The wonderful Lauren Downing Peters and Laura Snelgrove of the Fashion Studies Journal invited our curatorial team to speak about the humble beginnings of Designing Motherhood, how we got it off the ground, pandemic parenting, and more.
Watch below or on the FSL website.
Designing Motherhood will be publish this fall (September 7th to be exact), but it’s already available for pre-order wherever books are sold! Pre-order your copy now from your local bookstore or from Bookshop.org.
I’m proud to have contributed a handful of essays to the volume and to have helped compile a stunning selection of images and illustrations. Here’s some early praise for the book from our peer reviewers:
“I believe it is a work of major significance to design studies but also to feminism, gender studies, and cultural history. It certainly doesn't take an expected view of what constitutes 'design.'” — Ellen Lupton Senior Curator of Contemporary Design, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Betty Cooke and William O. Steinmetz Design Chair, Maryland Institute College of Art
“This area of public inquiry is rarely addressed in the fields of social work, public health and public policy, so to have this accessible yet rigorous body of knowledge published will be important for elevating these issues. We believe the text to be extremely well researched and nuanced in its handling of sensitive issues; for example, those related to the impact of racism and white supremacy on the history of women's health.” — Karen Pollack, Executive Vice President of Programs and Operations, and Bette Begleiter, former Deputy Executive Director, Maternity Care Coalition
“In addition to being the first book of its kind to collect this particular design history, it also serves as an important lesson on ways to extend disciplinary boundaries, furthering an expanding design discourse. The text is an education, not just at the nexus of design and motherhood but also on the very practice of approaching design's history—one that involves care, delicacy and the voice of the multiple.” — Maria McLintick, Curator, London Design Museum
“I cannot praise this volume too highly: it is a breakthrough book and an impressive cultural marker of understanding and enlightenment. It has no peer on its subjects, to my knowledge: future academic and popular writers will have to cite this work.” — Robert Hicks. Senior Consulting Scholar, William Maul Measey Chair for the History of Medicine; Director Emeritus, Mütter Museum/Historical Medical Library
If you’re eager for a sneak peak at what’s inside, subscribe to the Designing Motherhood newsletter. There, we offer a behind the scenes look at the project in process and glimpses of the book. More at designingmotherhood.org.
Designing Motherhood has a website! This is where we will post updates, where you can subscribe to our newsletter (next edition goes out March 1!), and where you can, should you feel so moved, donate to the project.
Thanks so much to Shaz Madani for the amazing graphic identity.
Check it out at designingmotherhood.org .
Fellow design thinker Sarah Archer asked me to talk about Christmas decor, First Ladies, and motherhood for a piece she wrote for The Cut.
Read Sarah’s article here.
We introduced Designing Motherhood to the public this fall through a program at Design Philadelphia. I had the chance to talk about my research on the development of infant formula from the late nineteenth century into the twentieth - a topic I wrote about for the book. A recording of the program will be available on the Designing Motherhood when it launches in the New Year.
While you wait for the website to go live, check out our public research channel on Instagram.
In January, I began working on an exciting project called Designing Motherhood alongside the masterminds Michelle Millar Fisher and Amber Winick. The project, which includes a book, an exhibition, and a series of public programs, will unfold over the course of 2021. In the meantime, here’s a teaser!
Video by Austin Fisher
The folks at the Center for Craft asked me to introduce myself. Read more here to learn more about my work at the Center and what got me there.
In September, I was named an inaugural ACLS Leading Edge Fellow! I’ll spend the next year working (remotely) with the Center for Craft in Asheville, NC on a portfolio of virtual programming.
Read more about this new fellowship program below and about my project here.
The American Council of Learned Societies Names 2020 Leading Edge Fellows to Advance COVID-19 Community Initiatives. ACLS launched the $1.6 million rapid-response fellowship, generously sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation, to galvanize the power of humanities scholarship and training in addressing critical challenges facing communities hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each fellow will partner with a non-profit organization on publicly engaged projects that document and respond to the damage the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked and that advance collective understanding of the societal fault lines that helped worsen its impact, notably inequality, increasing precarity, divisive media, and racism.
Not long after director Nancy Meyers posted a photo on Instagram featuring her *two* kitchen islands, I was contacted by a design reporter to comment on the rise and lasting influence of this particular kitchen design trend.
