Back to All Events

Detroit's "Design DNA": The DIA's 1949 For Modern Living Exhibition -- and Why it Matters Today

  • Ford House 1100 Lake Shore Road Grosse Pointe Shores, MI, 48236 United States (map)

How can the legacy of Detroit's past - its "design DNA" - inspire Detroit artists, institutions and civic/business leaders of today and tomorrow?

Join art historian Deborah Lubera Kawsky to explore a watershed moment in Detroit design history: the 1949 For Modern Living exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Centered on the DIA’s Great Hall (totally transformed with nine fully-furnished modern-style rooms), For Modern Living marshalled midcentury masters Alexander Girard, Minoru Yamasaki, Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Charles Eames and others to create a “new ideal of beauty” for the modern era.

More importantly, the exhibition - which focused on modern design for the home and employed civic/corporate partnerships, innovative exhibition displays and new technology -- provides lessons for Detroit's design community today. Dr. Kawsky will end her lecture by exploring designs for the home of today - and tomorrow - with a focus on artists trained and/or currently based in Metro Detroit.

REGISTER HERE

Previous
Previous
September 18

The Mind of a Muralist: Exploring Mural-Making with Hubert Massey, Ijania Cortez and Deborah Lubera Kawsky

Next
Next
February 19

The Mind of a Muralist: Exploring Mural-Making with Hubert Massey, Ijania Cortez and Deborah Lubera Kawsky (Copy)