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Presented by Jane Thompson
Thursday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Do you remember the Design Research store in Cambridge? On Thursday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m.,
Jane Thompson will be in the Pond Room at the Jenks Center to present a visual retrospective of
the life of the Design Research stores in Cambridge, New York and San Francisco, 1953-1978.
The talk is based on stories and insights gathered in preparation for the recent book
“D/R The Store That Brought Modern Living to American Homes” by Jane Thompson and Alexandra Lange.
In a series of her husband and partner Ben Thompson’s well-known triple-image slide shows,
Jane Thompson dramatizes the trove of innovative designs he found abroad and introduced to the U.S.,
leading a transformation of the home environment,
furnishings and everyday equipment, which all became “art in everyday life.”
Visuals include works by great craftsmen:
- Furniture: Breuer, Wegner, Kjaerholm, Mathsson Aalto
- Blown glass and ceramics: Kaj Franck, Wirkkala, Niederer
- Accessories in brass, glass, and new plastics: Colombo, Vignelli, Munari, and Aubock, plus images of the beautiful stores,
and the colorful fashion of Marimekko introduced into the USA by Design Research, their US distributor.
The presentation encompasses the larger story of modernism in architecture and everyday objects,
evolving from the 1920’s German Bauhaus (founded by Walter Gropius, later Thompson’s partner)
into the mid-century vocabulary of American buildings, interiors, useful objects, textiles and graphics.
Some Winchester residents still recall colorful times in the original homelike store, and in the Award-winning
all-glass headquarters on Brattle Street, which closed in 1978. This presentation will be an invaluable opportunity to recall,
further understand, and enjoy remembrances of the whole mid-century design story in words, music, and images.hics.
Copies of the book, Design Research, will be available for $35, to be signed by the author after the presentation.
BIOGRAPHIC NOTES:
Jane Thompson. Founding Editor, Industrial Design Magazine, (ID) 1953; co-founder, Harvest Restaurant, 1975;
BTA Associate, Partner for Planning; Projects: Faneuil Hall Marketplace; Washington Union Station; Chicago Navy Pier.
Founder, Thompson Design Group, 1974—2011. National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, 2010.
These programs are presented by the Education Committee of the Winchester Seniors Association and are
supported by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation
Tuesday, May 22 10:30am Pond Room
Those of us who have heard programs presented by ARTMATTERS know how wonderful they have been.
ARTMATTERS brings large, colorful, fine art reproductions of the artwork being discussed and
displays them across the front of the Pond Room. The presentations are lively and provocative
and provide time for discussion after the program. On Tuesday, May 22 at 10:30am. We will take
a close look at the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh.
Vincent Van Gogh’s life is one of the most dramatic, romantic and tragic in all of art history.
His paintings are passionate, beautiful and they succeed in sharing with us, briefly, the experience of his madness.
His career was very short but his gifts and his influence very great.
Join us for a look at his work and the brief but brilliant flame that was his life.
Nothing is stranger than the truth.
About the Speakers
Jane Blair has been an art educator in many fine art studio disciplines as well as
Art History, Art Appreciation, Computer Art, Photography and Graphic Illustration.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University, a Master of Fine Arts from
University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana and is an Art Certified PK-12 Educator.
She is presently the owner of ARTMATTERS, an art awareness program serving elementary school students through senior citizens.
Mary Lou Hannon has been presenting with Jane Blair for several years and adds her own special slant on the artists under discussion.
These programs are presented by the Education Committee of the Winchester Seniors Association and are
supported by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation
Thursday, May 31 7:30pm Pond Room
Barry Pell, photographer and lecturer, has delighted us many times over the years with his breathtaking
photographs and fascinating information. He has showed us his photos and told us about his travels in
China and India, about the The Silk Road, and about his year in Albania. On Thursday, May 31 at 7:30pm,
he will introduce us to Burma. The title of his program is “Myanmar (Burma)Spiritual People in an Oppressed
Land.”
Burma is the largest country in Southeast Asia and forms a geographic and cultural transition between
Indochina and the Indian subcontinent. Little known and politically isolated by the ruling military junta that changed its name to Myanmar,
it is a beautiful land comprised of mostly small villages at the foot of the Himalaya mountain range.
Based on the lecturer's travels, this photographic presentation will provide some
insights into daily Burmese life, centering on the culture, customs and living conditions of its people, as well as how the very unique form
of Burmese spirituality has co-existed under the military government.
About the Speaker
Barry Pell is a world traveler and photojournalist.
He has traveled widely over the past 40 years, visiting and documenting landscapes and cultures in 154 countries.
Mr. Pell also lived and traveled in China for two years and in Eastern Europe for one year.
He currently lectures on international cultures at schools, universities and institutions in the Boston area.
These programs are presented by the Education Committee of the Winchester Seniors Association and are
supported by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Educational Foundation
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