Title & Author:

Serious play : design in midcentury America / edited by Monica Obniski and Darrin Alfred.

Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, [2018]
©2018

Description:

xi, 244 pages : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 29 cm

Notes:
Catalog of an exhibition held at Milwaukee Art Museum, September 28, 2018-January 6, 2019 and Denver Art Museum, May 5-August 25, 2019.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Playful domesticity / Monica Obniski -- Charles and Ray Eames : Serious play, serious pleasure / Pat Kirkham -- "What is a clock, anyway?" / Amy Auscherman -- Eva Zeisel : the "merry-souled" designer's playful search for beauty / Pat Kirkham -- Toys as furniture/Furniture as toys / Alexandra Lange -- Alexander Girard and play in the corporate environment / Monica Obliski -- The play principle: Paul Rand and graphic design / Steven Heller -- Serious business : the wonderful, imaginative spirit of Alcoa's forecast program / Darrin Alfred.
Dust jacket.

Summary:

"This spirited volume shows how postwar designers embraced whimsy and eclecticism in their work, exploring playfulness as an essential construct of modernity. Following World War II, Americans began accumulating more and more goods, spurring a transformation in the field of interior decoration. Storage walls became ubiquitous, often serving as a home's centerpiece. Designers such as Alexander Girard encouraged homeowners to populate their new shelving units with folk art, as well as unconventional and modern objects, to produce innovative and unexpected juxtapositions within modern architectural settings. Playfulness can be seen in the colorful, child-sized furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, who also produced toys. And in the postwar corporate world, the concept of play is manifested in the influential advertising work of Paul Rand. Set against the backdrop of a society that was experiencing rapid change and high anxiety, Serious Play takes a revelatory look at how many of the country's leading designers connected with their audience through wit and imagination"--Publisher's description

ISBN:

9780300234220 (hardcover ; alk. paper)
0300234228 (hardcover ; alk. paper)

Subject:

Design United States History 20th century.
Interior decoration United States History 20th century.
Play.
Toys.
Children's furniture Exhibitions.
Play and Playthings
Design États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle.
Décoration intérieure États-Unis Histoire 20e siècle.
Jeu.
Jouets.
Meubles pour enfants Expositions.
play (recreation)
toys (recreational artifacts)
Children's furniture.
Design.
Interior decoration.
Design United States History 20th century Exhibitions.
Interior decoration United States History 20th century Exhibitions.
Play Exhibitions
Toys Exhibitions.
United States.

Form/genre:

Exhibition catalogs.
exhibition catalogs.
History.
Catalogues d'exposition.

Added entries:

Obniski, Monica, editor.
Alfred, Darrin, editor.
Milwaukee Art Museum, host institution.
Denver Art Museum, host institution.
Milwaukee Art Museum host institution.
Denver Art Museum host institution.

Design in midcentury America

Holdings:

Location: Library main 302611
Call No.: BIB 248788
Status: Available