Hasta La Ideas

Parsons The New School for Design announced today that urban designer William Morrish has been apponted dean of the School of Constructed Environments, which houses Parsons’ programs in architecture, interior design, lighting design, and product design. He will take over decanal duties from interim dean Laura Briggs on July 1.

A licensed architect, Morrish comes to Parsons from the University of Virginia School of Architecture, where as the school’s first interdisciplinary professor, he taught and led research in the areas of sustainable urban infrastructure, new housing models, and global urbanization and climate change. His work has recently focused on addressing what he calls the “second generation of sustainability”: the design of cultural ecologies. “Bill’s experience working across disciplines and his personal commitment to examining the social implications of design make him an ideal choice for this position,” said Parsons dean Joel Towers in a statement issued today. Click below to listen to Morrish, a former resident of New Orleans, give a 2006 talk about the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Some sad news out of the still-struggling Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, as it’s been announced that there has been another sweep of layoffs, 17 in all, including perhaps the most high-profile pink slip going to Brooke Hodge, the museum’s long-time curator of architecture and design. Hodge was responsible, among many other things during her tenure, for the exhibition, “Frank O. Gehry: Work in Progress” and we perhaps was most recently famous for going bargain hunting with Philippe Starck. The museum, reports Architect’s Newspaper, has also cancelled it’s upcoming Morphosis exhibition. Here’s a bit about what this all might mean:

The move has spurred anxiety in the Los Angeles design community, where questions have been raised about MOCA’s commitment to architecture. “It’s a real disappointment,” said Chris Alexander, curator of architecture and design at The Getty, which — despite 25 percent staff cuts throughout that museum (none in architecture though) — remains one of a precious few institutions with architecture departments in the city.

With the Seattle Art Museum‘s roller coaster of a year thus far (the last piece of news came late last month, with things seeming to be more on the up at the moment), they’ve just taken on a new director to step into the middle of the fray. The museum has announced that Derrick Cartwright will be taking over for Mimi Gates, who is leaving after fifteen years there, as of June. Cartwright comes in from the San Diego Museum of Art, which he has led for the past five years, reportedly growing it quite a bit in short order. But we have a feeling that as long as he can help stabilize Seattle, that would be enough to make everyone happy. Here’s a bit about both his past and future:

In San Diego, Cartwright is credited with building the Balboa Park museum’s international reputation, reaching out to a diverse community and enhancing the exhibitions and publications programs. When he moves to the Northwest, he will oversee an urban cultural center with three locations: the Seattle Art Museum downtown, the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park and the Olympic Sculpture Park.

Big news out of New York’s Pratt Institute, which announced today that Concetta Stewart has been named dean of its School of Art and Design. Stewart comes to Pratt from Temple University, where she has served as dean of the School of Communications and Theater since 2000 and previously chaired the University’s Department of Broadcasting, Telecoms, and Mass Media. As dean of Pratt’s School of Art and Design, Stewart will be responsible for leading Pratt’s largest school with more than 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 15 degree programs. She starts work on July 20, replacing Frank Lind, who is stepping down after a decade in the decanal post.

Some news from the museum world that isn’t about layoffs and budget cuts for a change. Lynn Zelevansky, the hot shot curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has decided to make the jump up to an even more high-profile job, becoming the director of the Carnegie Museum of Art. She’ll be making said move this July, taking over for Richard Armstrong, who himself left last year to take over at the Guggenheim. Here’s a bit:

“It’s exciting, but it’s very hard to leave Los Angeles,” Zelevansky said Thursday afternoon, reached at her office at the Wilshire Boulevard museum. “I didn’t think I wanted to be a museum director; I wasn’t looking for a job like that. But I know the city and its longstanding cultural foundation. I think the museum has enormous potential. It hasn’t had a high profile, but I think it can be a real international player, and I would like to try to make that happen.”