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The 2013 Alpha Awards will take place on Monday, May 13, 2013 from 6 to 8pm at Manhattan's Prince George Ballroom (15 East 27th Street) and will honor:
Etienne Coffinier & Ed Ku of Coffinier Ku Design, the pro-bono architects and designers of Alpha's new home. Their plan for the space incorporates elegance and functionality and features new classrooms and studios, along with a design office and a kitchen/meeting space. Construction on the floor is slated to begin by April with a move-in date scheduled for early summer. "We cannot thank Etienne and Ed enough for their incredible generosity, energy and talent. Their commitment to this project and determination to create the best possible space for our purposes has been inspiring" states Kenneth Wampler, Executive Director of The Alpha Workshops. The award will be co-presented by Broadway stars Kelli O'Hara and Sherie Rene Scott;
Vinson & Elkins LLP has served as the pro-bono law firm of The Alpha Workshops since 2009 and their assistance with legal matters has been invaluable. V&E is a truly global firm, with 16 offices and 700 lawyers worldwide. "As a relatively small non-profit, it is reassuring to know that the support and guidance of Vinson & Elkins is within reach at all times. We are so grateful to Caroline Blitzer Phillips, Emily Malandra and other lawyers at the firm who have represented Alpha with such respect and integrity" says Kenneth Wampler;
David Aloia & Darvia Douglass have volunteered their time and expertise over the last 12 months to create and maintain The Alpha Workshops Archives, a physical and digital catalogue of Alpha's work. Every custom finish, residential renovation, art installation, wallpaper, furniture design, as well as other creative work and the designs that have been used in licenses, are now recorded with information on the individual artisan responsible for the work. "It's a huge and important project that recognizes individual achievement within Alpha's collective brand" says Kenneth Wampler "David and Darvia are doing a fantastic job. We have 18 years of Alpha expertise and experience to catalog and these archives enable us to protect and celebrate that knowledge and those makers." The award will be presented by Jamie Drake.
The Alpha Awards originated in 2000 as a means for The Alpha Workshops to honor and acknowledge those who have served as ambassadors to their mission of providing job training and supported employment to HIV-positive decorative artists. To date, 42 individuals and companies have received awards including: Bloomberg; New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn; Kate Kelly Smith and Newell Turner of House Beautiful; Tiffany & Co.; Koroseal; Larson-Juhl; Jamie Drake; Matthew Patrick Smyth; Steelcase/Jeannie Bochette; Lifetime Television; Benjamin Moore & Co.; Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Cindy Allen; New York Design Center; eBay; Jonathan Rose Companies; Margaret Russell; Christopher Coleman; Samuel Botero; and Mark Pollack. Presenters have included Rosanne Cash; Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Clodagh; Mayer Rus; Rachel Kohler; and Marian McEvoy.
The Alpha Awards are regularly attended by over 350 prominent individuals from the field of interior design. Individual tickets cost $175 and sponsorships from $500 and up are also available. Major 2013 sponsors include Benjamin Moore & Co., Bloomberg, New York Design Center and Tiffany & Co. Since 2005, the Awards have been held at The Prince George Ballroom which features decorative painting and ornamental molding work completed by Alpha's artists.
Dedicated to creating beauty and changing lives, The Alpha Workshops is the nation's only non-profit organization providing creative HIV-positive individuals with industry-specific training and employment in the decorative arts. Now 18 years old, Alpha's multi-faceted organization encompasses The Alpha Workshops Studio School, a vocational school licensed by the New York State Department of Education, and Alpha Workshops Studios, an award-winning professional design and decorative arts atelier staffed exclusively by graduates.
Most of the HIV-positive individuals who enroll in the school are struggling to survive on public assistance and have not been steadily employed in years due to illness. Alpha teaches them marketable techniques (faux finishes, decorative painting, wall treatments, casting, gilding) alongside work readiness skills and career counseling. Alpha's studios specialize in: collections of hand-painted wallpaper, hand-cast gilded lamps and custom-finished tables; wall treatments and decorative finishes for commercial and residential spaces; and custom installations for interior designers and architects. Their client list includes Benjamin Moore, WebMD, Lifetime TV, Saks Fifth Avenue, Anne Klein, New York Foundation and Yale University. They also have licenses with POLLACK (fabrics), Thibaut (printed wallcoverings), Koroseal (vinyl wallcoverings), Edward Fields (rugs) and Artaissance/Larson-Juhl (printed artwork). Alpha has been recognized with the 2010 IFDA Humanitarian Award, the 2008 World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Self-Reliance Award, the 2004 Channel Thirteen Community Service/Leadership Award and the 2002 Elle Deco Award.
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LocationThe Prince George Ballroom (View)
15 East 27th Street
New York, NY 10016
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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