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Grandma's kitchen
becomes cool American Modern Design exhibit comes to the Philbrook
By Rebecca Knowe
 Okay,
so I didn't really feel like driving out to an art museum on a Friday
morning, even though it wasn't that early. But by the time I was
leaving the museum and driving back to campus, I was glad I'd overcome
my laziness.
My mission was to cover the new exhibit at the Philbrook, "American
Modern, 1925-1940: Design for a New Age." The show is unique in
that it centers not on paintings or sculptures or the usual works
of "art," but rather, everyday items such as radios, clocks, chairs
and coffee cups.
However, they're not so "everyday" that you'll regret going to see
them. This show will allow you to take a closer peek at the types
of objects you may have always overlooked in your grandma's attic.
It will help you see the design efforts that went into making these
common items and appreciate the influences that made such designs
"cool" in their times.
Maybe it's because I'm a girl with nesting instincts, and maybe
it's because I'm getting ready to graduate and furnish a home of
my own, but I thought this stuff was still cool. One of my favorite
objects was a small radio called the "Bluebird Radio." It had a
tiny round dial and speakers surrounded by a large, round faux front
that was blue and shiny and just really funky.
Also in the show was a "Skyscraper" bookcase from about 1927 that
was reminiscent of both Mondrian's style and the New York skyline.
An electric clock circa 1933 was one of the most unusual clocks
I'd ever seen. I
think its mystique comes from the fact that it's drastically off-center
but never tips over.
The "Manhattan" cocktail set from 1937 is sleek, shiny and sophisticated.
Its allure comes from the fact that the more streamlined a design
is and the more details the artist takes away from it, the more
thought the viewer will be required to put into it. The same can
be said for the whole show-the details of the past Colonial and
Victorian styles were stripped away to reveal the pure, raw design
of the "modern" look, which continues to influence us today.
So go expand your horizons a bit. You are in college, after all.
Entry into the Philbrook is $3.25 with your student I.D. The museum
is located at 2727 South Rockford Road (take Peoria north to 27th
Place and turn right, following the Philbrook signs). The American
Modern exhibit runs until Nov. 10. Be sure to check out the museum's
permanent collection while you're there.
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