The Smart List is a monthly list of multi-media recommendations on everything design, curated by Interwoven Design. In this issue we share the Exhibits and Design Museums Around the World that we are really looking forward to this fall. As any creative knows, you can’t generate output if you aren’t continually feeding yourself inspiration. In addition to helping us stay informed about art and design, going to the fantastic galleries and museums throughout the city is a crucial strategy for those of us in the studio to stay engaged and open as creative people.
Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design
at the Museum of Modern Art
From September 2, 2023 to July 7, 2024, The exhibition “Life Cycles: The Materials of Contemporary Design” delves into the rejuvenating influence of design as it shifts its attention towards a more cooperative relationship with the environment.
Within this showcase, the artifacts on display illuminate the complete life span of the materials from which they are crafted. Starting from their extraction to eventual reuse or disposal, designers are delving into novel approaches—sometimes inspired by age-old customs—to engage materials in their endeavor to harmonize ecosystems. The instances on display prove that design can possess grace, originality, and allure, all while introducing fresh tactics to mend our planet.
via MoMA
A Dark, a Light, a Bright: The Designs of Dorothy Liebes
at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Dorothy Liebes, the eminent textile designer, wielded a profound influence across a multitude of design realms, encompassing fashion, interior design, and industrial design. Through her masterful use of vibrant colors, materials, and finishes, Dorothy pioneered her own distinctive style known as the “Liebes Look.” Her collaborations extended to an illustrious roster of architects and designers, boasting names like Frank Lloyd Wright, Henry Dreyfuss, Raymon Loewy, Pauline Trigère, and Adrian, among others.
From July 7, 2023, to February 4, 2024, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum in New York City will host an exhibition featuring over 175 works by Dorothy Liebes. This captivating display will encompass textiles, fashion pieces, furniture, photographs, and other documentation that left an indelible mark on the American fashion industry of the mid-20th century.
via Cooper Hewitt
Garden Futures: Designing with Nature
at the Vitra Design Museum
Gardens encompass realms of leisure, delight, and productivity. They serve as canvases where our aspirations and desires have been projected for centuries—an interface bridging the human and natural domains. In the present age, issues pertaining to climate change, ecological balance, food insecurity, and social equity saturate our daily existence.
The upcoming exhibition titled “Garden Futures,” slated for presentation from March 25, 2023, to October 3, 2023, explores gardens as domains of experimentation and potential horizons. This showcase portrays an array of historical, modern, and speculative garden concepts. Encompassed within are not solely remarkable gardens, but also contributions from artists and landscape architects who conceive of gardens as experimental grounds for testing novel ecological and social synergies.
The exhibits encompass a spectrum ranging from visionary landscape architects’ concept sketches to immersive contemporary audiovisual installations, artistic creations, furnishings, tools, and photographs.
Indigenous Histories
at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo
Spanning from October 20, 2023, to February 25, 2024, the expansive collective exhibition “Indigenous Histories” unveils diverse narratives of native histories worldwide through the lens of art and visual cultures. This assembly brings together an assortment of works across multiple mediums, genres, origins, and eras.
Structured into eight distinct sections, “Indigenous Histories” is composed of seven sections that delve into varied regions around the globe, alongside one section themed around indigenous activism. These seven regional segments will delve into indigenous histories spanning Oceania, North America, South America, and Scandinavia. The objective is not to comprehensively encapsulate the indigenous histories of each specific region, but rather to offer a cross-sectional, fragmentary, or illustrative insight into these narratives via a concise yet pertinent selection. This approach encourages a comparative exploration with narratives from different corners of the world.
via Contemporary and América Latina
And there you have it, Design Museums Around the World! Follow us on Instagram for design news, multi-media recommendations, and to learn more about product design and development!