arth 501-640 MUSEUM
METHODS: CHARLES AND RAY EAMES AND
MID-CENTURY
MODERN DESIGN
Instructor George H. Marcus
Adjunct
Assistant Professor of the History of Art
Class hours Tuesdays
Office hours Tuesdays
by
appointment Jaffe
304
Telephone 215 573 9702 (Tuesdays)
e-mail gmarcus@sas.upenn.edu
This
two-semester course combines a research seminar on the work of Charles
(1907-1978) and Ray (1912-1988) Eames, focusing on the Eames Office archives at
the Library of Congress and the collection of Eames photographs also housed
there, with the creation of an exhibition drawn mainly from those holdings.
Students will use the first semester to acquaint themselves with the work of
the Eames office, writing an extended research paper and sharing their methodology
and their findings with the class. Using their knowledge of the Eames
accomplishments and the holdings of the Library of Congress, students will
propose an exhibition that will introduce aspects of the Eamses' work to the
public and then collaborate on its planning and execution. The exhibition is
scheduled to open at the University's
Course
Requirements (First Semester)
1 Class: Students should be prepared for
class by having completed the required reading and video assignments.
Attendance and participation in class discussion and critiques are important
and what will make the exhibition collaboration successful (35%).
2 Paper: A 6,000- to 7,000-word paper on
an aspect of the Eamses' work chosen by the student with the approval of the
professor is the principal project of the semester (50%). Goals for the paper
will be discussed in class and an instruction sheet will be distributed.
3 Class presentation: Students will
prepare an oral presentation for the class, sharing their methodology,
discussing their sources, and presenting a précis of their research and
conclusions. These presentations will contribute to our ability to assess possible
themes for the exhibition (15%).
Required Texts
Eames Demetrios. An Eames Primer.
John Neuhart, Marilyn Neuhart, and Ray
Eames. Eames Design: The Work of the Office of Charles and Ray Eames.
These are available at the Campus Book Store
on
Course
Pack. Additional readings and source materials are included in the Course Pack,
which is sold at the
Class
Schedule and Syllabus
Schedule
of class meetings is subject to change
September
21 Charles and Ray Eames and
Mid-Century Modern Design
Goals for
research papers and discussion of preliminary paper topics
Preparation:
Eames
Demetrios. An Eames Primer.
September
28 Introduction to the Eames
collections at the Library of Congress,
Departure time of van from
Archivist
Margaret H. McAleer, organizer of Eames papers
Archivist
Jeffrey M. Flannery
Research in
archives
Mary
Ison, Head, Reference Section
Review
of Eames photographs
Preparation:
Submit via
e-mail to gmarcus@sas.upenn.edu up to
four archival box numbers you wish to see in
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgibin/query/r?faid/faid:@field(DOCID+ms998024)
Review
Photograph Finding Aid (in Course Pack)
October 5 no class
Use
this period for assessment of your research
topic and for research; discussion and approval of topics can be undertaken by
e-mail.
October 12 no class
October 19
Planning and Curating the
Exhibition
paper proposal due
Tour of
Introduction
to installation with the exhibition's designer, Donna Sink, AIA, Associate,
Atkin Olshin Lawson-Bell Architects
Meet at
Preparation:
Elaine
Heumann Gurian. "Noodling Around with Exhibition Opportunities." In
Ivan Karp and Steven D. Lavine, eds. Exhibiting
Cultures: The Poetics and Politics of Museum Display, pp. 176-90.
Sally
Rousham. "Interpretation." In Mike Sixsmith, ed. Touring
Exhibitions, pp. 92-95.
John
Nicks. "Curatorship in the Exhibition Planning Process." In Barry Lord
and Gail Dexter Lord, eds. The Manual of Museum Exhibitions, pp. 345-66.
October 26 fall break
November
2 Eames: Furniture, Products, and Exhibitions
Preparation:
Eliot F.
Noyes. Organic Design in Home Furnishings, pp. 10-17, 26-29.
Owen
Gingerich. “A Conversation with Charles Eames.” American Scholar, 46,
part 3 (1977), pp. 326-37.
