The Office of Academic Affairs awarded Mona Nahm ’20 (MFA-1), whose thesis project is featured on this page, the Chairman’s Award for her overall performance at NYSID. At NYSID, thesis projects are long journeys that challenge students to brainstorm, conduct research, and synthesize all they have learned. The journey ends with a presentation to a jury of faculty and industry professionals. Our students work closely with faculty to create hypothetical designs that offer solutions to real-world problems. View all 2020 thesis projects here.

Student: Mona Nahm
Project: The Maker School
Program: Master of Fine Arts (Professional)
Instructor: Barbara Lowenthal

Mona Nahm’s “The Maker School” brings together art, technology, and innovation to encourage students to explore their relationship to materials and the act of making. Nahm’s goal was to create a space that encourages users “to create meaningful things and to make them well.” She says, “The parti for the project was the idea of connecting through folding. Using the visual metaphor of folding, I attempted to weave together relationships between crafts, interactions between makers and the community, and the past and the present to envision future possibilities for making.” Nahm researched historical maker spaces, such as the Glasgow School of Art and Offices of Charles and Ray Eames to inform her design. She says, “I enjoyed the process of designing the roof, ceilings, and feature stairs because they illustrate the folding concept.” She says, “I had an ambitious program and without Barbara Lowenthal’s involvement, it could have easily spiraled out of control. She encouraged me to ask questions to focus my design intentions.”