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The Cleveland Institute of Art Celebrates The Art of Design with 3 Blockbuster Shows, including the U.S. premiere of 17 Swedish Designers

Immediate Release: October 19, 2009
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The Cleveland Institute of Art Celebrates The Art of Design with 3 Blockbuster Shows, including the U.S. premiere of 17 Swedish Designers

CLEVELAND: The Cleveland Institute of Art presents three outstanding exhibitions opening on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in its Reinberger Galleries: 17 Swedish Designers, AIGA 365: Annual Design Competition 30 and recent video work by Annetta Mona Chisa and Lucia Tkacova from Prague including Manifesto of Futurist Women (Let’s Conclude).

CIA will host the North American premiere of the traveling exhibition 17 Swedish Designersfrom November 6 through December 19, 2009 in its Reinberger Galleries. This exhibition features 17 female Swedish design professionals, all of whom have had their work exhibited in Galerie Pascale Cottard-Olsson, Sweden’s only gallery devoted exclusively to design.

On view will be more than 60 examples of high design in the form of furniture, textiles and functional and decorative works in glass, ceramics, wood, steel and other materials. Collectively, these pieces highlight the contributions of 17 Swedish women to modern design whose work ranges from functional objects to works of sculpture, jewelry, wall hangings and public art installations. Each designer is multi-talented and exhibits a willingness to experiment. For example:

• Ulrika Mårtensson is an architect who later studied textiles at University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm. She became a designer, experimentally creating aesthetically pleasing textile panels for acoustic baffling. Her long list of clients includes the Swedish Governmental Art Council, Kinnasand, and Ludvig Svensson. She has a Master of Fine Arts from Konstfack, the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.
• Lotta Kühlhorn is a graphic designer who has designed more than 1,000 book covers but she also designs eye-popping patterns for textiles and paper products for companies such as Ikea.
• And Sara Szyber designs home furnishings and functional objects that lend a clean, un-cluttered look. Her aesthetic transfers easily to her designs for interior spaces, exhibitions and advertising. Her business partners include Futurniture, Design House Stockholm, NC-möbler, Svensk Form, Riksutställningar (Swedish Travelling Exhibitions), Skarp/Forsman and Bodenfors, Ikea, Exquise design (France), Palliser (Canada) and Askul (Japan).

Ms. Szyber will curate the 17 Swedish Designers exhibition and visit the Institute, speaking with students and giving a public presentation about Swedish design and the genesis of the exhibition.

In recent years, as Swedish women have entered design professions in increasing numbers, they have influenced the character of Swedish design in profound ways. According to Professor Kerstin Wickman of the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, "As more and more women have been choosing the design profession – since the 1930s so dominated by men and male values – design has changed. The narratives have altered, become more sensual and characterized by women’s experiences."

Concurrent with the 17 Swedish Designers exhibition, CIA will host the national tour of AIGA 365: Annual Design Competition 30, a showcase of the nation’s best in visual communication design solutions from the annual competition sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts professional design association. This exhibit will also include a selection of AIGA’s 50 Books/ 50 Covers of 2008.

Also on display in CIA’s Reinberger Galleries blackbox theater will be the latest video works by Annetta Mona Chisa and Lucia Tkacova from Prague including Manifesto of Futurist Women (Let’s Conclude). This work explores gender relations as well as the role of Eastern European artists in a Western-dominated art world.

WHAT: Opening Night for 3 Blockbuster Exhibitions headlining with the U.S. premiere of 17 Swedish Designers
WHEN: Opening - Friday, November 6, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; Exhibition – November 6 – December 19, 2009
WHERE: The Cleveland Institute of Art Reinberger Galleries: 11141 East Boulevard, Cleveland
HOW: These events are free and open to the public
WHY: Because The Cleveland Institute of Art works hard to provide inspiring public programming that compliments a robust college curriculum in art and design.

The Galleries are open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Galleries are closed Sundays and Mondays. There is no charge to view the exhibit.

Founded in 1882, The Cleveland Institute of Art is an independent college of art and design committed to leadership and vision in all forms of visual arts education. The Cleveland Institute of Art is located at 11141 East Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio. For more information visit www.cia.edu or call 216-421-7000.