In the Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, two women are being recognized for this year’s Visionary Woman Awards: Victoria Hagan and Ellen Lupton. Now in its tenth year, the recognition of the Visionary Woman Awards has become a widely known honor for women who have made significant contributions to art and design. Started in 2003, the award evolved with the addition of the Visionary Woman Scholarships in 2005. Since then, the proceeds from the award have been put toward 40 four-year scholarships for Moore undergraduates.

Ellen Lupton (left) and Victoria Hagan (right). Photo courtesy Moore.edu

Ellen Lupton is the curator of contemporary design at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York City and director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She is a widely respected designer, critic and lecturer whose book, “Thinking with Type,” is used by students and teachers worldwide – including at Moore.

Ellen Lupton, “The War on Toiletries.”

On display are a number of Lupton’s book cover illustrations and a series of six quirky takes on recognizable objects. Lupton twists the objects’ meanings with witty captions and puns like the “Twentieth-Century Triptych” – consisting of a rotary phone, a typewriter and an envelope – and a plastic, airport-ready bag of toothpaste and a razor entitled “The War on Toiletries.”

Victoria Hagan founded her interior design firm 20 years ago, and has since taken on projects around the country from urban residences to businesses and quiet weekend retreats. Her interiors are often featured in such publications as Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, W, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, Traditional Home, InStyle and Interior Design. Her sensibilities for pairing architectural elements with elegant and intelligent design have won her praise since the beginning of her career, and she continues to be a powerful force in the contemporary design community.

One of the rooms by Victoria Hagan.

A number of prints and a book of Hagan’s work can be seen at theMoore exhibit. The images depict such locations as a wooden-walled, chandeliered study complete with a fireplace and dark leather seats. This somewhat more rustic retreat seems more apropos to a vacation home than, say, the black-and-white apartment with floor-to-ceiling windowed balcony doors. Within a room or from place to place, contrast and precision is evident in all of Hagan’s design.

The gala for the Visionary Woman Awards will be held on Thursday, October 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Moore College of Art & Design. A lecture featuring the two honorees will be held earlier that day at 2 p.m. in the Stewart Auditorium.

Moore College of Art & Design is located at 20th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway; 215.965.4027; www.moore.edu.