DAN RUBINSTEIN

Students entering SVA’s new criticism program are poised to raise the bar on an emerging discipline, creating a broader audience for all things design

In the fall of 2006, Frederico Duarte, a young but accomplished Portuguese assistant curator attended Design 06, a conference at Vienna’s University of Applied Arts dedicated to the tricky relationship between time and design. Out of the many impressive speakers, Duarte was most enthralled by MoMA’s Senior Curator of Architecture and Design, Paola Antonelli, who commented on the dire need for writers who are not only able to write about design itself, but act as interpreters so the public can appreciate its wide-ranging implications. “She’s the reason I wanted to start writing,” recalls Duarte. Shortly thereafter, he pitched a series of articles to Público, a major daily newspaper in Portugal. While his venture into journalism was successful, the University of Lisbon graduate knew that in order to pursue his goals, he needed a boost. “I didn’t even know what a lede was when I started,” he admits.

Soon thereafter, he discovered an intensive, two-year MFA program in Design Criticism at New York’s School of Visual Arts—the only one of its kind in the US—that was accepting applications for its inaugural term with none other than Antonelli as one of the faculty, teaching a course in curation. Fast-forward to summer 2008, and Duarte is one of the 15 students entering the experimental program.

It may seem curious, in this era of dwindling newsroom budgets and economic uncertainty, to launch a program dedicated solely to design criticism—albeit one that covers everything from fashion to urban planning. But according to co-founder and New York Times columnist/former art director Steven Heller, not only is the timing right, but the need is great. “People are waiting for an intense program to explore their passion for design,” he explains. “Most of us fall into design criticism by accident, but sometimes you need to help the accident along.”

While the program may be fresh out of the box, the faculty is anything but. Beyond Antonelli and Heller, the roster reads like a Who’s Who. Spy co-founder, radio host and author Kurt Andersen will teach a workshop on radio and podcasting. Noted columnist Philip Nobel will school students in a criticism lab, and design historians Alexandra Lange and Russell Flinchum will handle architectural and urban criticism and design history, respectively.

To chair the program full-time, Heller turned to former colleague Alice Twemlow, an astute UK-born design critic who herself is a PhD candidate at the Royal College of Art in design history. She admits there are challenges ahead: “Design criticism is off to a good start. While we have ancestors to turn to, we still have a long way to go. Most criticism today tends to be either promotional or needlessly harsh.” Much of the faculty agrees with this sentiment—the need for deeper, more objective and historically grounded criticism. “Anything to improve the level and richness of discourse is a good thing,” explains Andersen. “My hope is that the program becomes less of an echo chamber and more of a conversation.” The program, affectionately known as D-Crit, also aims for an expanded audience for its subject. “We need to raise the quality of writing in design magazines, but also in the mass media,” Twemlow says, “for it to be talked about in an intelligent way.” Antonelli agrees: “It’s outrageous that nearly all major US publications have a critic for just about everything—art, theater, television—except design! The world doesn’t understand design because all too often designers can’t express themselves [in words].”

Twemlow also looks to break design criticism free of its inner circle and use it to address broader social issues. It’s a goal that resonates with students like New York-based graphic designer and former AIGA/NY board member Laura Forde. After interviewing for an art director position that didn’t particularly inspire her, she found herself with an afternoon free and decided to see the recent “Design and the Elastic Mind” exhibit at MoMA. “I had an epiphany,” she recalled. “I was impressed not just with the depth and rigor of the show, but how it pushed the notion of what design can be. It’s not just about objects anymore; it’s about how we interact with the world.”

Keeping in line with SVA’s tradition of a studio-based education, students won’t only be penning essays and reviewing collections, but editing books and curating shows themselves. The program is housed in its own newly renovated floor in the Flatiron District, designed by local architect Lawrence Jones, and is planned more like a magazine’s bullpen than a typical humanities department, with an emphasis on open, collaborative spaces. “This course is a hollow vessel,” remarks Twemlow. “The students are here to fill it.” Such students range from twentysomethings right out of school to more established industry professionals. “I’m excited about the complexity of the group,” Twemlow continues, “and I can’t wait to see what they come up with. After all, we’re just arming them with a set of tools and a platinum Rolodex—they’re the ones who are going to make things happen.” Students won’t just hand in a thesis their second year, but will also present their findings in a public conference they’ll produce alongside faculty and outside cognoscenti.

Another element in the curriculum addresses the proliferation of blogs and podcasts that have transformed a scattered, niche audience into a critical mass of consumers for design criticism. Classes in producing content for new media are an integral part of the program, which presents both hurdles and opportunities. “We’re at the beginning of a new era—albeit a confusing and chaotic one,” says Andersen. “Ten years ago, the world of design criticism was just too tiny to devote an entire MFA to it.” Twemlow agrees: “We have the rise of blogs both to thank and blame for this. The web acts as a massive spotlight, creating a charged atmosphere that has allowed us to do this.”

And just as the media’s future is uncertain, D-Crit’s leaders admit the program itself is also an experiment. “We’re starting from scratch,” says Heller. “By using journalism as a foundation, we’re trying to create a new standard for this kind of criticism, not just impose a certain methodology.” But with only a few weeks to go before classes begin, Duarte is too busy worrying about obtaining his visa and finding a place to live in Manhattan—not to mention completing his summer reading list—to fret about the rigors of a program that will be his life for the next two years. Surprisingly, for a wordsmith who speaks five languages, Duarte will have only recently set foot in New York—for the first time. What is he most excited to see in the Big Apple? “The Chrysler building,” he gushes. It appears the budding critic has already found his first subject.