Shashi Caan Speaks at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art Today

Celebrated designer, author, and educator Shashi Caan will present a public lecture today, March 13, 2013 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Ms. Caan is the 4th annual, 2012-2013 Donghia Designer-in-Residence in Otis College of Art and Design's Architecture/Landscape/Interiors Department.

Shashi Caan was born in India and educated in Scotland at the Edinburgh College of Art, where she received a BFA (with honors) in Environmental Design, and at Pratt Institute in New York, where she obtained two master's degrees, the first in Architecture and the second in Industrial Design.

Founder and Principal of the Shashi Caan Collective, Shashi Caan is known for her groundbreaking work uniting the multiple layers of architecture, interior, and product design. Through a unique collaborative design process, the Shashi Caan Collective provides architecture, interior, workplace, and product design solutions focused on social conditions and quality of life rather than trends and superficial aesthetics. The Collective's collaborative structure has produced highly innovative and successful work, resulting in major industry awards and accolades from sources such as "Metropolis" magazine, "Architecture and Interior Design" magazine; the International Interior Design Association, GlobalShop, and NeoCon.

Bridging design practice, theory, and education, Ms. Caan has made significant contributions to international design advocacy as current President of the International Federation of Interior Architects/ Designers (IFI) - representing over 270,000 designers worldwide - and as previous Executive Chair, and current Executive Committee member, of the International Design Alliance (IDA). She is former Chair of the Interiors Department at Parsons The New School for Design, and also served as Director of Design and Associate Partner in the New York office of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Other prior affiliations include Gensler, Pratt Institute, and the New York School of Interior Design.

"Contract" magazine named Shashi Caan 'Designer of Year' in their 25th Anniversary issue, and the International Facilities Management Association named her 'Educator of Year' for Greater New York. A sought-after public speaker, Ms. Caan participates in design juries, panel discussions, workshops, and lectures around the world. Over the last decade she has written numerous articles, essays, and critiques, published both in the U.S. and internationally. She is the author of "Rethinking Design and Interiors: Human Beings in the Built Environment."(2011)