Contract - January/February 2011 - (Page 49)

Trish Lindsay, a strategic business consultant, who was mentored by Maddox as an intern in college and later worked for her as a designer at Eva Maddox Associates, says Maddox’s gi is looking at problems and creating holistic solutions. “To Eva it’s design, but it’s really systems thinking, in which there’s a weaving together of the 3-D element of space, along with the clients’ product or service itself, the marketing, the collateral, the media,” and all the other business-related elements that are factored into her solutions. Lindsay points to the Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati as an example of this type of thinking. “The project started out as a wayﬁnding problem, and Eva created something that not only solved that problem but also created a brand for the hospital as a whole that actually builds relationships with the patients and visitors as they move through the space.” Though accomplished enough to rest on her laurels, Maddox appears to show no signs of slowing. In looking toward the future, Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York and the former president of Maddox’s alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, envisions Maddox initiating new conversations around improving education and solving social problems on a larger scale. Recalling a recent conversation she had with the designer, Zimpher describes a “cradle-tocareer partnership” idea the two women brainstormed about as a way “to close the achievement gaps and ﬁnd solutions to the leaky education pipeline that allows so many kids in this count to leave high school without being college or career ready,” she says. Given Maddox’s ability to bring inﬂuential people from the business, non-proﬁt, and education communities together and solve problems holistically, Zimpher forecasts that Maddox will focus on how she can be helpful in dealing with this troubling aspect of American society in the near future. “Eva has an immense blend of knowledge and assertion complemented by compassion,” says Zimpher. “She knows how to get things done, yet she’s a team player who brings out the best in people—she’s so selﬂess and knows how to share her career, so I think an emphasis on education will deﬁne her future work. It would be a gi to Chicago.” And if Zimpher’s prediction becomes reality, the eﬀects of this gi no doubt would ripple far and wide—just like so many of the contributions Maddox has made to the world already. “Eva always has been more than interested in the future, and she has brought that interest to Archeworks,” says Tigerman, noting a course she developed called “Design Theo and Future Studies,” which she teaches at the not-for-proﬁt school once a year. In addition to her theoretical inﬂuence on the profession, Tigerman appreciates Maddox’s approach to teaching, which he describes as Socratic. “She draws people out without standing on a soapbox,” he says. “She’s user-friendly, has virtually no ego, is ve open to the ideas of others, and is good at helping coalesce the disparate directions of a team.” Maddox’s image as a leading thinker in the world of design also has made her a sought-a er ﬁgure by the business press. “Our publications cover what’s pushing the edge of current best business practices,” says Maddox’s colleague and friend Gloria Scolby, senior vice president and group publisher of Crain Communications, which publishes various business magazines. “Eva always has been the go-to person for the best ways to design corporate environments,” she says. Several of the magazines that have reported on Maddox’s projects and ideas also have honored her for her outstanding professionalism. Crain’s Chicago Business, for example, one of the magazines in Scolby’s group, named Maddox one of Chicago’s 100 Most Inﬂuential Women in 1995, while Chicago magazine named her a 2001 Chicagoan of the Year. www.contractdesign.com contract january/february 2011 49 http://www.contractdesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - January/February 2011

Contract - January/February 2011
Contents
Editor’s Note
Industry
Exhibition: Orgatec
Corporate Philanthropy
The 32nd Annual Interiors Awards
Designers of the Year
Legend Award
Large Office
Education
Healthcare
Hotel
Retail
Restaurant
Showroom
Exhibit
Sports/Entertainment
Public Space
Historic Restoration
Adaptive Reuse
Environmental Design
Student/Conceptual
Designers Rate
Sources
Ad Index

Contract - January/February 2011