Cultural Appreciation & Inspiration: two relevant and recent articles from Interiors & Sources

 

We're pleased to share two articles in the recent Interiors & Sources. One by Pamela Kelly, Vice President of Branding for the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, and a profile of Lori Weitzner, founder of Weitzner Limited (Lori was a speaker at our First Biannual 2015 Museum Design Summit.)

Pamela wrote an informative piece on the importance of understanding the philosophical and practical differences between appreciation and appropriation when working with global materials for design inspiration. This is a topic we think is important for designers to be informed about, especially if they work with material or inspiration from other cultures.

Global Design: The Difference Between Appreciation and Appropriation by Pamela Kelly

The Future Is Individualism a profile of Lori Weitzner by Kadie Yale

A West Elm Rug (L) and the Native American Basket(R) that inspired it.


A West Elm Rug (L) and the Native American Basket(R) that inspired it.

As a designer who is continually inspired by the beauty in other cultures, Lori intrinsically understands the work of individual crafts people and how that imbues products with a unique quality.

“It’s selling successfully, so what does that tell you? The soul of that artisan is in the product, and people love that. Especially in this high-tech era—to have things that are soulful and tactile, and made from pure things—it’s really cool.”

 

Indigo Shibori Inspiration

 

A recent interview with Danish artist, Grethe Wittrock, about her work for an exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum has reignited our forever-love of indigo textile traditions. Her feathery fabric treatments in white and indigo got us thinking about Japanese Shibori specifically and finding inspiration in its elemental patterns that evoke water and sky. We love how the patterns vary and balance both loose/organic and structured/ geometric elements. Components that make it so friendly to interior décor and a wide range of product categories.

With many fine Shibori examples in our textile collection at the Museum of International Folk Art, we decided to create an inspiration board. As well as highlight a recent textile collection by our licensing partner Designtex. While not developed in partnership with us, we still love how they utilized the traditional patterns and shading to create a collection that is both true to its traditional source and fresh and contemporary. Please visit their site to see more.

Shibori is a Japanese resist dyeing technique using an infinite number of binding, stitching, folding or twisting techniques to create the pattern. Traditionally an art form of the poor in feudal Japan to renew old clothing, it eventually flourished and evolved into many forms and styles across classes. Two distinct forms emerged: one to decorate silk for the kimonos of the aristocracy and another as regional styles of folk art. There are about 15 different styles and each is complex and requires specific mastery in that technique, with traditional artisans spending years to develop their skill in that method. Most commonly created in shades of blue and white with indigo dye, many other colors can be used as well. We are currently taken with shades of blue and white.

And last but not least, more wonderful indigo inspiration from Rowland and Chinami Ricketts.

L to R, T to B: Work by Grethe Wittrock, Designtex Shibori patterns, Shibori Studio wallpaper, Rebecca Atwood pillows, Shibori textile from Museum of International Folk Art, Feeling Groovy tent.

 

Fifth Collection with Kravet Fabrics

 

We are delighted with this new, our fifth, collection of upholstery fabrics by Kravet. This collection tells the story of this unique place as a crossroads of international trade and culture through fabrics inspired by our museum’s renowned textile, basketry and ceramic collections.

Inspiration for these modern interpretations of traditional designs was drawn primarily from small-scale patterns and embroideries in the 25,000-piece textile and dress collection at the Museum of International Folk Art. Iconic Native American textile and ceramic pieces from the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture also influenced many of the collection’s designs.

Color and texture inspirations came from diverse mediums such as pottery, basketry, textiles and cut paper patterns, resulting in rich textures and pops of vivid colors that mimic the crisp blue sky, the red earth and an array of the complimentary hues, both hot and cool, so often identified with the beautiful Santa Fe landscape.

For centuries, Santa Fe has been an international hub of culture and commerce, as well as a creative haven for artists, writers, collectors and others drawn to the region’s bohemian lifestyle, spacious landscapes and rich cultural traditions. This eclectic ensemble of textiles embodies this creative approach to living – collected, worldly and modern.

Find more information about this collection at the Kravet website.

 

New Partnership with Signature Design Archive

 

We are pleased to announce that we have signed on with Signature Design Archive to represent our licensing interests in Asia and the Pacific. The SDA team brings a wealth of experience in licensing and brand development. We look forward to working with them to share with the Asian and Pacific markets the unique design archive available in our four Santa Fe-based museums.

 

Renewed Licensing Deal with Hickory Chair and Maitland-Smith

 

Heritage Home Brands companies Hickory Chair and Maitland-Smith have signed a licensing agreement with the Museum of New Mexico Foundation to develop a furniture (case goods and upholstery) and accessory collection that will launch in October 2015 (Maitland-Smith) and April 2016 (Hickory Chair). As one of our first licensees, we are pleased to continue developing high quality products with Hickory Chair, and now accent items with Maitland-Smith.