Illusive Objects

Our brains identify what we see in a fraction of a second, but our eyes can deceive us—sometimes by design. This exhibition explores the pleasures and pitfalls of illusive objects, things that are not as they seem. The installation brings together more than 50 works drawn from the Goldstein’s permanent collection—apparel, jewelry, ceramics, products, furniture, and textiles—organized in three sections: Trick of the Eye, Borrowed Time, and Material Masquerade. Visitors will encounter garments rarely on view, including a Fortuny “Delphos” gown and Schiaparelli “bark” dress, alongside unlikely neighbors, such as a Corn King casserole, Davy Crockett hat, knockoff handbags, and 2008 iPhone 3G. Across themes of perception, imitation, reproduction, and authenticity, the curators invite consideration of design motives and our varying roles in meaning-making.

GMD Guest Speaker | Aimee Lagos on Wallpaper:
Join the Goldstein Museum of Design for a presentation by Aimee Lagos, co-founder of locally-based Hygge & West, on her work in wallpaper design and development. The talk will be preceded by an introduction to the history and illusive properties of wallpaper by GMD director Aidan O’Connor.

This program will be offered in person, streamed online, and recorded for later viewing on the GMD YouTube channel.

Registration is encouraged for both in-person and virtual attendees.
Registering ensures you’ll receive event updates, including any weather-related changes, and provides access to the live-stream link for virtual participation.

GMD Faculty Talk | Digital Ceramics Lab:
Faculty researchers Molly Reichert, Jessica Rossi-Mastracci, and May SunMin Hwang will discuss their recent research entitled Ecosystem Shifts: Digitally Fabricated Ceramic Structures for Aquatic Restoration. The project is supported by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization in collaboration with the City of Minneapolis.

The lab-along with its tools, ideas, and workflows-has been integrated into coursework, blending intensive material practice with computational workflows and robotic fabrication. It offers a beautifully holistic way to teach students the value of materiality as they move from digital to physical, while also modeling a more circular, sustainable approach to additive manufacturing. Unlike plastic 3D printing, unfired clay 3D prints can be reconstituted and reused-closing the loop in both process and material.

This will be the first public presentation of this research. The program will be offered in person, streamed online, and recorded for later viewing on the GMD YouTube channel.

Registration is encouraged for both in-person and virtual attendees.
Registering ensures you’ll receive event updates, including any weather-related changes, and provides access to the live-stream link for virtual participation.

GMD Webinar | Charles McFarlane on Camouflage
Join the Goldstein Museum of Design in welcoming Charles McFarlane for this free public webinar exploring the global rise and cultural impact of camouflage.

Speaker Bio:
Charles McFarlane is a fashion historian and researcher focusing on military uniforms and popular fashion. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, GQ.com, and The Baffler. He also writes the newsletter Combat Threads. He holds an MA in Costume Studies from New York University and a BA in Historical Studies from Bard College.

Cover the World: How MultiCam Went Global and Came Home
In 2002, at the beginning of the Global War on Terror, a small Brooklyn-based company founded by two design students debuted a new camouflage pattern. Crye Precision’s MultiCam is now ubiquitous around the world, seen in nearly every conflict zone, worn by nearly every nation. Adopted by the US Army for use in Afghanistan, it has now become a common sight at home, from film and fashion to law enforcement and militias. How did this pattern come to cover the world, from our backyards to the battlefields of Ukraine? MultiCam is the defining camouflage pattern of the 21st Century, used as much to blend in as it is to stand out.

The viewing link will be sent directly to those who register. Registration is Free.
Register Here

GMD Talk | Eric Vogel on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Lost Chairs

Organized by the Museum of Wisconsin Art, the exhibition marked a reexamination of Wright’s contributions in furniture design and brought a selection of his lost and unbuilt chairs to life through contemporary fabrication. Original drawings, archival materials, and historical photographs supported the first-ever realizations of designs for projects such as the A.D. German Warehouse in Richland Center, Wisconsin, and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Their presentation alongside historical works treated fabrication not as replication, but as an active investigation into Wright’s process, philosophy, and evolving material language.

About the speaker:
Eric Vogel is currently scholar-in-residence at the Taliesin Institute in Scottsdale, AZ. He is a designer, educator, architectural historian, and former Chair of the 3D Design Department at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. He holds a degree in art history from Harvard University, a master’s in architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and is currently pursuing a mid-career PhD at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at UW-Milwaukee. As board president of the Wisconsin chapter of Docomomo US, Eric is currently leading a research and film project about Milwaukee’s 20th century architectural history titled Milwaukee Moderns.

About our partners:
Docomomo is the International working party for the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement. Docomomo US/MN is the Minnesota chapter of Docomomo US.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00 AM–4:30 PM
Thursday, 10:00 AM–7:00 PM
Closed Saturday, Sunday, & Monday