Women Designers and Women in Design

The Brussels Design Museum recently launched a series of new exhibitions, with the main event showcasing the works of over 50 female designers and craftswomen active in Belgium from 1880 to 1980. The collection includes items from several museums and private collections, many of which have never been shown to the public before. The exhibition runs until April 16 and takes about 1.5 hours to view the three ongoing exhibitions. 🎨👩‍🎤 From the overlooked works of Maria SèThe to the Belgian Art Nouveau movement, and the bold modernist typography of HéLène Denis-Bohy’s feminist pamphlets printed on La Cambre presses; from the extraordinary Belle époque ceramics designed by graduates of Belgium’s first female professional school to the anonymous rafia lace made in Congolese mission schools. 👩‍🎨🔍 The exhibition presents an original, thematic perspective on the important yet underappreciated creativity of women in various fields of crafts and design. It explores how women have used design as a means of empowerment, signing their works, making their presence felt in design exhibitions, and making significant strides in the field. Their work is shown as a testament to resilience, innovation, and creativity. 👩‍💼🙅‍♀️ Often, the authorship of female designers was obscured due to early societal norms, social classes, behind-the-scenes work, or collaborative environments. The exhibition reveals instances where their contributions were overlooked, misattributed, or went unacknowledged. Moreover, it delves into their journey of establishing themselves in educational institutions (as students and teachers), designers’ organizations, and networks. This journey highlights their determination and means to carve out a space for themselves in a male-dominated industry. 🏡👩‍🏭 Finally, the exhibition shows how women transitioned from home decorators to creators of a visual and material culture environment for women. Driven by functional needs, tradition, so-called “virtues,” or a lack of suitable choices in the commercial market, this exploration will emphasize how female designers used their ingenuity to express their vision. 👩‍🎨🌟 The second exhibition, titled “We Are Here! Women in Design Since 1900,” traces the work and working conditions of women in the design field from the birth of modernism to today through a rich collection of creative design pieces. The exhibition runs until March 9, 2025, and tells the story of equal rights and artistic appreciation through a 120-year journey of design history. 👩‍💻🎉 Women have made crucial contributions to the development of modern design, both in creativity and business, but they are often overlooked. The exhibition focuses on 80 women designers who have helped shape the design industry, divided into four parts in chronological order, providing a new perspective on modern and contemporary design. 🎨👀 Also, I popped into a small exhibition at the BOZAR art gallery in Brussels, named “Love Louder,” which is a clever title, telling the story of social thought in the 60s and 70s of the last century. #PowerOfArt #ModernistArt #BelgiumLife #Belgium #BelgiumTravel #Designers #InteriorDesign #DesignInspiration #FashionDesign #MustSeeExhibitions