A collaboration between the University of Iowa 3D Design team and Department of Theatre Arts won top honors in CONNECT, the design school competition at the 2019 Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design (SOFA) Fair. SOFA, which took place Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the world's premier art fairs dedicated to three-dimensional art and design.

Now in its eighth year, CONNECT highlights university design programs throughout the country. Students, under the supervision of university faculty, design environments that incorporate seating and lighting installations, with the intention of offering an intimate area on the show floor where attendees can sit, relax and "connect."

This is the third CONNECT win for a group of Iowa students, having previously taken top honors in 2014 and 2015.

Undergraduate and graduate students worked together to design this year's winning installation, titled "Tension and Relief." The group included students Huda Al-Aithan, Courtney Gaston, James Tran, Yiran Li, Jixuan Zhu, Ninglu Zhang, Kaileigh Funaro, Lingyi Liu, and Yucheng Guo. Faculty advisers were Professor Monica Correia, head of 3D design, and Professor Bryon Winn, director of theatre.

Learn more about the Iowa group's CONNECT installation: https://www.sofaexpo.com/university-of-iowa-2019