AIGA presents Heath Ceramics with the 2022 AIGA Corporate Leadership Award for their progressive policies, corporate philosophies, and provocative notion of what beautiful and functional design is – as a women-founded, partially employee-owned, and community-focused business with a true vision for sustainable goods that last. In its 108-year history, AIGA has recognized 35 organizations with the AIGA Corporate Leadership Award. “If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we need to think differently about the world around us and the relationships we have with the objects that inhabit our space,” said AIGA Executive Director, Bennie F. Johnson. “Heath Ceramics is a company that is supporting their community, the artists who share their creations, and espousing the values that make Heath Ceramics a leader in their craft… We are honored to present this year’s Corporate Leadership Award to Heath Ceramics and their employee-owners. Their innovative outlook and human-centered values are front and center and we honor them for their timeless commitment to their craft, to their community, and to their employees.”
Founded in Sausalito, California in 1948 by Edith and Brian Heath, Heath Ceramics is built on the vision and values of being honest and responsible. Committed to growing slowly, providing jobs in their local communities, and preserving a craft, they celebrate the process of creation and the materials that allow them to not only envision but also design beautiful and functional objects. “It’s deeply meaningful to all of us at Heath to be recognized for our design-led approach to business,” said Catherine Bailey, Owner and Brand Director of Heath Ceramics. “As a 75-year-old, employee-owned company, we have always believed that impact comes from intent, not scale. We have remained an intentionally small business, committed to honest craft, local manufacturing, living wages, and concrete contributions to the world, all through the lens of design.”
