The Whatnot Studio at SAIC

Commissioned essay on utopia/dystopia and design

I wrote an essay about how Bliss, the Windows XP default backdrop image, represented a ubiquitous utopian imaginary for PC users across the globe—a version that is no longer supported.

One of 18 perspectives on utopia for the Whatnot Studio, an exploratory course in the Designed Objects department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).

 
Charles O’Rear, Bliss, 1996

Charles O’Rear, Bliss, 1996

Noah Berger, Untitled [the Northern California Wildfires], 2017

Noah Berger, Untitled [the Northern California Wildfires], 2017

Phillips

Commissioned Catalogue Essays

My essays on collectible 20th century design objects contribute research and scholarship to the field, and educate prospective buyers on the history and significance of these objects.

Herman Miller

For Herman Miller's WHY magazine, I revisited the iconic 1969 interview with Charles and Ray Eames that later became their short film, Design Q & A. I posed the questions to a trio of contemporary designers in Herman Miller's roster, to capture their take on the role of the designer, the creative process, and design's function in society.

The Museum of Modern Art

Footwear Essays for Items: Is Fashion Modern?

I'm a lifelong sneakerhead. Naturally, I kicked up my heels writing catalogue essays on canonical footwear designs in conjunction with the MoMA exhibition Items: Is Fashion Modern.

From the sophisticated air-cell technology of the Nike Air Force 1 to the low-tech but lovable Swedish wooden clog, I had a blast researching and sharing the history of different shoe designs and pontificating on their cultural import.

Catalogue Essays: Being Modern: MoMA in Paris (MoMA x Fondation Louis Vuitton)

I wrote essays on the acquisition and exhibition history of several MoMA masterworks for the exhibition catalogue for Être Moderne: MoMA à Paris, exhibited at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, October 2017—March 2018


Metropolis Magazine

I cover design-related topics as a frequent contributor to Metropolis Magazine. My feature articles, reviews, and news reporting appear regularly in print and online. 

Metalsmith Magazine

I've written numerous features, reviews, and dispatches about jewelry design, as well as metals and metalworking in general for Metalsmith Magazine. This Pentagram-designed publication is the magazine of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

Modern Magazine

Magdalene Odundo, Untitled, 2000. Courtesy Phillips.

Magdalene Odundo, Untitled, 2000. Courtesy Phillips.

Behind the Numbers was a regular column on the modern design market for Modern magazine, in which I highlighted exceptional works achieving unexpected auction results. I used design history and market insights to place the objects in a larger cultural context and shed light on the sale price. 

Behind the Numbers: A Kem Webber Cocktail Shaker

Behind the Numbers: A Meret Oppenheim Traccia Table

Behind the Numbers: A Sheila Hicks Wall Hanging

Behind the Numbers: A Magdalene Odundo Vase

Outpost Journal

Providence Parlance.png

I'm fascinated by language and dialect: the words we use and how we say them.  For Outpost Journal's Providence Issue, I tackled the origins of one of the more particular local lexicons: the Rhode Island dialect.

Providence Parlance

I've also written for Outpost about the visual culture of beer mascots (Baltimore Issue) and the transformation of a historic neighborhood from one of the nation's largest stockyards into a gallery district (Kansas City Issue).

Studio Potter

The Milligan House (c. 1854-1856) parlor and den with activation by Ann Agee. Photograph courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.

The Milligan House (c. 1854-1856) parlor and den with activation by Ann Agee. Photograph courtesy of the Brooklyn Museum.

I was commissioned by Studio Potter to write a feature-length review of Playing House, a unique exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum that sought to activate period rooms with works by contemporary ceramicists including Betty Woodman, Ann Agee, Ann Chu, and Mary Lucier.

Interior Angles