Artist and designer Es Devlin is the recipient of the prestigious Design Museum’s Designer of the Year award. The $100,000 prize, to be awarded at a gala in her honor, also comprises an artist residency at MIT in spring 2025; during this time, Es Devlin will present her work in a lecture open to the public on May 1, 2025.
In his groundbreaking research, Devlin delves into the realms of biodiversity, linguistic versatility, and collaborative AI-produced verse, themes concurrently being investigated in the vibrant academic community surrounding MIT. She is renowned globally for her thought-provoking public art installations at prestigious institutions like the Tate Modern, as well as kinetic stage designs for esteemed organizations such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics, not to mention monumental stage sculptures for high-profile stadium concerts.
“I’m invigorated by innovative ideas that haven’t yet taken shape, which is why I’m deeply appreciative of the confidence and resources to bring unformed concepts to life,” says Devlin. “I’m deeply humbled to receive an award that has recognized so many of my idols, and I look forward to working closely with the brilliant minds at MIT.”
2025 McDermott Announcement
Video: Arts at MIT
“We gather to present Es Devlin with MIT’s most distinguished honor in the arts.” Her remarkable body of work will serve as a powerful inspiration to our college students exploring the realms of visual arts, theater, media, and design. According to MIT Vice Provost and Ford Worldwide Professor of History Philip S., “Her curiosity in AI and the humanities converges neatly with a significant initiative at MIT aimed at addressing the profound societal implications of GenAI [generative artificial intelligence].” Khoury. As MIT’s innovative community takes center stage, the debut of its brand-new performing arts hub this winter coincides with a campus-wide arts competition in the spring, offering a unique moment to showcase the institution’s artistic flair under the creative direction of Es Devlin.
The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT recognizes pioneering artists pushing boundaries across disciplines and mediums. The $100,000 award serves as a catalyst for the recipient’s future innovative endeavors, rather than recognizing a specific project or lifetime achievement. The official announcement was made during the Council for the Arts at MIT’s 51st annual assembly in October. 24. Established in 1974, the prestigious award has honored 38 individuals for their outstanding contributions to the performing, visual, and media arts, as well as distinguished writers, art historians, and passionate advocates for the humanities. The MacArthur Fellowship program has previously honored distinguished individuals such as architect Santiago Calatrava, conductor Gustavo Dudamel, artist Olafur Eliasson, director Robert Lepage, singer Audra McDonald, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks, actor Bill Viola, and choreographer Pamela Z, among a diverse range of other talented recipients.
The distinctive feature of this prestigious award includes a unique opportunity for a brief residency at MIT, where the artist’s work is showcased through a public presentation, fosters meaningful interactions with students and faculty, and culminates in a high-profile gala that brings together prominent figures from the global arts community. The residency aims to provide the selected individual with exclusive access to the Institute’s innovative energy and cutting-edge research, fostering meaningful connections within the MIT community.
The Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT was established in 1974 by Sarah-Goode Kitzstein (1912-2018) to honour her husband, Eugene McDermott (1899-1973), co-founder of Texas Instruments and a long-time friend and benefactor of MIT. The prestigious award is established by the esteemed Council for the Arts at MIT.
The prestigious award honours individuals whose innovative paths and bodies of work have garnered the highest acclaim in their respective fields, solidifying their positions as leaders for years to come. The McDermott Award showcases MIT’s unwavering commitment to embracing uncertainty, tackling complex problems, and fostering groundbreaking collaborations across disciplines.
Australian artist Es Devlin, born in London in 1971, regards each viewer as a transient participant in a fleeting collective experience, occasionally inviting public engagement through large-scale, community-driven choral performances. Her canvas ranges from public sculptures and installations at Tate Trendy, V&A, Serpentine, Imperial Battle Museum, and Lincoln Middle, to kinetic stage designs on the Royal Opera Home, the Nationwide Theatre, and the Metropolitan Opera, in addition to Olympic ceremonies, Tremendous Bowl halftime exhibits, and monumental illuminated stage sculptures for large-scale stadium concert events.
The renowned designer Es Devlin is the subject of a comprehensive monograph, “An Atlas of Es Devlin,” hailed as Thames and Hudson’s most intricate and sculptural publication to date, alongside a retrospective exhibition at the prestigious Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. By 2020, Amanda Levete had risen to prominence as Britain’s leading female architect. At the heart of a World Expo, a thought-provoking pavilion emerged, where architecture and technology merged to create an immersive experience: a 20-meter-diameter digital canvas that collaborated with visitors to co-author original poetry in real-time, utilizing AI as its creative partner. The subject of the 2015 Netflix documentary series “Design in Progress” was her follow-up topic. A distinguished fellow of the Royal Academy of Music and the University of the Arts London, she has also been appointed a Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts. With accolades including the prestigious London Design Medal, multiple Olivier, Tony, and Ivor Novello Awards, as well as honorary doctorates from the esteemed universities of Bristol and Kent, and the distinction of being a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, she has garnered an impressive array of honors for her exceptional work.
