Paola Antonelli

Since 1994, Antonelli, 46, has used the pulpit of the Museum of Modern Art in New York to preach her ideas about design. Now the senior curator in the department of architecture and design, she has overseen popular exhibitions that have expanded everyday notions of what design is. Given the "Design Mind" prize at the 2006 National Design Awards in the U.S., Antonelli says her goal is "to insistently promote design's understanding, until its positive influence on the world is fully acknowledged and exploited." Her next show, Talk To Me, will delve into the worlds of information and communication design.