Midcentury America Exhibit To Debut At Milwaukee Art Museum

MILWAUKEE, WI -- Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America, an exhibition presenting the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation, opens Sep. 28, 2018 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

“While midcentury American design may be familiar to some audiences, this exhibition sheds light on work by many designers from the perspective that play can be a serious form of experimentation,” said co-curator Monica Obniski, Demmer Curator of 20th- & 21st-Century Design, Milwaukee Art Museum in a prepared statement. “The spirit of play, and its importance to the cultural production of the period, is evidenced by the playful domesticity of Alexander Girard’s storage walls and table settings, as well as by the inventiveness of architects, such as Anne Tyng, who designed modular building toys to encourage creativity in children.”

Co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum, Serious Play includes more than 200 works. By showcasing iconic objects such as Irving Harper’s Ball Clock for Howard Miller Clock Company and Charles and Ray Eames’s Storage Units (ESUs) for Herman Miller Furniture Company, the exhibition encourages visitors to think about how design connects to their daily lives.

In conjunction with Serious Play, thousands of giant cards originally designed by Ray and Charles Eames and decorated by individuals through the community will be constructed into large-scale sculptures by local artist Ray Chi and installed in Windhover Hall and the East End. During monthly Community Build Days, visitors will have the opportunity to decorate extra cards and help Chi construct additional displays. An additional card decoration and build day for families will take place during the Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays: The Joys of Toys on December 2.

Serious Play will be on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum from Sep. 28, 2018 through Jan. 6, 2019. The exhibition then travels to the Denver Art Museum, opening May 5, 2019, and will be on view through Aug. 25, 2019.

Lectures

Thursday, Oct. 11, 6:15 p.m. -- A Modern Education: Learning from Froebel, Wright, Tyng, and NoguchiWith Alexandra Lange, Architecture Critic, Curbed

Thursday, Nov. 8, 6:15 p.m. -- Creating the World: Noguchi and PlayWith Dakin Hart, Senior Curator, Noguchi Museum, New York

Thursday, Nov. 29, 6:15 p.m. -- The Serious Play of Alexander GirardWith Monica Obniski, Demmer Curator of 20th-& 21st-Century Design

Gallery Talks
Tuesday, Oct.2, Tuesday, Nov. 6 and Tuesday Dec. 4, 1:30 p.m. With Monica Obniski, Demmer Curator of 20th- & 21st-Century Design.

Thursday, Nov. 29, 5:30 p.m. With University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee students

Admission Info

Milwaukee Art Museum General Admission Pricing $19 Adults $17 Students (w/ID), Seniors (65+) Free for Kids 12 & under every day. Free to Wisconsin K–12 teachers with valid school ID or pay stub. Free the first Thursday of every month. Adult tour groups or school groups should call 414-224-3842.

Photo Credit: Henry P. Glass, Swing-Line Toy Chest, 1952. Lacquered Masonite and birch. Manufactured by Fleetwood Furniture Company. Milwaukee Art Museum, Purchase with funds from the Demmer Charitable Trust, M2015.85a,b. Photograph by John R. Glembin.