“We know from census records, newspaper advertisements and business directories the existence of dozens if not hundreds of black Chicagoans who worked as ‘artisans’ in fields from milliners, dressmakers and tailors to printers and sign painters,” said Schulman. The exhibition is divided into four sections, starting with Futures: 1900–1920, a time when the African American population in Chicago was only 15,000 in a city of a million. “It has a large, vibrant and politically powerful design community.” Through the Ages “Our thesis is that Chicago is a special center for design for African Americans because it was one of the major sites in the north they came to from the rural south in the mid-20 th century,” said Daniel Schulman, the visual arts director at Chicago’s department of cultural affairs. The exhibition also features the works of the first African American woman cartoonist, Jackie Ormes, who not only penned cartoon strips throughout the 1940s and 1950s, but designed a black doll called the Patty-Jo doll, which was released in 1947. Johnson, which founded Jet and Ebony magazines alongside the now-defunct Black World, Ebony Man and Black Stars. With a focus exclusively on Chicago designers, this exhibit highlights designers who shaped the look of black publications like the Chicago Defender newspaper and the Johnson publishing house, founded in 1942 by African American business mogul John H. Charles Harrison papers, Special Collections and University Archives, University Library, University of Illinois at Chicago Spotlighting Chicago Designers But he eventually did get on staff and he designed over 750 household products, from toasters to stoves.Ĭharles Harrison (born 1931). During his job interview with the department store, he was told he couldn’t be hired because he was black, so was given freelance work instead. One highlight is the works of industrial designer Charles ‘Chuck’ Harrison, the first African American executive to work at Sears in 1961, through 1993. There are posters and flyers from the Africobra movement, as well as the design works of Emmett McBain, a designer who did pro bono graphic design work for organizations and social services that helped African Americans in Chicago in the 1970s.Ī few consumer products in the exhibit include magazine covers, chairs and drawings that showcase the design process from sketch to finished product. The exhibit doesn’t cover contemporary design, it ends in 1980 (so don’t expect to see any of Abloh’s designs), though there is politically-charged graphic design in the exhibit. Over 50 design works-from posters to sewing machines-highlight prominent African American designers who worked between 19 in graphic design, editorial and product design, billboard ads, Ebony magazine covers and the first black-founded ad agency. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Reba and Dave Williams, 1999 (1999.529.58) Image © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ![]() ![]() African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce and the Politics of Race opened November 2 at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago.ĭawson O Sing a New Song: Charles C. ![]() Showcasing the Art of African American DesignersĪbloh is not the only African American designer who has made his mark on Chicago, as there have been many others in a long list of names that date back a century, which a new exhibition seeks to highlight. The Chicago designer Virgil Abloh-famed for leading Kanye West’s ‘Donda’ design agency-was recently hailed as the world’s most influential designer since becoming the director of Louis Vuitton earlier this year (but hey, working with Kanye West previously probably didn’t hurt, either). Chicago is having a hot moment for design.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |