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New Exhibit Brings Industrial Design to Figge

Image Courtesy of John Deere Archives, © John Deere

A new exhibit at the Figge Art Museum will feature the work of one of the 20th century's most influential industrial designers.

From the 1920's to the 1960's, Henry Dreyfuss designed a wide range of products with one priority, the user. He worked closely with John Deere and designed tractors, telephones, thermostats, and even the interior of Davenport's own Adler Theater during his prolific career.

Assistant curator Vanessa Sage says the wide range of items on display includes sketches, letters between Dreyfuss and Deere, a finished tractor, and other household objects that give an inside look into his design philosophy.

"What I would hope they get out of it is to think about how the design of objects is both creative and practical," said Sage. "It marries all those things together, and how that impacts the products that we use."

There will be several special events centered around the exhibit. An expert on Dreyfuss will speak on Thursday, February 27th and a professor from the University of Illinois will talk about the exhibit on April 16th.

"Henry Dreyfuss: Designs for the Modern Age" opens Saturday, February 22nd and continues through May 24th in the third floor gallery of the Figge Art Museum in Davenport.

I'm currently a Senior at Augustana College, working on majors in Multimedia Journalism and Mass Communication and Communication Studies. In addition to interning at the station, I also work for the Augustana Observer, the college's official student newspaper, as a writer for the Arts and Entertainment section.