General Israel Putnam Trailblazer Award

PCHS will honor Russel Wright with the General Israel Putnam Trailblazer Award. Iconic modern designer, Russel Wright (1904-1976) is best known for his popular home furnishings and tableware, most notably the American Modern dinnerware he created in the mid-20th-century. Wright made good design affordable, saying frequently, “good design is for everyone.” In 1942, he and his wife, Mary, acquired 75 acres of rugged land in Garrison, which had been devastated by years of quarrying and logging. They named the property Manitoga, from Algonquin words meaning “place of great spirit”. In 1957, Wright designed and built Dragon Rock, his home, plus his connecting studio, into the quarry rim, expressing his vision of “living in harmony with nature.” The house was completed in 1962 and Wright lived there with his daughter, Ann, and later with his life partner, Joe Chapman. Manitoga is a National Historic Landmark and a charter member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios.