USA Projects

Stephen Burks is one of the most recognized American industrial designers of his generation. He and his New York studio, Readymade Projects, have been responsible for creative design direction on projects ranging from retail interiors and events to packaging, consumer products, lighting, furniture and home accessories. He has developed innovative concepts for renowned international brands including Artecnica, Audi, B&B Italia, Boffi, Calvin Klein, Cappellini, Coty Prestige, Estee Lauder and Missoni, as well as continuing his commitment to sustainable design in the developing world as a design activist through his association with the American non-profits Aid To Artisans and the Nature Conservancy. As described in the New York Times style magazine T, he is the first African-American industrial designer to ever collaborate with these companies. Since 2005, Stephen has worked as a consultant collaborating with artisans in around the world in Australia, India, Mexico, Peru, South Africa and Senegal building a bridge from authentic developing world artisanry to first world distribution. In 2006, in Peru, he began work on his own television documentary project, entitled Made On Earth, and has recently worked with the Sundance Channel to produce the first Made On Earth television pilot currently being considered for production by a leading American television studio. In 2007, he designed the Tatu wire table collection produced by hand in South Africa for Artecnica's Design With Conscience program. In 2008, he designed Cappellini's first ever eco-conscious collection entitled Cappellini Love also artisanally produced in South Africa with the small community collective in the township of Nelson Mandela's birth, Mandela Mosaics. In 2009, Stephen was commissioned to coordinate, art direct and design the M'Afrique exhibition for Moroso in Milan at the Moroso showroom on via Pontaccio. As part of the commission, Stephen traveled to Dakar, Senegal, with his documentary photographer & videographer to document the process of production of the hand-made Moroso M'Afrique outdoor furniture collection. He also purchased Dutch wax cloth fabrics in the markets of Dakar, which were used to patchwork several pieces of the existing Moroso furniture collection. Stephen's work has been featured in numerous design publications and journals. His projects have been exhibited around the world at design fairs, galleries and museums. He studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Product Design at IIT'S Institute of Design, as well as attending Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture. He is a recipient of the Illinois Institute of Technology Alumni Professional Achievement Award, the Brooklyn Museum Young Modernist Award, the Architektur & Wohnen Audi Mentor Prize and the 2008 United States Artists Architecture & Design Target Fellowship Grant for his outstanding work in product design. In the Spring of 2011, Stephen will have two solo museum exhibitions in New York City. 'Stephen Burks | Are You A Hybrid' opens at the Museum of Art & Design in February 2011 and 'Made On Earth' opens at the Studio Museum of Harlem in March 2011.

Portrait photo courtesy Stephen Burks

Cappellini Love Table, 2008, recycled shredded magazines, newspaper, non-toxic adhesive and hardener; photo courtesy Stephen Burks and Cappellini