The Class of 2019 Art History and Museum Studies MA students (Jacob Emmett, Hannah Hilditch, Kate Hublou, Tori Laser, Julia LaPlaca, Lauren Lovings-Gomez, and Tom Martis) spent the 2017-2018 school year proposing an exhibition that would showcase the Cleveland Museum of Art’s extensive collection of textiles by mid-twentieth-century Swedish designers. After months of research on Swedish artisans and textiles in the collection, the students were able to develop an exhibition proposal and present it to the Curator of Decorative Art and Design, Stephen Harrison. The exhibition aimed to elucidate how Swedish designers popularized a particular mid-century home aesthetic. With the assistance of Robin Hanson, Associate Conservator of Textiles, and Dr. Holly Witchey, the CMA accepted the students’ proposal. Color and Comfort: Swedish Modern Design has opened, and will remain on view until February 9, 2020 in the Arlene M. and Arthur S. Holden Textile Gallery (Gallery 234). The whimsical textiles on display capture an authentic Swedish style of welcoming warmth and comfort, with these patterns withstanding the test of time, and continuing to enchant the world of design.

One of the goals of this project was to strengthen the ties between the CMA-CWRU Joint Program by allowing graduate students and the CMA to integrate their work on an exhibition from the outset. Color and Comfort serves as a scalable model for Museum Studies students and CMA staff in developing future focus exhibitions. For example, two of the Museum Studies students have been able to continue working on the exhibition from inception to installation. Kate Hublou has been able to continue work on curating the exhibition as a Decorative Arts Curatorial Intern, and Julia LaPlaca also assisted in preparing for the installation as a Textile Conservation Intern. The entire cohort is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with CMA staff and work with objects first-hand in order to gain experience in developing an exhibition that materialized before their eyes.