Read the whole article here.
My Aalto tour concluded with a visit to the iconic Paimio Sanatorium. Widely considered Aalto’s first masterpiece, the building was well worth every step of my pilgrimage. And boy was it a pilgrimage! I set up camp in Turku, the closest major city, a short 30 minute bus ride to Paimio. Excuse me, a short bus ride to a station 3km outside Paimio. Add that to the 4km (uphill!) between the town center and the Sanatorium, mostly along relatively deserted highways. But the end of this path stood a magnificent building, well worth the journey (and a generous tour guide who took pity on this wary traveler and offered me a ride back to Turku!).
Random roadside en route / 19 July
When it comes to this building, my pictures simply don't do it justice. Perhaps it was the grey day. Or maybe I was distracted trying to soak up the ambiance. Looks like I captured the colors, but not necessarily the character of this stunning place. Regardless, I'll let the images speak for themselves where possible. The curious can find ample information in any modern architecture survey. It's certainly one for the history books.
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Love love love the bright floors, intended to enhance the natural sunlight streaming in from the surrounding windows.
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Paimio Sanatorium / 19 July
Aalto originals! The lamp (above) and chair (below), obviously. But also the shade of green for the ceilings, engineered specifically to sooth patients looking up from their beds or chairs.
The original (as in first!) Paimio chair! / 19 July
After a solid week in Helsinki, my Aalto tour took me north to Jyväskylä, a city in Central Finland. Not only did Aalto grow up in the region, but after completing his studies in Helsinki, he also set up his first studio in the city. As a result, the city and surrounding region are home to a collection of Aalto buildings that span his career.
If I had to give Jyvaskyla an American counterpart, it would be Charlottesville. Like my own hometown, the small city is dominated by the presence of a large university designed by a famous architect and surrounded by a stunning landscape. Oh and brick abounds! Nothing like an abundance of brick to make me feel like I’m back in the land of Jefferson.
Jyväskylä University / 15 July
Jyväskylä University / 15 July
Jyväskylä University / 15 July
Jyväskylä University / 15 July
Other main attractions in downtown Jyvaskyla include the Alvar Aalto Museum and the Museum of Central Finland, both design by – you guessed it! Aalto.
Alvar Aalto Museum / 16 July
Alvar Aalto Museum / 16 July
Alvar Aalto Museum / 16 July
Alvar Aalto Museum / 16 July
Chairs chairs chairs! Alvar Aalto Museum / 16 July
But I made the journey to the Finnish Lakeland for two landmarks in Aalto’s oeuvre – the Säynätsalo Town Hall and his Murratsalo Experimental House.
Säynätsalo Town Hall, 1949-51
Built into the wooded hillside of the island municipality of Säynätsalo, Aalto’s design merged Finnish vernacular architecture with a nod to the classicism of Italian Renaissance that provided endless inspiration for Aalto after his honeymoon in Italy.
Cooridors at Säynätsalo Town Hall / 16 July
Brick brick brick brick brick brick / 16 July
Panoramic perfection!
Säynätsalo Town Hall Courtyard / 16 July
Among the trees / 16 July
The iconic grass terraces!
Säynätsalo Town Hall / 16 July
Säynätsalo Town Hall / 16 July
Säynätsalo Town Hall from the bus stop / 16 July
Muuratsalo Experimental House, c. 1952
Muuratsalo Experimental House / 17 July
While the Säynätsalo Town Hall was under construction, Aalto and his second wife Elissa discovered the small island of Muuratsalo in the Päijänne Lake.
Reflecting / 17 July
On the grounds of his summer retreat, Aalto built a house, a woodshed, a sauna, and a boat-house. The L-shaped main building of the house encloses an internal courtyard, which functioned both as the central living and entertaining space and as a laboratory for Aalto’s experimentations – hence the name “Experimental House.”
Boat house / 17 July
Sauna! / 17 July
As is evident from the courtyard, Aalto experimented continuously, with a variety of different forms and materials. On the walls of the courtyard, he played with ceramic materials, types of brick pointing and sizes. He also tested the effects on different surfaces, experimenting with finishing techniques, from brick to stone to the effect and durability of decorative plants and mosses.
