About the Event:

During the 1920s and 1930s, the speed of modern life in the United States — accelerated by advances in transportation, communication, technology and advertising — changed not only how people lived their lives, but also the objects they chose to live with. A new profession emerged to help American manufacturers and consumers navigate the overwhelming transitions of the era: the industrial designer. Through the power of form, color, ornament, and materials, the earliest practitioners created a modern aesthetic that came to represent American hopes, dreams, and fantasies.

Based on her new book, curator and author Nonie Gadsden will present a close examination of selected masterworks for the era, each which offer a window into the social, cultural, technological, and economic world in which they were made and used. Included will be sleek furniture, vibrant ceramics, streamlined metalware, and innovative plastics from the leading designers of the era, among them: 

• Norman Bel Geddes
• Donald Deskey
• Belle Kogan
• Paul Frankl
• Russel Wright
  

This vibrant online illustrated talk is sure to fill quickly, so claim your spot today!

Even though this event is online, it will include a live PowerPoint — with wonderful images that you will be able to see directly on your computer screen, tablet, or mobile device — as well as a Q&A session with participants. 

Can't join us at the time of the live event? No problem! Those who register will receive a recording of the entire program a few days after the live presentation. When you sign up for the program you have the opportunity to watch, or rewatch, the recording at a time more convenient for your schedule.

About the Speaker:

Nonie Gadsden is the Katharine Lane Weems Senior Curator of American Decorative Arts and Sculpture at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). She earned her B.A. from Yale College and her M.A. from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware. At the MFA, she is responsible for a wide range of artwork, including decorative arts and sculpture of the Western Hemisphere from ancient times through the 20th century. She played a key role in the planning and installation of the MFA’s award-winning Art of the Americas Wing, which features the arts of North, Central, and South America (opened 2010). Her recent work at the MFA includes serving as lead curator for “Women Take the Floor” (2019—2021); co-leading the creation of a museum-wide Folk Art Initiative; mounting the exhibition on the collecting of folk art, “Collecting Stories: The Invention of Folk Art” (2021); developing new 20th-century galleries, including “Art and Jazz” and “Folk Meets Modernism” (opened 2022); and publishing a book based on the MFA’s collection of American modern design, America Goes Modern: The Rise of the Industrial Designer (2022). Gadsden also heads the Collections Committee of the Nichols House Museum on Boston’s Beacon Hill, and serves as a Governor for the Decorative Arts Trust.

Registration:

How to Register for ADSNY’s Web-based programs:

• Click the gold button located to the left of the “About the Program” section
  
• Enter the requested information in the registration form and follow the instructions to pay online and complete your registration
  
• In a few moments, you will receive an email confirmation of your registration
  
• You will receive an email with the link and password to join your Zoom event the day of the program

If your email address disappears from the text box when you are trying to register for this program, please make sure that cookies and cross-site tracking are enabled in your web browser or try using a different web browser. If you need further assistance registering for this event, or are experiencing a different issue, please email Event@ArtDeco.org, let us know which events you would like to register for, and we will send you an invoice that can be easily completed without going through the ArtDeco.org website.

All ticket sales are final. Sorry, there are no refunds or exchanges. 

ADSNY's online events may be photographed or recorded.

By attending the live event, you consent to the use of your image, voice, comments, and/or questions by ADSNY for all purposes.