MAD Exhibition 'Pathmakers' Highlights Women's Overlooked Contributions to Midcentury Modernism
From April 28 to September 27, 2015, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City hosted 'Pathmakers: Women in Art, Craft and Design, Midcentury and Today,' showcasing over 100 pieces created by 42 artists. This exhibition highlighted the historical oversight of women in postwar modernism, featuring notable figures such as Ruth Asawa and Lenore Tawney. It also included works by Scandinavian designers Rut Bryk and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe, as well as Bauhaus-trained émigrés Anni Albers and Maija Grotell. Following its New York run, the exhibition moved to the National Museum of Women in the Arts, where it was displayed from October 30, 2015, to February 28, 2016, emphasizing women's contributions and mentorship in the field.
Key facts
- Exhibition ran from April 28 to September 27, 2015 at Museum of Arts and Design in New York City
- Featured over 100 works by 42 artists across two floors
- Traveled to National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC from October 30, 2015 to February 28, 2016
- Included artists Ruth Asawa, Lenore Tawney, Toshiko Takaezu, Karen Karnes, Sheila Hicks, Alice Kogawa Parrott
- Highlighted Scandinavian designers Rut Bryk and Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe
- Showcased European émigrés Anni Albers and Maija Grotell, both Bauhaus-trained
- Museum of Arts and Design was founded in 1956
- Contrasted women's work with male artists like Isamu Noguchi, Peter Voulkos, Scott Burton, and Constantin Brancusi
Entities
Artists
- Ruth Asawa
- Lenore Tawney
- Toshiko Takaezu
- Karen Karnes
- Rut Bryk
- Vivianna Torun Bülow-Hübe
- Anni Albers
- Maija Grotell
- Sheila Hicks
- Alice Kogawa Parrott
- Marianne Strengell
- Lee Krasner
- Eva Hesse
- Isamu Noguchi
- Peter Voulkos
- Scott Burton
- Constantin Brancusi
- Vivian Beer
- Gabriel Ann Mahler
- Magdalene Odundo
- Polly Apfelbaum
Institutions
- Museum of Arts and Design
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- Cranbrook Academy of Art
- Bauhaus
- Alcoa
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Washington, DC
- Scandinavia
- Romania
- Britain