Upcoming BGC Events

Upcoming BGC Events http://www.bgc.bard.edu This feed contains the next month of upcoming events at the Bard Graduate Cenetr. Suzanne Tick and Hazel Siegel: Material Thinking http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-332.html Textile designers Suzanne Tick and Hazel Siegel both served as creative directors at KnollTextiles where each made important contributions to the stylistic and technical range of textiles. In this conversation, the designers will talk about the innovative work that they did for Knoll—how it informed, or remained independent of their current work in the studio—and their role in educating a new generation of designers. Suzanne Tick is the head of Suzanne Tick, Inc. From 1997 to 2005, she was creative director of KnollTextiles, and she continues to design for the company. Matilda McQuaid is deputy curatorial director and head of the textiles department at Cooper–Hewitt, National Design Museum. Hazel Siegel was creative director of KnollTextiles from 1989 to 1993. She is currently a visiting assistant professor at Pratt Institute. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-332.html Massimo and Matter: Shaping the Knoll Identity http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-333.html Between 1946 and 1966, Herbert Matter created the Knoll logo, advertisements, posters, and catalog format. In 1966 Massimo Vignelli developed the current logo for Knoll with its distinct white-on-red type treatment. In this conversation, Jeffrey Head will discuss the early contributions of Herbert Matter, and Massimo Vignelli will share his recollections of reinventing the Knoll identity and of his working relationship with Matter. Jeffrey Head is an independent scholar who organized the exhibition Herbert Matter: Modernist Photography and Graphic Design at Stanford University’s Cecil H. Green Library. Alice Twemlow is a design critic, educator, and author of What is Graphic Design For? Massimo Vignelli is an internationally renowned designer. In 1971 he and his wife, Lella, established Vignelli Associates. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-333.html Women & Modern Architecture in Midtown http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-334.html Following World War II, the aesthetics of European Modernism virtually transformed midtown Manhattan. On this walking tour Matthew Postal will highlight contributions made by pioneering women architects, designers, and critics. Several significant works will be considered that emphasize the sometimes forgotten role played by women in their design, from Florence Knoll and Eleanor Le Maire to architectural critic Ada Louise Huxtable, who collaborated with her husband, L. Garth Huxtable, on designs for the celebrated Four Seasons Restaurant. Major works by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will be viewed, including the Manufacturers Trust Building (Patricia W. Swan, senior designer) and the former Union Carbide Building (Natalie de Blois, senior designer). Matthew A. Postal is an architectural historian who frequently leads walking tours of Brooklyn and New York City. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-334.html New Room to Blue Room: Music of the Knoll Years http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-335.html Music accompanied the creative lives of many modern artists and designers in the circle of Florence Knoll. This richly textured concert will feature American songs in the popular and jazz idioms, and international cabaret music that would have emanated from the record players and clubs of the day. Robert Osborne, accompanied by pianist Richard Gordon, will perform familiar and lesser-known works by such composers as Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Nina Rota, and Rodgers and Hart. Melissa Gerstein will join Mr. Osborne for a duet. Robert Osborne, bass-baritone, has sung over fifty roles in operas from Bernstein to Weill. His solo recordings include Schubert’s Winterreise and songs of Henry Cowell and John Alden Carpenter. He is on the faculties of Barnard and Vassar Colleges. Richard Gordon is a pianist who has performed with opera companies including Washington (DC), New Orleans, Pusan (Korea), St. Louis, and Chautauqua. Melissa Gerstein, mezzo-soprano, is gallery outreach educator at the BGC. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-335.html Florence Knoll: Textiles as Interior Architecture http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-336.html Among her many innovations, Florence Knoll introduced padded and tufted upholstered chair seats without armrests, so that space flowed effortlessly around them, and custom-colored curtains to compensate for the unnatural quality of the new fluorescent lights. In this lecture, Christine Gorby will explore how Florence Knoll reconceptualized the use of textiles as integral architectural elements within the modern interior and in the context of dynamic social and technological changes. Christine Gorby is an architect and associate professor of architecture, Pennsylvania State University, College of Arts and Architecture. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-336.html Modern Furniture Conservation: Form and Material Challenges http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-337.html In this lecture, Margo Delidow and Roger Griffith explore the history of materials and techniques associated with mid-century modern furniture, particularly those used in Knoll production from the 1940s to the 1970s. Focusing on five chairs that they treated specifically for the BGC exhibition, they will consider the evolution of modern upholstery techniques and discuss how particular innovations and actual use complicate the conservation and restoration of these works. Earl Martin is an associate curator at the Bard Graduate Center and curator of the Knoll Textiles exhibition. Margo Delidow is the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in Conservation Education at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Roger Griffith is an associate conservator at the Museum of Modern Art. