Adventures in Event Reporting Part II: Cooper Hewitt Design Talk

This is Part II of a three part blog.


About a year ago, I applied for a position with Apartment Therapy as an events reporter. The experience was absolutely amazing. Part I gives you some background and talks about my work with a well-known writer, Cynthia Kling, who stepped in as my writing coach. Part II and III is more about the work itself. 

I needed to produce two samples with photos. This is one of those samples. I was able to meet and talk with some very influential people in the design industry. I want thank everyone mentioned in this article for taking the time to speak with me. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Jennifer Northrop of Cooper Hewitt for being such a great host and source of information.

Eva Zeisel

Cooper Hewitt Reveals the Woman Herself 

The event description said "Join us for a celebration of Eva Zeisel and her influence on contemporary design." Last night I attended Bill's Design Talks, a panel discussion that is presented by the Cooper Hewitt on a semi-regular basis.

I expected her colleagues to be discussing industrial design, its history and how Zeisel made her mark. I truly thought I would be listening to dry banter and design-weenie terms. You know, the kind of stuff that makes anyone not in the industry fall asleep.

Instead, I got to know Eva Zeisel as if she were there. I was swept away by a woman who seemed like a character in children's book.

"Eva in Wonderland," is what Jed Perl, one of the speakers, calls her. He worked for Zeisel for a number of years and got to know her intimately.

Two of Zeisel's most recent collaborators James Klein and David Reid, the owners of KleinReid, a porcelain design and manufacturing company, also spoke of their adventures with her.

Here are the qualities of the woman I learned about last night:

Carefree
There was a lot of discussion about Zeisel's well-known "playful search for beauty," a design philosophy she stuck to.

According to James Klein, "...she didn't want you to start a design with an end in mind, she wanted you to get out of your own way and discover it."

Zeisel was unafraid and she brought the Klein and Reid boys along cutting and folding paper to create hundreds of tiny models.




James Klein and David Reid of KleinReid

Emotional
I really wanted to know what the process was like going from hundreds of small, paper silhouettes to a finished product. I asked them how did they ever pair it down and they said "...it came down to what we liked, what we were drawn to."

 Eva Zeisel's daughter, Jean Richards and grandaughter,Talisman Brolin.

Untameable
I stood at the microphone during the Q&A portion of the talk and I asked Klein and Reid if they balanced Eva out and if they tamed her. I don't know what they said because her daughter, Jean Richards, blurted out from the audience "impossible!" Ok. I guess I'll believe her.


Direct (well, sort of)Jed Perl said his career with Zeisel ended with a final paycheck and a short note that said he was "too expensive." Perhaps this was because she spent 16 months in prison because she was accused of plotting to kill Stalin.


CuriousZeisel learned at a young age that her objects could take her places. She spun that around in her favor. In a video introduction to the talk, she admitted "these things didn't take me places, I made things particularly because I wanted to see the world."


UnshakeableEarly on in her career, Zeisel was the only woman at a pottery studio. She showed up to her first day of work to a surprise from her colleagues. On her wheel sat a very realistic rendition of "male organs". She was unmoved and simply pushed the pieces off her work surface. She gained instant respect from her co-workers.

Open
Zeisel's granddaughter, Talisman Brolin told me that openness was the quality that was passed down to her and that it's one she cherishes. Brolin is thirty years old and runs her own photography studio. She feels this quality has only enriched her life experiences and has brought more depth to her work as a portrait photographer.

 Cooper Hewitt Director, Bill Moggrige, Jean Richards and Jed Perl

Funny
She sprayed her potting neighbor at a factory with cologne everyday because he "smelled very bad." He thought it was very nice and brought her bread and butter on a daily basis as a thank you.

Whimsical
The first time Eva spent a considerable amount of time with Klein and Reid they practically had a slumber party. They were up until two in the morning talking and drawing. This was the first time the two used cut paper as part of their design process. When they tried to leave in the wee hours of the night, Eva insisted they come with her to her country house the next day. On the drive up, she demanded to stop and frolic through an orchard stating that they lived in the city and needed to get in touch with nature.

These were just some of the little things I came to know about Eva Zeisel.

During the talk, Perl, an art critic, would add in his expert commentary on things like how Zeisel would add a Rococco flourish to streamlined design. Bill Moggridge, Cooper Hewitt's director and the moderator for the talk, would try to steer the conversation towards her career.

Neither would stick. The conversation kept going back to who she was. It was as if Eva were there prompting them to stop being so serious.