By Shelley Tatum Kieran
Modernism Week 2020 will be making a splash in Palm Springs next month and MOCA+ is thrilled to announce our stellar lineup for Celebrating Alexander Girard: The Marvin Conversation Series, taking place at Palm Springs Art Museum daily during the festival from February 17th – 21st in the Museum Lecture Hall.
This year, the museum will be a can’t-miss stop on festival-goers’ itineraries because of the much-lauded exhibition, Alexander Girard: A Designer’s Universe, presenting the vibrant world of Girard through more than 700 objects: textiles, drawings, furniture, graphics, film, and folk art. Marvin is the Lead Sponsor of the exhibition.
The Marvin Conversation Series will explore and extol Girard from myriad perspectives— from a tour of the exhibit with the museum’s Director of Architecture and Design to conversations with curators, scholars and experts about Girard’s work in design, architecture, textiles, and interiors as well as his fascinating collections and collaborations.
Monday, February 17, 2020
Deborah Lubera Kawsky: Those Who Live in Glass Houses...Rediscovering Alexander Girard
Kawsky’s book, Alexander Girard, Architect: Creating Mid Century Modern Masterpieces, published by Wayne State University Press in 2018, is the first study of Girard’s architecture and of his mid-century projects in Detroit.
Event time: 10:00 - 10:45 am
Monica Obniski: Entertaining with the Girards
A conversation with Monica Obniski, the Demmer Curator of 20th- and 21st-Century Design at the Milwaukee Art Museum and an expert on Alexander Girard.
Event time: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
Christine Marvin & Barton Jahncke: At Home with Alexander Girard, Moderated by Michela O'Connor Abrams
A Conversation with Christine Marvin, VP of Design at Marvin and architect/designer and Girard collector Barton Jahncke
Event time: 4:00 - 4:45 pm
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Christine Marvin & Joel Turkel: Don't Throw the Past Away, What's New in Modern Design, Moderated by Michela O'Connor Abrams Marvin
Joel Turkel, designer of Axiom Desert House in Palm Springs, in Conversation with Christine Marvin, VP, Design at Marvin about the purpose behind their collaborative projects.
Event time: 10:00 - 10:45 am
Brooke Hodge & Paul Makovsky: A Designer's Universe: A Talk and Walk through the Alexander Girard Exhibition with Brooke Hodge
Director of Architecture and Design, Palm Springs Art Museum
Event time: 4:00 - 4:45 pm
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Eames Demetrios & Amanda Demeron: Eames and Girard: The Perfect Match
Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles Eames, in conversation with Amanda Dameron about the legacy of this prolific partnership.
Event time: 10:00 - 10:45 am
Friday, February 21, 2020
Mercedes Kraus: The Whole Place: From La Fonda del Sol to the Museum of Ice Cream
A conversation with Curbed Executive Editor Mercedes Kraus on the Girard influence on Interior Design.
Event time: 10:00 - 10:45 am
Sean Anderson: Alexander Girard: Design for a Modern India
A conversation with Sean Anderson, Associate Curator Architecture and Design, MOMA, on Alexander Girard's little-discussed contribution to the landmark 1950s Indian Textiles exhibition at MOMA.
Event time: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
Marvin is also the lead underwriter of the Modernism Week Film and Lecture Series, with a wide array of films and talks also taking place daily at The Palm Springs Art Museum in the Annenberg Theater. Times do not overlap, so if you’re heading to Modernism week, you can carve out a whole day to see the exhibit and attend a talk or two—or three!
After such a successful PSMW debut with Axiom Desert House last year, Marvin wanted to raise the game in 2020, reflecting their evolution as a company with over a century of growth that is really prioritizing design thinking at the core of their innovation strategy. This Conversation Series and their full support of the Film and Lecture Series place them at the heart of the design discourse at this seminal celebration of modern design.