More brick in the courtyard / 17 July
Muuratsalo Experimental House / 17 July
Muuratsalo Experimental House / 17 July
First things first, it will be no surprise to anyone that travel, especially solo travel for weeks on end, is exhausting. I don’t mean for this to be an excuse, but more of an apology for my absence in reporting back here. But now I’m home in Philadelphia, and have been for almost as long as I was away, I’m circling back with some recaps.
Most conversations in the weeks since my return have included the following back and forth:
Friend : “How was your trip? Your Instagram photos were amazing!”
Me : “Thanks! It was fantastic!”
“Fantastic!” was about all I could muster. I saw, did, ate, and experienced so much and I struggled to communicate it all in small talk. But I’m coming round to some real, communicable reflections about my summer that I’m ready to share. To begin, water! I’ve decided I must live at the water’s edge, as I did from June until August.
While I was raised in landlocked central Virginia, I spent summers swimming laps at a local pool or in the rocky waters of Martha’s Vineyard. I took the water for granted, until this summer. This summer, I reveled in every moment I spent by the water.
From the ferry ride off the island (to a bus to a plane to Europe…).
Bidding adieu to MVY. / 7 July 2015
To walks along the harbors in Helsinki…
Eläintarhanlahti / 10 July 2015
And train/bus rides (and house tours!) along the Finnish lakelands…
Train to Turku / 18 July 2015
Bus to Saynatsalo / 16 July 2015
Shore by Aalto's Summer Villa at Muuratsalo / 17 July 2015
To a cruise ride across the Baltic Sea…
Viking Cruise Turku > Stockholm / 21 July 2015
Viking Cruise Turku > Stockholm / 21 July 2015
And sunset runs around Stockholm’s Archipelago…
Stockholm / 23 July 2015
To private boat rides around Copenhagen’s canals...
Copenhagen / 2 August 2015
And multiple trips to the tip of the Danish peninsula looking out to Sweden…
Humlebaek, Denmark / 27 August 2015
Humlebaek, Denmark / 2 August 2015
Humlebaek, Denmark / 2 August 2015
And snacks along the Seine with old friends…
Seine / 5 August 2015
My conclusion? Besides confirmation of my affinity for the color blue, I believe for me the water is therapeutic. The smell, the touch, the temperature. Even just the sight. And while the Schuylkill’s no Seine, the walk across the Walnut St. bridge is better than nothing.
More to come!
In late-summer 2012, during a lunch staff meeting with a light agenda, one of my bosses spent close to an hour presenting a slideshow of photographs from his most recent trip to Helsinki. At the time, I knew very little Helsinki, let alone Finland, so I listened dutifully, like the entry-level employee that I was, while I ate my free lunch. He went on about the site for the future Guggenheim, his admiration for the city’s abundant bike paths, and X. While our organization worked quite closely with both the Finnish Consult in New York and the Finnish Cultural Institute, his trip was to celebrate Helsinki’s designation as the World Design Capital for 2012.
Having now toured the city myself, I see how deserving the city is of this title. Design in Helsinki comes in many shapes and sizes – from the superb examples of modern architecture to the small, but excellent museums dedicated to all things design, many of which were on my itinerary during my stay.
First, the Design Museo. The museum's permanent installation is dedicated to the history of modern Finnish design. Organized chronologically, I loved the super-graphics that acted as wayfinding throughout the galleries.
Design Museo / 10 July 2015
In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum also had a temporary show on the Finnish designer Tapio Wirkkala.
Wirkkala Revisted @ Design Museo / 10 July 2015
Wirkkala Revisted @ Design Museo / 10 July 2015
AND a fabulous (and beautifully designed/installed) exhibition of Finnish fashion.
Design Museo / 10 July 2015
Design Museo / 10 July 2015
Classic Marimekko stripes on display! @ Design Museo / 10 July 2015
The Contemporary Art Museum, Kiasma, is located just off the main city center in Helsinki along the Töölö Bay, in a strange, ridiculous, and magnificent Steven Holl building.
Kiasma by Holl / 14 July 2015
Above is the backside of the museum, with the glass facade letting light into 5 floors of galleries. You enter the building at the other end of the massively curved structure and are greeted with a grand atrium "corridor" through the doors. The ramps lead up to the galleries and form the main circulation system (and provide the best views!) throughout the museum. During my visit, I saw a Robert Mapplethorpe retrospective, a group show on portraiture by contemporary Finnish artists, and installation on the elements (earth, wind, fire, water).
