Furniture Industry Learns About Global Cultures At Museum of New Mexico

Furniture World News Desk on 11/17/2015

The sponsors photograph, left to right: Laura Holland of Hickory Chair; Pamela Kelly, Museum of New Mexico Foundation; Laura Levinson, Valdese Weavers; Asha Chaudhary, Jaipur; Kimberle Frost; and Lance Keziah, Crypton


More than 100 manufacturers, designers, retailers and trend analysts from across the country gathered in Santa Fe earlier this month for the first Museum of New Mexico Foundation Design Summit entitled, “Design, Creativity and Ethics: How Museums and Global Cultures Inspire Trends in Interiors and Fashion.”

“The summit is about encouraging the dialogue between the artist/designer and the cultural material and its maker,” said event host and founder Pamela Kelly, vice president of licensing and brand management for the Foundation. “We would like to see designers who turn to global cultures for inspiration give credit to the material, maker and cultural traditions. By doing such, they imbue integrity and authenticity to the final product. Drawing on the cultural material should be about interpretation, not reproduction.”

“There was a need for an event that specifically spoke to the intersection of art and design, plus the ethics of using cultural material for inspiration,” said Valdese Weavers Chief Creative Officer Laura Levinson. “Through partnerships with the Museum Foundation, we give new life to traditions and techniques that once clothed and adorned societies long before our time.”

Attendees from both the residential and contract furnishings sectors enjoyed two days of insightful presentations, collections tours, exhibits and conversation. Participants from Valdese Weavers, Kravet, Hickory Chair, Jaipur, Interface, 3Form, Pollock, Hunter-Douglas, Designtex, Crypton, Wolf Gordon, and retailers Room & Board, Z Gallerie, and Grandin Road were among the group.

The program featured presentations from Lidewij Edelkoort, one of the world’s most renowned trend forecasters; Lori Weitzner, CEO of Weitzner Limited; Maxwell Ryan, CEO and founder of Apartment Therapy; Dr. Eric Blinman, director of the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies; Tony Chavarria, curator of ethnology, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; Rebecca van Bergen, founder and executive director of Nest; and Pamela Kelly founder of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s Licensing Program. Content ranged from the role artisans can play in product design and the increasing value of craft in our global society to the capabilities of indigenous plant fibers and the ethics of cultural appropriation.

“The Museum of New Mexico system is a national treasure in our own backyard,” said Textile Designer Kimberle Frost. “It has been instrumental in promoting the artistic traditions of global cultures and giving access to those interested in learning more about those traditions.”

Frost has worked with the Museum of New Mexico Foundation (MNMF) Licensing Program to create textile collections and notes the experience was a game changer. “Since working with the Museums, I have a renewed awareness and sensitivity to my own interpretations of someone else’s work or idea. It makes me take a moment to step back and reflect before I start my development process.”

“As we move even further toward a digital environment, and as we look at the millennial generation, we are reminded of our duty to provide content and context,” said Levinson. “The Museum’s licensing program offers a wonderful vehicle for doing such while promoting living cultural traditions.”

Since 1998, the MNMF Licensing Program has partnered with many highly regarded home furnishings manufacturers to develop collections inspired by the four museums’ expansive textiles, furniture and ceramic collections. Not only do MNMF licensees gain access to the museum’s world renowned international collections for design inspiration, but they also use to their advantage their affiliation with a 100-year-old cultural institution. Past and current partners include Kravet Fabrics, Valdese Weavers, Odegard Carpets, Hickory Chair, Wolf Gordon, Jaipur Rugs, Quoizel Lamps, Shaw Rugs, Designtex, West Elm and Marshall Field’s.

“The Museum’s licensing program allows it to continue its work educating the public about what is vital and sacred about our cultural heritage,” said Levinson.

In her closing remarks, Pamela Kelly, said, “It is our hope that you, our guests, are now better acquainted with the breadth of the Museum’s collections, and clear about their value as a design resource featuring material not just from the Southwest but from the world. Equally we hope you leave understanding the importance of giving credit to the cultures that inspire your products.”

The invitation-only event was sponsored by Valdese Weavers, Kravet, Jaipur, Wolf Gordon, Designtex and Crypton, all of whom license collections with the New Mexico Museum Foundation.

About the Museum of New Mexico Foundation: Founded in 1962, the Museum of New Mexico Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization which provides essential financial support and services for education, exhibitions, collections and capital projects at the Museum of New Mexico (MNM). The MNM is comprised of four institutions: Museum of International Folk Art, Museum of Indian Arts Culture, New Mexico Museum of Art, New Mexico History Museum and Palace of the Governors, seven historic sites and the Office of Archaeological Studies. For more information, visit www.mnmlicensing.org or connect through Facebook and Instagram.