On the evening of August 21, 2019, Qin Li, IDSA’s Board of Directors Chair, announced a $5,000 donation to The Henry Ford Museum on behalf of IDSA and the International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA).
These funds will support The Henry Ford’s digitization and digital learning tool priorities as part of The Innovation Project: a $150 million comprehensive campaign to build digital and experiential learning tools, programs and initiatives to advance innovation, invention and entrepreneurship. Through this campaign, The Henry Ford will achieve greater accessibility, inclusivity and exposure to unlock the full potential of the next generation.
IDSA’s ongoing partnership with The Henry Ford began in 2010, and each year since, the museum has hosted members of the IDEA jury on their sprawling campus in Dearborn, MI, for the round 2 judging portion of the IDEA program. The museum’s team of dedicated professionals meticulously catalogues and organizes hundreds of IDEA submissions in preparation for three days of on-site jury deliberation. This is a resource-intense process and requires weeks of planning prior to the arrival of our judges and continues well past our departure.
The Henry Ford name is synonymous with innovation, ingenuity and the pursuit of excellence. As such, we could think of no better organization to associate with the IDEA program. The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories and lives, steeped in America’s traditions of resourcefulness and innovation.
Each year, Gold, Silver and Bronze IDEA winners are automatically added to the museum’s permanent collection and remain an ever-present symbol of ingenuity and mastery of craft. This donation is a token of our appreciation for The Henry Ford’s ongoing support of IDEA and a symbol of IDSA’s commitment to preserving the artifacts of our profession for generations to come.
IDEA 2020 will open for entry on January 2, 2020