Kiasma / 14 July 2015
Stunning wall of Patti Smith portraits in the Kiasma's Mapplethorpe retrospective / 14 July 2015
Mirror selfie @ Kiasma / 14 July 2015
(I also saw a few fantastic shows at the Museum of Finnish Architecture - where several of the exhibitions I installed in New York originated! - but none particularly photogenic.)
And then there’s the shopping! Helsinki is home to a booming design district filled with fashion boutiques, chic cafés, home goods and décor stores, niche craft shops and the like.
Not to mention the big international design retailers like Iittala, Artek, and Marimekko, all of which are available to varying degrees in the U.S. and have their headquarters/flagships in or around the city.
For the curious, Artek is the furniture company founded by Aalto and his first wife Aino made famous by selling the iconic stacking stools and geometric textiles. Iittala is a Finnish design company, founded as a glassworks in 1881. It carries tableware designed by the Aaltos, notably Alvar’s vases and Aino’s glasses, in addition to products by other Scandinavian designers. And Marimekko is…Marimekko! The very very very iconic Finnish clothing and textile brand known for its striped shirts (<3) and bright, bold patterns. Some Iittala and Artek products are available in the MoMA Design Store and there is a Marimekko store in the Flatiron district in New York.
Marimekko outlet! / 13 July 2015
Discount textiles! Marimekko outlet! I bought some of the Helsinki pattern in the top image and am open to suggestions for how to put it to good use! / 13 July 2015
In addition to a slew of stores, both Iittala and Marimekko have outlet stores in the area – the holy grail for design enthusiasts like myself! (Sadly, no such luck with Artek…but they do have a sample sale in New York in the fall.) Let it be known, that when left to my own devices on grey rainy days, when most museums are closed, I will trek out to the suburbs for deep discounts on designer glassware, textiles, and home goods. And I did just that.
ALL the Aalto glasses at the Iittala outlet / 12 July 2015
The Arabia Gallery, just a few floors above the Iittala outlet. This display may have inspired me to start a teacup collection. / 12 July 2015
Christmas in July! No really – Merry Christmas (and happy birthday, and congratulations on your wedding…) to all my friends and family, because chances are I purchased your gifts here.
Beatiful display of Aalto vases in an array of shapes and colors / 12 July 2015
If you’re wondering why I chose Scandinavia as my travel grant destination, the answer is quite simple. Alvar Aalto (1898 – 1978). Sure - I’m as enamored with Scandinavian modernism as the next architecture and design enthusiast and welcomed the opportunity to experience such classics in person. But, for me, the work of the Finnish modernist Alvar Aalto stands apart, elevated above a sea of imitations.
I first encountered Aalto through his furniture, having grown up typing on a computer that rested on an Aalto table and filling Aalto vases with flowers for holiday centerpieces. I have fond memories of researching Aalto objects during my MoMA internship and a lunch break adventure with my boss to the Artek sample sale in New York. Now, I am the proud owner of two chairs (the first in my small but mighty modern chair collection) and a set of glasses, not to mention a set of Ikea knock-off stools. In large part, my hands-on interactions with Aalto design has been limited to furniture and design objects out of necessity, as the architect built almost exclusively in Finland, with a handful of projects around Europe and just two in the U.S.
But you better believe I remember the Aalto lectures from my undergraduate days (thanks Sheila Crane!). The typical modern architecture survey gives a good, if brief introduction to his work, using the Paimio Sanatorium (on my itinerary for next week!), the Säynätsalo Town Hall (just saw today!), and Villa Mairea (sadly won’t make it to this trip) among others as a means of highlighting the Finn’s sensitivity to light, the peculiarities of a site, the surrounding environment (“nature”), and the vernacular building materials and techniques. Coupled with my love for Aalto design, I longed for the opportunity to experience the nuances of Aalto’s architecture IRL. And here I am - thanks CASVA!
As a result, Aalto’s work has defined my Finnish itinerary thus far and below are the buildings I saw in Helsinki. (Note – I’ve also seen lots of the furniture and design objects, in and out of museum settings, and will recap those soon.)