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-337.html Designing Woman: How Florence Knoll Created the “Knoll Look” and Revolutionized the Modern Interior http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-338.html In 1965 Florence Knoll retired from Knoll Associates, Inc., where she had served as design director and head of both KnollTextiles and the Knoll Planning Unit. From its founding in the late 1930s, the firm exerted a profound influence on the modern interior through the design and production of furniture and textiles and through its interior design service for private and corporate clients. In this lecture Bobbye Tigerman will trace Florence Knoll’s education and training and explore how she combined the resources of the firm’s three divisions to create the distinctive “Knoll look” and to shape the nature of modern postwar interior design. Bobbye Tigerman is assistant curator of decorative arts and design at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-338.html A Botanical Treasury: Plant Fibers, Forest Resources, and the Culture of Tea in Northern Burma (Gallery Program) http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-882.html 6 pm gallery talk 7 pm tea tasting Even before it is brewed, a tea leaf is steeped in legend, history, geography, and politics. In this gallery talk, Charles Peters will offer his perspectives on the ethnobotany and resource management of forest resources—including bamboo, rattan, and timber—in northern Burma. Sebastian Beckwith will then discuss the rich history of tea production in this region. The program will conclude with a tea demonstration and tasting. Charles Peters is an ethnobotanist and Kate E. Tode Curator of Botany at the New York Botanical Garden. He is also associate professor of tropical ecology at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies of Yale University. Sebastian Beckwith is the owner of In Pursuit of Tea and a ranking tea authority based in New York City. Erin L. Hasinoff is curator of the Confluences exhibition and a recent BGC–AMNH postdoctoral fellow in museum anthropology. <h4> We apologize the program has reached capacity. If you wish to be put on the waiting list, please contact Melissa Gerstein at gerstein@bgc.bard.edu for more information.</h4> http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-882.html Burmese Dinner and Lecture: Listening as Knowing: The Significance of Sound Among the Nagas (Gallery Program) http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-883.html 6 pm dinner 7:30 pm lecture Through political transformation and cultural confluences, the sonic perception of the Nagas of northern Burma and Nagaland has also been changing. Many Nagas sense these changes particularly in the affect or the feel of the sound of their music. In this lecture, Sentienla Toy Threadgill will explain how affect is integral to understanding the sound of music. She will also discuss the sources of inspiration for the sound piece she created to accompany the Confluences exhibition. The lecture will be preceded by a special buffet dinner featuring traditional Burmese fare. Sentienla Toy Threadgill is an ethnomusicologist, songwriter, and vocalist who was born in Nagaland, the smallest tribal state in the northeastern tip of India. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-883.html Hoentschel’s Ceramics: Mysteries of Origin and Style (Gallery Program) http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-884.html 6 pm reception 7 pm conversation Georges Hoentschel’s ceramics are as problematic as they are beautiful. Although many works contain his monogram, did he actually design and execute them all? How should they be classified? Are they japoniste—looking back to the art of the East—or are they modern, anticipating studio pottery made after World War II? In this conversation, Martin Eidelberg will explore questions of origin, style, and collaboration in Hoentschel’s ceramics and discuss how they relate to his work as a decorator and cabinetmaker. Jason Jacques will recount his experiences as one of the formost dealers of French art pottery. Martin Eidelberg is a professor emeritus of art history at Rutgers University and expert on art pottery and Tiffany glass. Jason Jacques is the director of the Jason Jacques Gallery and a specialist in European Art Nouveau and Japonist pottery. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-884.html Open House for Seniors: June (Gallery Program) http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-888.html <span style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; background-color: transparent; color: #1e191a; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 14px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Tours begin at 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 2:00 pm. <span style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; background-color: transparent; color: #1e191a; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; line-height: 14px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Please indicate your preferred tour time when registering. Seniors (age 65 and older) are cordially invited to experience our exhibitions in the welcoming environment of our town-house galleries. Admission is free but advance registration is required. Please indicate your preferred tour time when registering. We can accommodate individuals and small groups. Groups of 11 or more will be scheduled for a complimentary guided tour on a separate day.  RSVP required. Please register below, e-mail <a href="mailto:tours@bgc.bard.edu">tours@bgc.bard.edu</a> or call 212-501-3010. This program is made possible with the support of the Rudin Foundation, Inc. http://www.bgc.bard.edu/news/upcoming-events/-888.html