sex, drugs, DESIGN, and rock & roll

Parsons presents first exhibition to explore one of the most
avant-garde periods in 20th-century American Design

Anarchy to Affluence: Design in New York, 1974 -1984
On view January 10 – April 2, 2006

NEW YORK, August 15, 2005 – In January 2006, Parsons The New School for Design** will present the first exhibition to examine important interiors, furniture, graphics, fashion and illustration produced in New York City from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, a period in which downtown artists, musicians, playwrights and designers created some of the most avant-garde work produced in America during the last century.  Anarchy to Affluence: Design in New York, 1974-1984, will be on view at Parsons’ Arnold and Shelia Aronson Galleries from January 10 to April 2, 2006, and is being organized in conjunction with New York University’s Grey Art Gallery exhibition The Downtown Show: The New York Art Scene, 1974–1984.

“The mid-1970s to mid-1980s were a time of anxiety and uncertainty in New York—the city experienced economic crises, crime levels peaked, and the very first cases of AIDS were detected,” said Christopher Mount, director of exhibitions and public programs at Parsons. “Although popular Hollywood films such as “Taxi Driver” and “Death Wish” portrayed New York as a grim, fear-provoking place, this ignored a vibrant creative community that flourished in the City. Many of these artists and designers, who were considered avant garde at the time, such as Betsy Johnson and Art Spiegelman, now represent the mainstream and have had a profound impact on contemporary American popular culture.” 

The era began with the late Mayor Abe Beame declaring the City bankrupt and the Ford administration declining to help the city out of its financial crisis, as captured in the now infamous New York Daily News headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead.” As the 1970s progressed, the city spiraled into a period of decline marked by high-profile turmoil, from the “Son of Sam” killings to the Blackout of 1977. While these factors led to a dramatic decline in the city’s quality of life, Anarchy to Affluence will shed light on how it also was a period of fertile inspiration for a new generation of artists and designers, especially in downtown New York. The exhibition will feature more than 75 works that span a range of design disciplines, including drawings, photographs, posters, and ephemera, as well as clothing, furniture and objects from the period.

Anarchy to Affluence begins with the birth of Punk, both as a rebellious style and form of music. The exhibition will showcase the movement’s vibrant Dadaist-inspired posters, which were plastered on buildings and streetscapes throughout downtown New York.  Often designed by the bands themselves, these works were created by employing the rudimentary technique of cutting and pasting and then simply reproduced on a Xerox machine.  These posters mimicked in their anti-establishment spirit and exuberance many of the qualities of the music of the period.

In the field of fashion design, the exhibition will track the rise of progressive designers such as Patricia Field, Stephen Sprouse, Betsey Johnson and fashion houses such as Parachute. Inspired by the underground club scene, these designers revolutionized fashion design by introducing untraditional forms, vibrant colors and innovative materials. While anti-establishment in their time, in retrospect they have proven to be a critical influence on mainstream fashion.   

In downtown areas such as Soho, which was still primarily commercial, increasing numbers of artists followed by affluent New Yorkers were moving into unfinished loft spaces. The exhibition will examine how the trend led to the popularity of “high-tech” design, which exalted the use of industrial materials and furnishings such as gym lockers, moving pads and factory lamps in the domestic environment.

The exhibition will also showcase how this industrial austerity translated to other design fields such graphic design, including Massimo and Lella Vignelli’s design for the New York City subway signage system and their iconic shopping bag for the Bloomingdale’s department store.  In addition, the exhibition will include original works from Art Spiegelman’s avant-garde comic magazine, RAW, which was one of the earliest and most significant progenitors of the graphic novel in vogue today.

Located in the heart of New York’s Greenwich Village, Parsons The New School for Design** is one of the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation, with more than 3,000 students in degree programs, and1,700 non-degree students from all 50 states and approximately 60 countries.  Parsons has been a forerunner in the field of art and design since its founding in 1896. Parsons’ rigorous programs and distinguished faculty embrace curricular innovation, pioneer new uses of technology, and instill in students a global perspective in design.  For more information, visit www.parsons.newschool.edu.

**Parsons, a division of The New School, has changed its name to Parsons The New School for Design as part of a new university-wide identity program, please visit identity.newschool.edu for more information.