Aalto House - 1935-36
North/Street facade / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Aalto House / 11 July 2015
South/rear facade / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Aalto's home studio desk / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Main living room / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Upstairs living room / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Aalto portrait by Calder / Aalto House / 11 July 2015
Studio Aalto, just down the road from the house. 1954-56
Amphitheatre / Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
Entry rail covered in flowers / Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
The studio, like the house, is of course outfitted exclusively with Aalto furniture, as well as prototypes, including a series of lamps seen hanging from the balcony and the plywood experiments hung on the wall.
Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
All the files! / Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
Wood-binding prototypes / Studio Aalto / 11 July 2015
Hall of Culture (Kulttuuritalo) - 1955-58
Hall of Culture / 12 July 2015
Brick detail / Hall of Culture / 12 July 2015
Finlandia Hall - 1962-71
Finlandia Hall / 12 July 2015
Finlandia Hall / 12 July 2015
Lamp detail / Finlandia Hall / 12 July 2015
Finlandia Hall / 12 July 2015
Helsinki map - in wood! - at the Design Museo / 10 July 2015
Hey! Hei!
Greetings from Helsinki, where all is well and the sun really is out close to 20 hours a day. I am now half-way through my time in Helsinki and what a perfect Scandinavian introduction. The weather has been a mixed bag of sun, clouds, and rain, but that hasn’t stopped me from exploring the city. Read on for some first impressions.
Helsinki waterfront, with a wonderful market just beyond the parked cars. / 9 July 2015
Finland is not the first place I’ve traveled to where I cannot understand the language, but for some reason I’ve found Finnish surprisingly jarring. Full disclosure I made ZERO effort to learn any foreign languages for my trip—no hello, good-bye, thank you, yes or even no—relying on the advice of friends and ex-pats that everyone speaks English well. While this is true, I’ve realized how limited, and to be honest embarrassingly American, I feel by myself without basic language skills. (Sidenote – many kudos to the Finns for their truly superb English! Much appreciated!) So I’m now doing my best to nail down a few essential words and phrases to at the very least be able to exchange pleasantries. (Note right now my biggest hurdle is pronunciation – definitely a doozy!) Lesson learned.
Helsinki Central Railway Station, designed by Eliel Saarinen (1919) / 9 July 2015
Helsinki, Finland’s capital, has proved the ideal starting point for my trip. Notwithstanding the semi-language barrier and the fact that this is my first time in Scandinavia/Northern Europe, the city feels quite familiar. After only a few days, I’ve been able to traverse most of the city, including some suburbs, and feel completely comfortable wandering around without fear of getting lost. A decent-sized and digestible city, Helsinki reminds me a lot of Philadelphia. It has history and tourists, waterfronts, architecture—both historic and modern, lots of students, and cobble-stone streets. I’m pleased to say, with a little help from Google Maps and CityMaps2Go (available OFFLINE!), I’ve had no trouble navigating the streets. And while the public transportation is reliable and relatively cheap, I’ve done my best to walk everywhere I can, hills and all.
Helsinki Senate Square / 9 July 2015
And now for more images, less words.
Marimekko - give me all the Marimekko. / 9 July 2015
Some early Aalto and design crumbs - more to come!
Interior view of Aalto's Academic Bookstore and Café Aalto. / 9 July 2015
Artek Flagship Store! / 9 July 2015
Genius marketing. / 9 July 2015
I've enjoyed several "night" walks to take advantage of the extended daylight. In case you need proof of the insistent Scandinavian Sun, below, my friends, is Helsinki at 9:45. PM! And those blues and pinks are all natural - no photo editing I promise.
Eläintarhanlahti / 10 July 2015
Kallio Church / 10 July 2015
10:15 Sunset over streets of Kallio. / 10 July 2015
And finally, solo traveling leads to half-selfies...
Next Tuesday, after all the patriotic fanfare dies down, I fly to Helsinki. I received a generous fellowship from CASVA/National Gallery to support travel through Scandinavia and my voyage begins in Finland. During the course of my trip, I plan to post images and a word or two here to document my travels and update friends/family stateside. Expect mostly buildings, a good dose of food, a dash of art, the occasional tourist trap and the rare selfie.
ITINERARY
Helsinki > Jyväskylä > Turku > Stockholm > Copenhagen (>Paris!)
Follow along here, or for more in-the-moment updates on Instagram - @julianabarton and #jbinscandi .
P.S. If you have any friends, family, colleagues, or acquaintances I should meet by all means connect us!