First lady says children need exposure to arts

WASHINGTON (AP) — If you think your kids spend a little too much time on their laptops, take heart: Michelle Obama has the same problem.

The first lady made the rueful revelation as she feted the nation's top innovators and designers in fields as diverse as architecture, technology, fashion, and communications — winners of the annual National Design awards — at an East Room luncheon Friday.

"What would we do without our laptops?" asked Mrs. Obama, addressing one of the winners, Bill Moggridge, who designed the world's first laptop. "My kids would die," she said to laughter. "They'd be — they wouldn't make it through the summer. I don't know whether to thank you, Bill, for that."

Hosting the design awards, which are presented by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, has been a recent tradition for first ladies, starting with Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2000.

But Mrs. Obama, who has put a priority since the beginning of her tenure on spending time in the local community, added a twist: Earlier Friday, she sent both award winners and White House staff members to five Washington museums for free public seminars.

At one of them, an eclectic combination of Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa, interior designers Calvin Tsao and Zack McKown and White House deputy social secretary Ebs Burnough riffed on such subjects as the meaning of design.

One audience member's query was somewhat less philosophical. Nina Hammond asked the panel how she could help her 12-year-old daughter achieve her goal of becoming a fashion designer, since they do not live in New York, the country's fashion capital. She even held up a purple frock designed by the girl, Clarke Smith. "I'm trying to foster her dream," said the mother.

Costa said she'd surely be welcome in New York.

Hammond wanted a little more: "Can I get a name, or a number?" she asked, to laughter.

Burnough noted that Mrs. Obama had wanted the designers, who spoke at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, to get out during their Washington visit, "so that the community at large had the opportunity to really benefit from their knowledge and their expertise." Seminars at other museums touched on subjects like technology and sustainability, transforming neighborhoods, and interaction design.