Michelle Obama At The National Design Awards: HELLO YELLOW! (PHOTOS)
On Friday Michelle Obama showed the world that no, she hadn't cut her hair (yet) as some blogs speculated after she wore an updo to the White House's country music concert on Tuesday night.
Instead she made a splash with a sunny yellow suit as she spoke at the National Design Awards in the White House's East Room.
PHOTOS:
Pool report:
FLOTUS Pool Report #1
Cooper Hewitt National Design Awards
Friday, July 24, 2009
East Room
Your pooler entered the White House in the Grand Foyer, where wine,
water and orange juice was being served at a bar in the corner of the
room and a quartet was playing and guests were mingling. The media was
escorted to the East Room where about 12-14 tables of 8-10 chairs each
were set up for the National Design Awards luncheon.Each table had a navy blue table cloth and a centerpiece of three kinds
of white flowers. The table in front of your pooler had mini white calla
lilies, Queen Anne's lace and what looked like white peonies, but could
have been another fluffy flower. We were told that six types of white
flowers were used in the arrangements, with only three types at each
table. The centerpiece also featured brightly colored (some red and
yellow) vintage robots, which pay homage to the "innovation" theme of
the Design Awards.Story continues below
advertisementTables were set with the green and gold Truman China, gold Eisenhower
China and white and gold Bush China, according to the White House.
Unclear which Bush China was used, but we were told there was at least
one setting of Bush China at each table. A glass of white wine (Ponzi
Pinot Gris "Willamette" 2008) and a glass of water was at each setting.
On top of the China was a navy blue luncheon menu with a gold White
House insignia and a blue and white Design Awards pamphlet. White place
cards at each setting displayed the guest's name and a gold presidential
seal, held in a gold place card holder. Table numbers, however, were
encased in clear plastic. Chairs were gold with white cushions.On the menu: Heirloom tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella with white
balsamic and micro basil (this was served after guests had been seated
but before FLOTUS walked into the room for her remarks); crispy crab
cakes with carmellini beans and grilled summer squashes; crunchy milk
chocolate cake.People in attendance, according to Jennifer Northrop, a spokeswoman for
the awards, included: Melissa Mayer of Google, Michael R. Francis of
Target, Lauren Zalaznick of Bravo and John Maeda of the Rhode Island
School of Design (RISD).FLOTUS walked in at 12:44 p.m. with G. Wayne Clough, secretary of the
Smithsonian Institution. She was wearing a bright yellow short-sleeved,
two-piece Michael Kors suit with big white buttons on the top and a gold
bangle bracelet. Her shoes were gold or tan snakeskin, not sure. She
wore her hair down and neutral-colored gloss.When she walked in, the room stood and applauded. She greeted the
attendees and spoke about the importance of the Design Awards and of
innovation, commenting about how her two daughters can't live without
their laptop computers. FLOTUS spoke from a small wooden podium with a
White House logo attached to the front, on a stage in front of big gold
drapes. I was told an official transcript will be out shortly with her
exact remarks. She spoke for about five minutes, ending at 12:51 p.m.,
then introduced Clough and walked out of the room.Clough announced the award winners one by one, ending with, "And now, I
think we proceed with lunch." We assume that is what they did because it
was at this point that your pooler was escorted from the East Room to
the main entrance and outside by 1:01 pm.
Here's the full transcript of her remarks at the luncheon:
REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADYAT THE COOPER HEWITT NATIONAL DESIGN AWARDS
East Room
12:44 P.M. EDT
MRS. OBAMA: Thank you. Thank you, everyone. (Applause.) Good afternoon and welcome to the White House! (Laughter.) Tonight's house is a little warm in here. (Laughter.) But it is a pleasure to be here with you today to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the National Design Awards and to honor some of the country's most compelling innovators. And I got to meet them all. They are terrific, and we are just thrilled to have you with us today.
Congratulations to all of you -- our honorees and those of you just working hard getting the job done.How are you, sir? It's good to see you. (Laughter.)
