Wilfried Vancraen
The Materialise team along with Founder and CEO Wilfried Vancraen were among those honoured with a MAD Visionaries! Award in New York City last month.
The accolade was handed to the 3D printing company in recognition of its commitment to technological innovation in 3D printing. Every year, the Gala honours leaders and innovators in the fields of art, design, philanthropy and business, who through their work demonstrate foresight, imagination and a commitment to supporting creativity in all its forms.
The Museum of Art and Design chose Wilfried Vancraen as one of this year's honorees due to the 20-plus years Materialise has been working with designers and scientists to help expand design, manufacturing and biomedical research into new frontiers, while remaining committed to artistic creativity, sustainability and the improvement of people’s lives.
The award was also granted on the occasion of Materialise’s inclusion in MAD's newest exhibition, Out of Hand: Materialising the Postdigital (16/10/2013 – 6/7/2014). Included in the exhibition are some of the most compelling creations from the past decade ranging from sculpture and furniture to fashion and transport - many of which were produced through 3D Printing at Materialise.
Also receiving a Visionaries! Award this year were internationally-renowned artist Frank Stella, Rick Kinsel, Executive Director of the Vilcek Foundation and jewellery designer and business leaders David and Sybil Yurman. As leaders in their fields, these individuals exemplify the Museum's mission to explore contemporary creativity across all media.
About Out of Hand: Materializing the Postdigital
Through Out of Hand, MAD aims to explore a monumental transition in the way human beings understand creation, from the earliest objects conceived and produced by individual makers through the tools of technological innovation. Today's digital fabrication methods, such as 3D printing, give individual artists, architects, and designers the ability to go beyond the traditional boundaries of production, often resulting in objects that may otherwise be impossible to realise.
Artists, architects and designers who have collaborated with Materialise for pieces in the exhibition include Bathsheba Grossman, Naim Josefi, Dror Benshetrit, Wertel Oberfel, Aranda\Lasch, Softkill Design, Stephen Jones, Jan Habraken and last, but certainly not least, fellow Visionaries! Award honoree, Frank Stella.
