The Office of Academic Affairs awarded Motomu “Lucia” Sakakibara ’23 (BFA), whose thesis project is featured on this page, the Ana Blanc Verna Award which honors the memory of Ana Blanc Verna, a 1989 graduate of the College, who distinguished herself as a designer who conceived projects that radiated exceptional beauty and originality. 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.

Student: Motomu “Lucia” Sakakibara
Project: At Crosspaths
Program: Bachelor of Fine Arts
Instructor: Robert Dadras

Motomu “Lucia” Sakakibara, the winner of NYSID’s 2023 Ana Blanc Verna Award, studied at NYSID as the College, the city, and the world endured the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. She began working at Ennead Architects before she graduated. She needed ways to escape the intensity of the city and the pressures of juggling work and school. As she embarked on her thesis research, she envisioned a destination where people in metropolitan areas could go for decompression and self-reflection. Her models were Storm King, Dia Beacon, and Grace Farms, non-profit cultural organizations that brought her quietude and inspiration when she needed space from the city. For her cultural organization’s location, she chose a 1930s building, originally a stable, in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, on a plot of land ringed by woods. She researched the three stages of progressive structural meditation and set out to create a spatial experience that would take the user through a guided meditation in three dimensions. Sakakibara intended visitors to walk up a hill and be greeted by a calming outdoor reception area under the arches of the old stable. This space is meant to represent the first stage of meditation, the beginning bookend, in which a person is meant to slow one’s breath and relax in order to transition from a wakeful state to a meditative state. Sakakibara designed a basement “Entrance Gallery” and “Through Gallery” to represent the middle stage of meditation, which can often be the phase of self-discovery. Sakakibara kept these galleries intentionally sparse to keep the mind calm and empty, and made the lights progressively dimmer to facilitate a journey inward. A rhythmic motif of stripes on the floor cues the occupants to breathe in and out as they journey forward. In the third phase of meditation, one transitions from a meditative state back to wakefulness. In the “To Somewhere” gallery, Sakakibara re-introduces focal points with strong pops of green and sculptural wood furniture, gradually helping the mind acclimate to stimulation. The journey delivers the occupant to the ending bookend, an outdoor space where the user can enjoy nature and mingle with friends.