Pratt Gala Raises $300,000 for Package Design Programs

April 23, 2012 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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NEW YORK — More than 250 guests attended the annual Pratt Institute and Luxe Pack Art of Packaging Award Gala at a private club in Manhattan on April 17.

The gala, which supports the Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design and raises funds for scholarships for graduating package design students at Pratt’s Manhattan and Brooklyn campuses, raised $300,000 at the event and has brought in more than $3.5 million dollars over the last 23 years.

The glamorous black-tie fundraiser honored Shiseido for its outstanding commitment to package design and was hosted by Carol Alt, supermodel, actress and best-selling author.

The Art of Packaging Award is presented each year to a beauty/cosmetics company that has excelled in the art form and was awarded to Shiseido. Heidi Manheimer, CEO of Shiseido Cosmetics America, and Katsuhiko Shibuya, creative director of Shiseido Co. Ltd., from the headquarters in Tokyo, accepted the award.

Manheimer became the first female CEO of Shiseido Cosmetics America in 2006, and, under her tenure, secured the company's place as one of the top 10 prestige beauty brands in the United States. She accepted the award on behalf of the company, and said that it is one that honors tradition, envisions the future and encourages the next generation of designers.

She also stressed the company's enduring commitment to package design, which she said was an intrinsic part of the consumer relationship with the product. She also noted that: "Great designers get their start with professors such as Marc [Rosen] at select institutions such as Pratt."

Shibuya said that the award was meaningful to receive, especially in New York City where the company's first president, Shinzo Fukuhara, received his education in pharmacy. He noted that packaging expands the experience of beauty, that it communicates without explanation, and that it lets "the product speak for itself," as Fukuhara was known to say.

"Pratt is celebrating its 125th anniversary and its legacy of innovative art and design education," said Rosen. "Shiseido's creativity will continue to serve as an inspiration to our students, the designers of tomorrow," he added.