Above - Robert Earl Paige; Below - Design Visionary honorees, class of 2026 Chicago artist and designer Robert Earl Paige has been named a 2026 Design Visionary honoree by the prestigious Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum as part of the National Design Awards, one of the highest recognitions in American design. The honor celebrates Paige’s decades-long influence on textile design, fine art, and the broader visual culture of Black creative expression. Born in Chicago in