LIKE A CHICK FOLLOWING HER MOM, A DEDICATION TO ROWENA REED KOSTELLOW

Have you ever had someone who “formed” you in a fundamental way?

For me, that person is Rowena Reed Kostellow.

Rowena was my teacher at Pratt and my first friend in New York City. Her SoHo loft on Greene Street, with windows at both ends, was the first New York apartment I ever saw.She always dressed in black—a black t-shirt, black leggings, and black sneakers. She’d buy sandwiches from Dean & Deluca or Olive’s, wrapped in wax paper. She’d eat half and save the other half for later.

She made abstract and difficult spatial concepts accessible. Rowena deconstructed three-dimensional structures—products, cars, sculptures, interiors, and architecture—into their elements, then reconstructed them into an accessible methodology of form-making. She taught thousands of students how to design in space, like it was music.

As a musician develops an “ear,” Rowena helped us develop an “eye.”

We arrived spatially illiterate and left knowing how to combine and manipulate visual elements to create beautiful forms and spaces. She taught at Pratt for four decades and even held Saturday classes at her home.

I was 20 when I met her. She was in her 80s. I followed her like a chick following her mom. She shaped me, not just as a designer, but for life.

Sometimes, you are so close to something, you can’t see it. It took me decades to realize that I’ve been trying to emulate Rowena my whole life.

In 2017, I spoke about Designing a Meaningful Life at the Indaba Design Conference and used Rowena as my hero in my Heroes exercise. As I stood on stage in front of 800 people, it suddenly hit me: eating my sandwiches in halves, living in a loft in NYC, wearing black, deconstructing my experiences to create new design methodologies and tools, making abstract concepts accessible, and teaching them to thousands—I’ve been modeling Rowena all my life.

She is with me every day.

Ayse

Tonight, I am honored to receive the Rowena Reed Kostellow Award alongside my partner, Bibi Seck (@bibiseck ), and Joshua Longo (@longoland) , in celebration of her life’s work. You can join us in person or online. Details below.?

Ceremony?Sept 24, 2024, 6:30 PM?Pratt Manhattan Center, 144 W 14th Street, NYC. RSVP or donate?here. ?Join via ZOOM?here .

INSPIRATION

Rowena mentored me and changed my life. If you're looking to unlock the full potential of mentoring, Mentoring: A Complete Guide to Effective Mentoring (Financial Times Guides) by my friend Dr. Ruth Gotian and Andy Lopata is an essential resource. From understanding the benefits of mentoring to learning how to mentor effectively, this guide is packed with valuable insights and actionable advice. Get your copy today at https://mentoring-guide.com/

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For speaking engagements, please email Nancy Aaronson at?[email protected] .