EVENTS

A new way of thinking about the child—one that questioned the mind-numbing traditional methods of learning by rote and treated children as active, rather than passive—learners took hold around 1900. Inspired by early-19th-century educational theorists, above all Friedrich Froebel in Germany, progressive teachers of young children embraced singing, dancing, direct observation of nature, and, most importantly, open-ended play with real objects and materials. This symposium, organized in conjunction with the MoMA exhibition Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000 (which closed on November 5), explores the ramifications of new ideas about childhood, play, and progressive design at particular moments in the 20th century. The first two papers examine examples of the creative exchange between theories of early childhood education and avant-garde design practice in European centers during the first part of the century, while the session after the break focuses on postwar approaches to play, creativity, and toy design on either side of the Cold War divide.

2:00 p.m.
Introduction
Peter N. Miller, Dean and Professor, Bard Graduate Center, and Juliet Kinchin, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art

2:10 p.m.
Juliet Kinchin, “Pioneering Design Through Children: Franz Cižek, Francesco Randone, and Marion Richardson”
An examination of three pioneers of design education for children and their interaction with avant-garde design in the early 20th century

2:40 p.m.
Jeffrey Saletnik, History of Art, Amherst College
“Color, Paper, Collage: Early Childhood Educational Methods in the Context of the Bauhaus”
An assessment of Josef Albers's kindergarten-related exercises and their manifestation in the material culture of the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College

3:10 p.m.
Coffee Break

3:30 p.m.
Amy Ogata, Bard Graduate Center
“Designing the Creative Child: Playthings and Places in Postwar America”
The "creative child" was an idealized figure in postwar America that psychological research, specially designed toys, school buildings, museums, and art education programs helped to shape and sustain.

4:00 p.m.
Film screening
Toys (Zabawki). 2011. Poland. Directed by Andrzej Wolski. Produced by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Warsaw
This documentary examines the realities of life in communist Poland through the eyes of children, exploring ties between the creativity of contemporary Polish designers and their play experiences in postwar childhood years.

4:45 p.m.
Concluding discussion
Moderated by Aidan O’Connor, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art

5:15 p.m.
Reception

The symposium is free, but RSVP is required. To reserve your place, please visit bgc.bard.edu/news/events/-841.html, e-mail academicevents@bgc.bard.edu, or call (212) 501-3019.

Please note: the Lecture Hall can only accommodate a limited number of people, so please come early if you would like to have a seat in the main room. We also have overflow seating available; all registrants who arrive late will be seated in the overflow area.