The Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology's (DIO)
2008 EyesOn Design Automotive Design Show marked it's seventh consecutive year with
Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC sponsorship. The annual Father's Day event is held on the grounds of the Edsel &
Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan and benefits the DIO's programs for the
visually impaired and blind. The design show draws international automotive designers,
decision-makers and consumers to experience one of the largest and most complete vehicle
displays assembled annually. This display of hundreds of vehicles includes Indy 500
speedsters, stock cards, Formula One racers and hot rods in 15 different categories
celebrating automotive design.
This year, five "Bridgestone Awards" were
awarded. "Originally crafted by distinguished American crystal designer Steven V. Correia, the awards are crystal sculptures that capture the precision, clarity and
reflectivity of the relationship between automotive design and the gift of sight." (from the
Bridgestone press release)
Individual automotive designers or teams of active and retired designers from leading automotive and
supplier companies were the judges.
The five
Bridgestone Awards are;
- The Bridgestone
Best of Show Award,
- The Bridgestone Honorary Chairman’s Award,
- The Bridgestone Visionaries
Award
- The Bridgestone Preserving the Vision Award,
- The Bridgestone Eye of the Artist Award
The Bridgestone Visionaries
Award is unique because the judges are a team of visually impaired or blind people “Seeing” the vehicles with their hands.
The winning vehicle is selected based on their “hands-on” perception of the most interesting
sculptural shape from among vehicles in a specifically designated category,
The Bridgestone Eye of the Artist Award
is awarded to the best exhibited artwork.
While Ted McLaren's stunning large detailed
artwork of a 1957 Cadillac grill won The Bridgestone Eye of the Artist Award, Dick
Lamen's actual 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham won The Bridgestone Best of Show Award.
(Click
here for all the 2008 award winners)
