Sometimes it can seem as if the design world is speeding forward at a breakneck pace. Shows like Project Runway echo that notion with mottos like “One day you’re in, the next day you’re out.” But no matter how high-tech or fast fashion we become, it’s important to take a breather and look to the past. Associate Editor Kadie Yale sat down with Sarah Lichtman, the director of the Masters of Art program in the history of design and curatorial studies at Parsons the New School in conjunction with the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, to discuss how the past can benefit the future.
Interiors & Sources: Can you explain your position and background?
Sarah Lichtman: I’m the director of an MA program and also assistant professor of design history. I was an art history major at Vassar and have always been interested in art history. After I graduated, I worked in the art field for a while for places like the Museum of Modern Art and Christie’s, but I ended up opening my own vintage furniture and design store in the ‘90s in Brooklyn. Through the store, I became interested in the history of objects. I had never had an opportunity to study that stuff; in college no one taught furniture or material culture. So that led me to get my master’s and then my Ph.D. from the Bard Graduate Center [in New York City.]
IS: What is the importance of design history?
SL: Where to begin? First of all, history is important and using material things—material culture—as evidence is just another way to study history. So using design and material culture is just one way to really get into history and culture, and the significance of these things. Looking at the stuff that surrounds us is a much more direct and approachable way for people to understand history. It’s one thing to be able to go into a museum and look at a painting, and it’s another thing to just think about the desk chair you sit in every day. So I think that through design and material culture, history is much more approachable and understandable.
IS: Do you see a disconnect between designers and design theory?
SL: Well, I think all designers need to know design history. I teach a course at Parsons called “The History of Design” that is a survey from 1850 to the present day. I think in order to be a better, smarter designer, you need to understand where you fit into the historical narrative—where you work, where your practice comes from, and how you place yourself in the practice. So I think all designers should study design history. I think it should be an intimate part of their design education.
IS: When I taught graphic design history, many students would ask, “Why do we need to know this?” Do you encounter that, or do you think there’s a willingness to understand the history?
SL: I think that some students are always resistant to taking a required class; that’s just part of being a student. But I’d hope that my students, once they start and get into the class, come to appreciate and understand it. The more you understand something, the more you like it. If you go to a museum when you haven’t had any art history classes, you walk around not really knowing what to do with yourself, where to orient yourself, or what to look at. If you go to an opera not understanding what the story is, you’re not understanding the language, and it’s hard to relate. But hopefully once you get into the subject, you start to get it. At least that’s what I’ve found.
IS: We see certain styles resurge, such as mid-century or the '80s. Do you have any thoughts on why certain design styles have more sticking power than others?
SL: It’s hard to say. I think that certainly in terms of the mid-century stuff that’s so popular right now, we see it reinforced in a lot of popular culture, like the Mad Men show and its furniture. But I also think there’s something about the furniture from the postwar period that really speaks through its simplicity, through its construction, through its materials and these wonderful textiles. I think there’s a lot of integrity in the design, and that’s something people respond to.
IS: What should active designers keep in mind about history when approaching a new project?
SL: First of all, you need to know your history because you don’t want to reinvent the wheel if something has already been done. Then I think it depends whether you want to use history to springboard off of what has come before, or if you want to use history as a counterpoint in order to work against the grain. As a designer, once you know where you stand historically, you can make very interesting decisions. But that’s really only a choice you can make when you’re aware of how you’re looking at this larger narrative. Designers consider it broadly—I don’t only mean in their field, but other fields as well. If you’re a furniture designer, read about interior design, fashion, and communication, because design is moving more and more away from any specific field. It’s your approach to design thinking that can transcend any medium.
