Make it Work: Material Matters in Art and Design

Make it Work explores the relationship between materials and forms in the creative process by juxtaposing a range of dynamic art and design objects from the 1960s to the present. Gifts and promised works from Donna and Cargill MacMillan, Jr. influenced members of the American Society for Interior Designers as they created runway sensations for Fashion Week El Paseo 2010. These whimsical fashion designs are featured alongside a selection of significant modern and contemporary works from the MacMillan gift.

Although artists and designers have very different goals, they share an affinity for color, pattern, shape, and texture, as well as a desire to experiment with a variety of media. This exhibition contrasts playful contemporary fashion designs with important works by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Roy Lichtenstein, Louise Bourgeois, and Yoshitomo Nara, among others. The art and design pieces included in this exhibition are notable for the distinctive ways in which their makers manipulated materials in their artistic processes. By examining these objects through their physical qualities, the exhibition highlights how artists and designers draw upon both traditional methods of production and unconventional materials to craft unusual and historically noteworthy new forms. From Andy Warhol's screen printing and Pae White's weaving, to metalwork by Linda Benglis and paper modeling by Tokujin Yoshioka, their work expands our notions of painting, sculpture, and design. Inspired by visual cues-such as Warhol's vivid colors, Ellsworth Kelly's asymmetrical shapes, Morris Louis's fluid lines, and Gary Hume's polished textures-the fashions on display are sartorially-charged re-imaginings of these artists' idiosyncratic creative methods.

This exhibition is organized by the Palm Springs Art Museum.