PAST FILM SERIES:
DESIGN FACULTY at Queens College
Monday, September 18, 12:15
Bauhaus in America: Design, Politics and Human Nature in the 20th Century (1995), 87 minutes
Director: Judith Pearlman
This film chronicles the influence of the famous German art school on design and architecture in the United States. After the Bauhaus closed under Nazi pressure in 1933, such émigrés such as Anni and Josef Albers brought the school’s revolutionary concepts and curriculum to American institutions, including Black Mountain College.
Monday, October 2, 12:15 pm
Linotype: Revolutionizing Printing and Society (2012), 77 mins
Director: Doug Wilson
This feature-length documentary centers around the Linotype type casting machine. Called the “Eighth Wonder of the World” by Thomas Edison, it revolutionized printing and society. The film tells the charming and emotional story of the people connected to the Linotype and how it impacted the world.
Monday, October 16, 12:15 pm
Helvetica (2007), 81 mins
Director: Gary Hustwit
This feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture looks at the proliferation of one typeface, Helvetica as it celebrates its 60th birthday. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them. Renowned designers discuss their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day, and pushes us to explore larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.
Monday, October 30, 12:15 pm
The Visual Language of Herbert Matter (2010), 78 mins.
Director: Reto Caduff
This film is a revealing look at the fascinating life story of the highly influential mid-century modern design master. Known as a quintessential designer’s designer, Swiss born Herbert Matter is largely credited with expanding the use of photography as a design tool and bringing the semantics of fine art into the realm of applied arts.
Monday, November 13, 12:15 pm
Eames: The Architect and the Painter (2011), 85 mins.
Directors: Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey
The husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames were America’s most influential and important industrial designers. Admired for their creations and fascinating as individuals, they have risen to iconic status in American culture. ‘Eames: The Architect & The Painter’ draws from a treasure trove of archival material, as well as new interviews with friends, colleague, and experts to capture the personal story of Charles and Ray while placing them firmly in the context of their fascinating times.
Monday, November 27, 12:15 pm
Milton Glaser: To Inform & Delight (2008), 73 mins.
Director: Wendy Keys
Profiles Milton Glaser (1929- ), America’s foremost graphic designer: designer of the iconic “I [heart] N.Y.” logo, teacher, and humanitarian. Interviews with Glaser are arranged to take him through a rough chronology of his life: study at New York High School of Music and Art and at Cooper Union, a seminal stay in Italy, his marriage, and his various partnerships – founding Push Pin Studios and “New York” magazine, designing Grand Union supermarkets, and working with “The Nation.” Interspersed are examples of his work. Glaser is, throughout, charming in manner, memorable in his observations, and generous of spirit.
Monday, December 11, 12:15 pm
Design is One: The Story of Lella and Massimo Vignelli (2012), 86 mins.
Directors: Kathy Brew and Robert Guerra
Italian-born Massimo and Lella Vignelli are among the world’s most influential designers. Throughout their long career, their motto has been, ‘If you can’t find it, design it’ The work covers such a broad spectrum that one could say the Vignellis are known by everybody, even those who don’t know their names. From graphics to interiors to products and corporate identities, the film brings us into the work and everyday moments of the Vignellis’ world, capturing their intelligence and creativity, as well as their humanity, warmth, and humor.
Free Screening of My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes
Monday, May 2, 12:15 PM
The documentary film, My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes, is directed by Oscar-nominee Oren Jacoby and narrated by actress Isabella Rossellini. It tells the story of Italians, including Roman Catholic priests, who risked their lives to hide Jews from Nazi troops after the German occupation of Italy in 1943.
With the Annemarie Schwarzenbach exhibition, the Museum inaugurated a film program, in which both documentary and feature-length films provide another medium and point of view related to an artist’s biography, working process, artworks, and the content and themes of an exhibition. Additional film series were presented in conjunction with exhibitions such as Biala: Vision and Memory, Re-Forming the Image: Northern Europe in the Dutch Golden Age, Posters as History. Additionally, the Museum has partnered with the Year of Initiatives on campus to present the Year of India and Year of South Africa film series. An introduction and commentary by critics and scholars of media studies often accompanies the films.
All programs described on our website are free of charge and open to the public unless otherwise noted.