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MIDCENTURY DESIGN: A CLOSER LOOK - Playful Seriousness

Summer Course 2019 - Session 2

As a six-year-old, speaker Carla Atwood Hartman spent a glorious summer at the Eames House (along with her mother, a brother and a sister) playing, learning, making and exploring all while under the exuberant tutelage of grandparents, Charles and Ray Eames. Later, as a senior in high school, Hartman lived with them for one month enjoying and partaking in their routines both at the Eames Office and the Eames House which seamlessly blended work with play and play with work.

Much later as an educator, Hartman reflects on how her grandparents embedded Eamesian Principles in all of their actions which, while seemingly spontaneous, actually involved skillful  prepared spontaneity.   Hartman will delve into the connections, the iterations, problem-solving, and  Powers of Ten thinking  of their designs.

Whether you are a midcentury design buff or just discovering this dynamic era and style, join us in a three-session summer course for a deeper look at Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America. Learn more about the social, cultural, and political context of midcentury America, ponder the ways in which  fun  informs the design aesthetic of this period, and get playful with an exploration of iconic midcentury chairs.

Additional course sessions include:

· Moderns before Midcentury (June 15, 2:30-4:00pm)

· Fun, Taste & IKEA (August 10, 2:30-4:00pm)

To purchase a combination package for all three sessions, please click here.

Image credit: © 2019 Eames Office (eamesoffice.com), Photographer Lucia Eames.