The Industrial Designers Society of America Midwest District recently awarded the 2012 Midwest Honors Award for education excellence to Associate Professor of Industrial Design John Caruso, IDSA.
“Professor Caruso is a gifted educator who has the power to transform artists and designers through the cogency of his thought and the depth of his ideas,” says David Martin, Vice President of Academic Affairs. “He is also very generous in sharing his time and energy with his colleagues in all disciplines. With his students, he instills a deep hunger for knowing and aesthetic excellence.”
Caruso, recent District vice president of the Midwest chapter of the IDSA,[DVP], is an active IDSA member, having held numerous elected positions, including two-time IDSA Midwest Education Chair and Indiana Chapter Vice-Chair, and writing publications for IDSA’s National Education Conferences.
An early proponent of environmental awareness and sustainability in product design, Caruso has designed numerous products for clients such as Crate & Barrel, Target and the Container Store, vehicles for a large truck manufacturer and medical bottles for the elderly. Drawing is a rigorous technique in his personal design work, and in his teaching.
Throughout his teaching career, Caruso’s students have won several national design awards, including six student projects that have won Industrial Design Excellence Awards.
Of this honor, Caruso says, “It is because of the special place that MIAD is, and the excellence in leadership and support, that I am able to develop as an educator in design.”
Caruso received the award April 14 at the IDSA Midwest District Design Conference and Design Dialogue in Chicago.
