{"product_id":"serious-play-design-in-midcentury-america","title":"Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America","description":"A lively exploration of eclecticism, playfulness, and whimsy in American postwar design, including architecture, graphic design, and product design\n\nThis spirited volume shows how postwar designers embraced whimsy and eclecticism in their work, exploring playfulness as an essential construct of modernity. Following World War II, Americans began accumulating more and more goods, spurring a transformation in the field of interior decoration. Storage walls became ubiquitous, often serving as a home’s centerpiece. Designers such as Alexander Girard encouraged homeowners to populate their new shelving units with folk art, as well as unconventional and modern objects, to produce innovative and unexpected juxtapositions within modern architectural settings. Playfulness can be seen in the colorful, child-sized furniture by Charles and Ray Eames, who also produced toys. And in the postwar corporate world, the concept of play is manifested in the influential advertising work of Paul Rand. Set against the backdrop of a society that was experiencing rapid change and high anxiety, Serious Play takes a revelatory look at how many of the country’s leading designers connected with their audience through wit and imagination.\n\nPublished in association with the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum\n\nExhibition Schedule:\nMilwaukee Art Museum\n(09\/28\/18–01\/06\/19)\n\nDenver Art Museum\n(05\/05\/19–08\/25\/19)\u003cbr\u003eASIN: 0300234228\u003cbr\u003eVSKU: DBV.0300234228.VG\u003cbr\u003eCondition: Very Good\u003cbr\u003eAuthor\/Artist:Obniski, Monica|Alfred, Darrin|Auscherman, Amy|Heller, Steven|Lange, Alexandra|Kirkham, Pat\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNote:\u003c\/b\u003e Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Notes\u003c\/b\u003e: Pages are clean with no markings. May show minor signs of wear or cosmetic defects  marks, cuts, bends, or scuffs  on the cover, spine, pages, or dust jacket. May have remainder marks on edges.  \u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Dream Books Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41482287448122,"sku":"DBV.0300234228.VG","price":17.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/6011\/0138\/files\/0300234228-0.jpg?v=1782063347","url":"https:\/\/shop.dreambooksco.com\/products\/serious-play-design-in-midcentury-america","provider":"Dream Books Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}