What is design? In 1996 Terence Conran, in his now classic book On Design, wrote: "In one sense, every single thing that has been made by man or woman has been designed. This is a fundamental truth but it is one that many people find difficult to grasp, perhaps because it is so obvious."

Conran continues, "We are quick to recognize a designer’s imprint on the cut of a dress, in the façade of a landmark building, or in the shape of the latest automobile. Less visible, but no less significant, are those designs that shape our everyday world, from the humble paperclip to the supermarket label. Design is all around us, in the shape of our houses and the arrangement of interior space, in the way we shop and entertain ourselves, and in the ease with which we move from place to place." In short, and Conran quotes a ten-year-old named Edward:

"Design is important because if it was not designed it could not be made."

This exhibition of the selected works of Dominican designers living and working in New York brings to our collective attention the ongoing contributions of these insightful and inventive professionals. Their gift is to give us all a better quality of life. Traditionally the Dominican Republic is not associated with design as are Italy, Scandinavia, and Japan. Yet one of the most famous members of the international design community is Dominican–Oscar de la Renta. Fashion is glamorous, and it is precisely that area in which we find the highest visibility among designers. Dominicans are contributing to the world of fashion in increasing numbers at home and in the United States. In all the design disciplines–fashion, interior design, architecture, graphic and communication design, digital design, illustration, and product design–the number of Dominicans living and working in New York is steadily growing. Moreover, their continuing increase in presence and power is palpable.

The Altos de Chavón School of Design, a Dominican institution located in La Romana and run by a U.S. foundation, has been affiliated with Parsons School of Design for 20 years. By graduating more than 800 students, largely Dominican, the school has added a significant Dominican presence to the international design world. More than 200 of the graduates have gone on to study at Parsons School of Design in New York, and many of them are represented here.

In New York, design is lifeblood, the pulsing vitality of a great cross-cultural city. New York and design are one. The city is a magnet for the talented and a rich environment for innovation. Students of art and design have made this city their Mecca, the principal U.S. marketplace for ideas, for 300 years.

The 1950’s saw a sharp increase in the number of immigrants to New York from the Spanish-speaking Americas. Caribbean Hispanics were at the forefront. Hispanics now represent a sizable percentage of the U.S. population and a quarter of all New Yorkers. Design for and by Latin Americans has come into its own here in the United States. The Dominican character has a natural affinity for beauty and a longing to record and express visually the experience of being Dominican. These factors have resulted in the proliferation of Dominican designers living and designing in New York.

In Dominican Designers/New York 2000 we have assembled a sampling of the dynamic world of the New York Dominican designer. Clearly visible in these works is the profile of the Dominican designer as someone who has achieved success. That success is visible in a host of different media solutions, both digital and analog, across the wide spectrum of design professions. Hard work and research, along with years of study and apprenticeship, are evident in the exhibition. Here, together for the first time, are representations of all New York’s design fields as interpreted by designers who celebrate their Dominican roots.

What, if anything, is Dominican about their design? If we accept the premise that people are the product of their environment, we can put forth the hypothesis that the work these Dominican designers should display some convergence of style or content. Feel free to decide for yourself if there are truly unifying elements in their work. Whether or not you sense a stylistic commonality, you will find all the work vibrant and contemporary. Above all, keep in mind that from the young and emerging to the well established, these designers are now successfully working, recognized members of the respected community of designers in New York. New York City is the most competitive, demanding, and capricious city in the world. If you can make it here you can make it anywhere! Congratulations to the Dominican designers of New York 2000.