Curating Design

Like the gifted curator she is, Donna Loveday gives this comprehensive survey of the fast emerging field of design curating a context of history and theory, while effectively highlighting individual stories. As both a practitioner and teacher, nobody is better placed than Loveday to unpick the intricate relationships between designers, curators and museums. -- Deyan Sudjic, Director Emeritus of the Design Museum, UK and Professor of Architecture and Design Studies at Lancaster University, UK As many museums and galleries expand their remit to include designed objects, new questions have arisen for the practitioners involved. When did the practice begin? What are the main issues that it brings with it? Who are the leaders in the field? Curating Design, the first book to address this exciting new field, sets out to interrogate many of the questions that arise and to provide design curation with both an intellectual and a practical framework. -- Penny Sparke, Professor of Design History, Kingston University, UK This is a timely volume. It provides a thorough account of the development of design curation in the context of the histories of modernity and it presents critically rich commentaries from leading contemporary global practitioners about the making of design exhibitions. In acknowledging the distinct demands that mark and attend curating what is defined as 'design', this volume represents a valuable contribution to what is a growing field of practice and scholarly inquiry. -- Michael J. Prokopow, Associate Dean, OCAD University, Canada This is an essential document contextualizing the vital role the design curator plays in demystifying design and creating new audiences for contemporary design exhibitions. By covering the birth and development of curating as a profession, from the original private collections of strange and wonderful objects to contemporary seminal design shows, from the old cabinet of curiosities of the wealthy to current debates on artefact appropriation, it authoritatively sets the landscape for informed discussion. As the design profession expands to almost every sphere so does the curation of design. This book investigates the new frontiers of design and by doing so it validates design in each new frontier. Curating Design isn't only valuable to design curation educators and practitioners but to anyone keen to understand and cater for the new appetite of contemporary audiences for exhibitions exploring the ever-expanding borders of design approaches to complex current topics. -- Fabiane Lee-Perrella, Founder of Flour Studio, UK