The following object story was presented as part of the American Craft Council's national "Present Tense" conference that took place in Philadelphia in October 2019. Through eight main stage moments and four object stories featuring 42 speakers, the "Present Tense" main stage explored craft’s relevance as a powerful catalyst for navigating and making meaning in an increasingly complex present.

Lucille Tenazas is an educator and graphic designer based in New York. She is the Henry Wolf Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design, where she is currently the associate dean in the School of Art, Media and Technology.

Originally from Manila, the Philippines, she has taught and practiced in the United States since 1979, a trajectory that included living in San Francisco from 1985 to 2005 and Rome in 2005-06. Lucille’s work explores the intersection of typography and linguistics, with design that reflects complex and poetic means of visual expression. Lucille received the AIGA Medal in 2013, the most prestigious in the field, awarded by the American Institute of Graphic Arts for her lifetime contribution to design practice and outstanding leadership in design education. She also received the National Design Award for Communication Design from the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in 2002.

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