It was the first and only major museum exhibition in the United States devoted exclusively to graphic design. Nonetheless, the historic Graphic Design in America: A Visual Language History, curated by Mildred Friedman at Minneapolis’s Walker Art Center in conjunction with AIGA, was a lightning rod for some in the design community. And the lightning that struck was hot criticism and heated debates that had not previously taken place in public or the design world at large.
The exhibition opened in 1989 to mixed reviews and enthusiastic visitors. It was the first show of its kind, and what designer worthy of the designation would dare criticize such a groundbreaking, audacious event?
Who indeed: A handful of designers mounted a protest to criticize the curators for certain missing pieces that reflected the show’s inherent biases. At the time they centered on modern versus eclectic work, the limits or not for experimentation, design for commerce versus social good, and a predominantly white, European-leaning focus.
Not only was the Walker Art Center host, it organized the show’s travel to other venues. Scheduled to open at the spacious (now defunct) IBM Gallery of Science and Art on Feb. 20, 1990, I recall that the exhibit, which diverged from the taxonomies set in Philip B. Meggs’ A History of Graphic Design, caused a kerfuffle within the New York design community.
In agreement or not, Friedman’s paradigm shift in historical analysis offered a chance to reflect on the extensive roles and methods of design. Sides were taken and battle lines drawn. The AIGA/NYC immediately organized two separate panels. The first on Feb. 21 was “Graphic Design in America: A Conversation with Mildred Friedman,” on the reasons for her curatorial decisions, and featured presentations from contributors to the eponymous catalog: Lorraine Ferguson, Ellen Lupton, J. Abbott Miller and Douglass Scott. I was moderator.
The second event, “Graphic Design in America: Critical Viewpoint” was held on Feb. 26 at the Great Hall of Cooper Union. The panelists were Ivan Chermayeff, Milton Glaser, Andy Grundberg (then photography critic for the Times), Karrie Jacobs, Tibor Kalman, Glenn Obrien (Artforum), Lisa Philips (Curator, Whitney Museum) and Tom Wolfe. I was moderator again in a give-and-take exchange of what was right and wrong about the curatorial overview, which Friedman had always posited as language over style.
In addition, Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 6–27, “Graphic Design in America: Personal Perspectives”—the fun part—featured individual designers leading tours of the exhibit, as seen through their distinct eyes. The docents were Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, me, Richard Saul Wurman, Tibor Kalman, Tom Geismar and Henry Wolf. The smaller personal tours provided opportunities for critical viewpoints (and a few rants) to be aired.
Designed by Randall Hensley, C3, for AIGA/NY.
On one hand, it was the first time that respected institutional spaces were dedicated to introducing the ubiquity of design language(s) to the public. Along with that came validation as a field with various approaches. On the other there was disquiet and dissatisfaction. It was a heady time for graphic designers to be seen in such a bright spotlight and a critical time for graphic design as a credible and public artform. Friedman’s show changed the way that the graphic design discourse evolved as worthy of academic and critical rigor. It was a moment for graphic design to be on a big stage—an opportunity that might never happen again.