Open House
Vignelli Legacy: A Celebration at Saint Peter’s
Monday, May 20, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at Saint Peter's Church
This reception celebrates the Vignelli legacy at Saint Peter’s Church and accompanying photography exhibition and Heller showroom, on view from May 16, 2024 to October 11, 2024. This evening includes brief remarks at 7:00 p.m. from Josh Owen, John Edelman, Gary Hustwit, and Jared R. Stahler.
Re-visit or visit for the first time Lella and Massimo Vignelli’s masterpiece, Saint Peter’s Church, in Midtown, NY. While there, you’ll discover elements of the church’s design related to the iconic Hellerware recently re-released by Heller Furniture and try out a variety of Vignelli-designed seating. An accompanying photo exhibition sponsored by the Vignelli Center for Design Studies displays a 2013 photography project by Gary Hustwit featuring Lella and Massimo at work in their home. This exhibition takes on further resnonance as May 27, 2024 marks the tenth anniversary of Massimo’s death.
Long-described by the design duo as their “most important project,” Saint Peter’s is a total design: from interiors to furniture to silver liturgical objects to graphics. Massimo’s design for the church’s impressive organ is among only a handful of architect-designed organs of the modern era. Saint Peter’s recently sustained a massive flood from a broken NYC water-main. Visitors will have the opportunity to see first-hand a significant part of Saint Peter’s reconstruction.
An immensely public building, this reception is a rare opportunity to experience the space without the hustle and bustle of the myriad programs held in an environment Massimo hailed as “more than a church.”
Reception begins at 6:00 p.m., with brief remarks at 7:00 p.m. from:
Josh Owen, Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design, Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology, and President of Josh Owen LLC
John Edelman, President and CEO of Heller Furniture and former CEO of Design Within Reach
Gary Hustwit, NYC-based filmmaker (Helvetica, Objectified) and visual artistJared R. Stahler, Senior Pastor of Saint Peter’s Church
Presented by Saint Peter’s Church and The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s with Heller Furniture and The Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT.
Learn more about Saint Peter’s rebuilding and another Design Week event, “Architecture and Light in Three Modern Spaces” on May 21, 2024, at future.saintpeters.org/modernism.