George
Nelson. "Art X = The Georgia Experiment." In Problems of Design,
pp. 14-26. 2nd ed.
Films
Fiberglass
Chairs; IBM at the Fair; The World of Franklin and Jefferson; The Franklin and
November 9 no
class
November
16 Eames: Films and Photography
Preparation (films):
Paul
Schrader. “Poetry of Ideas: The Films of Charles Eames.” Film Quarterly, Spring 1970, pp. 2-16.
Films
Blacktop; Bread;
A Communications Primer; Toccata for Toy Trains; Polyorchis Haplus; Mathematics
Peep Shows; Powers of Ten; Powers of Ten: A Rough Sketch for a Proposed Film
Preparation (photography):
Carl
Sandburg. Prologue. The Family of Man, pp. 2-3.
Ansel
Adams. "A Personal Credo." In Vicki Goldberg, ed. Photography in
Print, pp. 377-80.
Henri Cartier-Bresson.
"The Decisive Moment." In Vicki Goldberg, ed. Photography in Print,
pp. 384-86.
John Berger.
"Understanding a Photograph." In Alan Trachtenberg, ed. Classic
Essays on Photography, pp. 291-93.
Films
SX-70; Something about Photography
November 23 Class
presentations and discussion
November 30 Class presentations
and discussion
December 7 Review of Possible Exhibition Themes
research paper
due
Spring
Class Schedule (Advance Planning for Second Semester)
Schedule
of class meetings is subject to change
January 11 Selection of Exhibition Themes for
Gallery Proposal
January 18 Proposal
presentation planning
January 25 Possible trip to
February 1 Presentation
of exhibition proposals (to
Remainder
of Spring schedule to follow
Web
Sources
Library of Congress Finding Aid:
Charles and Ray Eames: A Register of Their Papers
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?faid/faid:@field(DOCID+ms998024)
Library of Congress Exhibition site:
The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/eames/
Eames Office
http://www.eamesoffice.com/eames_house/eames_house.html
Additional
Sources on Reserve at Fisher Fine Arts Library
Eliot
F. Noyes. Organic Design in Home Furnishings.
Arthur
Drexler. Charles Eames: Furniture from the Design Collection, The Museum of
Modern
James
Steele. Eames House: Charles and Ray Eames.
Pat Kirkham. Charles and Ray Eames:
Designers of the Twentieth Century.
Donald
Albrecht et al. The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention.
The Films
of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol. 1
Powers
of Ten (1977); Powers of Ten: A Rough Sketch for a Proposed Film (1968)
The Films
of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol. 2
Toccata
for Toy Trains (1957); House: After Five Years of Living (1955); Lucia Chase
Vignette; Kaleidoscope Jazz Chair (1960); The Black Ships (1970); Atlas (1976)
Blacktop
(1952)
The Films
of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol. 3
The
World of Franklin and Jefferson (1976); The Franklin and
The Films
of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol. 4
Design
Q & A (1972); IBM Mathematics Peep Shows (1961); SX-70 (1972); Copernicus
(1973); Fiberglass Chairs (1970); Goods
The Films
of Charles and Ray Eames, Vol. 5
Tops
(1969); IBM at the Fair (1965); A Computer Glossary (1968); Eames Lounge Chair
(1956); The Expanding Airport (1958); Kepler's Laws (1974); Bread (1953); Polyorchis
Haplus (1970); Tops (From Stars of Jazz) (1957)
A
Communications Primer (1953)
Clown
Face (1971)
Something
about Photography (1976)
Daumier:
Paris and the Spectator (1977)
Background
Helen
Gee. Photography of the Fifties: An American
Perspective.
Elizabeth
A. T. Smith, ed. Blueprints for Modern Living--History and Legacy of the
Case Study Houses.
Kathryn
B. Hiesinger and George H. Marcus. Landmarks
of Twentieth-Century Design: An Illustrated Handbook.
David
Halberstam. The Fifties.
Lesley
Jackson. "Contemporary":
Architecture and Interiors of the 1950s.
George
H. Marcus. Design in the Fifties: When Everyone Went Modern.