Students studying in the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects (AIADO) department are launching whatnot x West Supply, a collection of heirloom-quality objects fabricated in glass and bronze.

The collection is being revealed at Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Milan Design Week in Italy, April 4–9. This is the 10th year the school is showcasing work from its students at the annual international design fair. SAIC partnered with West Supply, a Chicago-based artisanal foundry and fabricator of designer furnishings, lighting and fine art, to develop this collection that explores form, texture and finish to develop products that respond to light in unique and innovative ways.

The products are entirely conceived, designed and produced by undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in SAIC’s yearlong Milan External Partnerships class, taught and curated by Professors Helen Maria Nugent and Tim Parsons.

Nugent says the course was launched “to give students invaluable real-world experience and the opportunity to show their work alongside some of the world’s most renowned designers during Milan Design Week.”

SAIC’s whatnot x West Supply Collection is being featured and sold at Spazio Rossana Orlandi at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and will also be on display in Chicago at SAIC’s LeRoy Neiman Center, 37 South Wabash Avenue this spring.

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