FROM THE EXECUTIVE
Director
Major Exhibitions
Design is everywhere. It drew you to the last piece of furniture you
bought, it’s made taxicabs easier to get in and out of and it’s making
environments from hospitals to airports are easier to navigate.
The Art of Seating:
200 Years of American Design
April 28 – August 26, 2012
Gallery 15
Designed by Charles Eames
(1907-1978) and Ray Eames
(1912-1988). Manufactured
by Evans Products
Company for Herman
Miller Furniture Company,
Grand Rapids, Michigan.
LCW (Lounge Chair Wood),
c. 1945. Molded birch
plywood, rubber. 26” x 22”
x 24”. Photo by Michael
Koryta and Andrew
Van Styn, Director of
Acquisitions, Conservation
and Photography
Our Time, Our Place: Photographs of the Black
South by Richard Samuel Roberts
December 13, 2011 – April 29, 2012
Unidentified Portrait,
probably 1920s, CMA,
1993.12.124, gelatin silver
print, posthumously printed
from the original glass plate
negative, Gift of Gerald E.
Roberts, Beverly Roberts,
Cornelius C. Roberts and
Wilhelmina R. Wynn
The Columbia Design League Selects:
Design from the Collection
May 18 - July 29, 2012
Philippe Starck (designer)
French, born 1949
Alessi (manufacturer), Italian
(Crusinallo, Italy), active 1921 - present,
Juicy Salif (Citrus Squeezer), 1990
cast and polished aluminium, rubber
feet, Museum purchase.
Upcoming Major Exhibitions
Mark Rothko in the 1940s: The Decisive Decade
September 14, 2012 – January 6, 2013
1949 No. 8
1986.43.147 (90 x 66)
National Gallery of Art
2
columbiamuseum.org
Karen Brosius, Executive Director
CMA defines design in many ways. The “Runaway Runway”
fashion design competition, hosted by membership affiliate group,
Columbia Design League (CDL), raises design awareness through
fantastic wearables made from post-consumer materials. I’m amazed
at the designers creating artwork and delight out of the everyday.
In the spirit of design, we’re engaging CDL board members to co-curate an exhibition
with us. CDL Selects showcases exceptional examples of 20th-century design in a variety of
forms—sculpture, tables, lamps, and related decorative arts—made from wood, ceramic,
glass, plastic and metal. This collaboration is an exciting element of our new strategic plan
to involve other partners in exhibition organization.
Our summer exhibition, The Art of Seating, shows how chairs are carefully designed. This
is not a show of chair and chair alike—many, in fact, have patents. It celebrates the artistic
innovation and inventiveness of America and along the way tells our cultural, social and
political history.
My warmest thanks goes to chair collector Diane Jacobsen, whom I met through one of
our museum board members, Kay Bachmann and her husband John. Diane lent us her
splendid collection of American chairs—nearly 50—to share her passion with the public the
creativity, originality, and artistic significance of American design. Diane’s chair collection
points to her artistic commitment to all things American, which started with her interest
in the American centennial in 1876. An addition to the exhibition from Diane features
a marvelous highly-decorated Baltimore settee from the early 19th century, making this
exhibition the most extensive on its national tour.
We’re emphasizing design and bringing new levels of creativity for visitors. How will you
define design this spring?
Board Member Highlight: Brandolyn Thomas Pinkston
Membership Affiliate President
When I moved to Columbia years ago, I was a frequent visitor to
the Museum’s old location at Senate and Bull. Those visits were
essential to feeding my creative and artistic soul. Viewing the
collections transported me “back in time” or created an awareness
of what was trending now. The location on Main Street doesn’t
disappoint and is better than ever. It is still home to powerful and
vibrant collections and comprehensive arts educational programs. I’d like to see the
Friends of African American Art & Culture Affiliate share collections and programs
with many visitors, helping the widest possible audience understand and enjoy African
American art and culture. The Columbia Museum of Art is an essential and valuable
asset to Columbia – and the good people of South Carolina.