000 award for notable immigrants in the United States

NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to name Quilian Riano as one of three winners of the 2014 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in the Arts, this year focusing on design.  The prizes are awarded annually to young immigrants who have had a significant impact on the American arts early in their career, and include a $35,000 prize. 

"We are delighted to recognize Quilian with a Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise," said Marica Vilcek, vice president of the Foundation.  "His philosophical approach to urban planning and design addresses social justice needs and brings cohesion to the communities he works with."

Riano was originally born in Colombia and immigrated to the United States at the age of 13.  He is the founder and principal of DSGN AGNC (Design Agency), a collaborative design and research studio that explores the intersection of political engagement and architecture, urbanism, art, and activism.  Most recently, the agency has taken on the redesign of Corona's Plaza, a public space in Queens, New York.  The project seeks to involve diverse community members in the design of the space, including immigrant communities that are often left out of the planning and development processes of public spaces.  Riano has worked on projects worldwide, including in the United States, Italy, Mexico, and Nicaragua.

Riano completed a Bachelors of Art in Design from the University of Florida School of Architecture and a Masters of Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design.  He has been awarded residencies from the Queens Museum of Art, Queens College, and the Austrian Cultural Forum NYC.  He is currently a faculty member at Parsons the New School for Design, where he teaches theory-based design and urban ecologies courses.

In addition to Riano, Israeli-born material designer Neri Oxman was awarded the $100,000 Vilcek Prize.  The other two Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise for Design were awarded to Iranian-born game designer Yasaman Hashemian and Togolese-born product designer Mansour Ourasanah.  The prizewinners will receive their awards at a gala in New York City on April 2, 2014. 

SOURCE The Vilcek Foundation