You are scientists and artists. Your work is both practical and poetic, educational and inspirational. You represent diverse fields of disciplines but you share the common thread of superior design.
What I love about design is the artistic and scientific complexity that also becomes useful: a laptop, a bridge, an outfit -- (laughter) -- a garden, all drawn from a thousand wells of inspiration and yet grounded in the basic principles of math or science.
Great designers also pursue a mission. Great designers design with mankind in mind. Building on the innovations of the past, you help to shape a better future. Like your lifetime achievement honoree Bill Moggridge, what would we do without our laptops! (Laughter.) My kids would die. (Laughter.) They'd be -- they wouldn't make it through the summer. I don't know whether to thank you, Bill, for that. (Laughter.)
But that future and our ability to solve the great challenges of our time will depend on how we educate and engage the current generation.
That's why the President has made such a strong commitment to ensuring access to high-quality education for all children, particularly in math and science.
And today the President and Secretary Duncan are announcing the "Race to the Top," which is a competitive grant to spur education reform across the country and encourage educators and leaders to embrace innovative approaches to teaching and to learning.
As part of the Recovery Act, Congress has allotted more than $4 billion for this competition -- funding that'll be used for competitive grants to states, school districts, and non-profit partners that are most successful at raising standards, improving student learning, and turning around struggling schools. That is very exciting.But when it comes to innovation, you all know full well that an educational foundation is only part of the equation, right; that in order for creativity to flourish and imagination to take hold we also need to expose our children to the arts from a very young age.
Even Albert Einstein knew better, right? He knew that there is only so much that a good education could do. These were his words. He said, "I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination." "Imagination," he said, "is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." That's from Einstein, so I think he knew what he was talking about. (Laughter.)
We need to ensure that our children have both -- knowledge and imagination. I know I want that for my girls. They deserve to have access to a good education and access to ideas and images that will spark their creativity.
And as First Lady, I have spent a lot of time trying to break down barriers that too often exist between major cultural establishments and the people in their immediate communities.
So we've been sending a lot of role models out there in the far reaches of this city and then inviting kids to come back here to the White House. That's been a big part of the messages of every single event that we've done here at the White House. These kids who are living just inches away from power and prestige and fortune and fame, we want those kids to know that they belong here, too. We want them to know that they belong here in the White House and in the museums, and in libraries, and laboratories all over this country.
And I want to thank you all today for helping carry that mission out by going out today into the community and making sure that kids know that they belong on the cutting edge of design just the same; that they belong in the world of discovery and science, reminding them that they belong in the presence of great art and beauty; that it is theirs just as much as anyone's in this nation.
And earlier today you shared your visions, your ideas, your experiences and expertise by leading workshops at Smithsonian locations across Washington D.C. And I am grateful to all of you for taking the time to make that happen. From type fonts to technology, from silks and satins to sustainability -- you brought science to life at these seminars. And I've heard glowing reviews about them, and I hope you found them fun, as well.
And I want to thank you for inspiring the next generation of artists and scientists, architects and engineers, innovators and educators and for your contributions to the advancement of design. Thank you so very, very much.
And as I mentioned, the crossroads of science and art, innovation and inspiration are what I love about design. So I'm honored to introduce a man who represents the combination of both.
Wayne Clough, the man who leads one of our nation's premier cultural institutions as Secretary to the Smithsonian, is a trained civil engineer. His years at Georgia Tech planted him firmly on the science and technology end of the spectrum. But here he is, ably leading, right -- he's doing a good job -- (laughter and applause) -- he is ably leading the organization famous for housing the treasures of both science and art, the wonders of nature and mankind, and the marvels of the heavens and the earth. He is the perfect example of the symbiotic character of science and art. And I am so honored to introduce him to you today, our wonderful guest, our host, someone who make my life easier as we explore the Smithsonians with my kids, Wayne Clough. Thank you all. (Applause.)
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Huffington Post | Anya Strzemien
First Posted: 07-24-09 04:45 PM | Updated: 08-24-09 05:12 AM