Side Gallery
Side Gallery
WishlistFollow
Follow
DON S. SHOEMAKER. DISEÑO ARTESANAL E INDUSTRIAL 2016-2017
DON S. SHOEMAKER. DISEÑO
ARTESANAL E INDUSTRIAL.
CIUDAD DE MEXICO
MUSEO DE ARTE MODERNO
OCT 19 2014 - DEC 06 2014
The retrospective compiled of 150 pieces, 74 vintage photographs and 12 paintings from the collection of Don’s grandson, Stanley Shoemaker, as well as additional loans from individuals. The archives that the Shoemaker family guards were consulted for research and curatorship, and there were on show original pieces from their collection, many of them unique.
The work of Don S. Shoemaker (Nebraska, 1919-Morelia, 1990) is considered important in the history of modern Mexican design of the second half of the 20th century, at the height of designers such as Clara Porset, Óscar Hagerman, Michael van Beuren, Po Shun Leong, Arturo Pani or Eugenio Escudero. Don S. Shoemaker. Artisan and industrial design were a well-deserved tribute to a key figure in understanding the developments of artisan and industrial design in Mexico.
The visionary man and plastic artist by training was also a veteran of the Second World War as well as self-taught designer. Don S. Shoemaker began his career as a designer after his arrival in Mexico in 1947. He Founded the wood products factory Señal SA, in Morelia, Michoacán, and following its success, dedicated his efforts to the design and manufacturing of furniture and utensils, and to a lesser extent to the carving of sculptures, as well as painting and engraving. Among its most iconic pieces is the sling chair, an essential item in the universal history of design.
Don S. Shoemaker created a large number of unique or smaller editions of furniture, characterized by their functionality, simplicity and comfort, but above all for their beauty and elegance, through the special use of leather and four species of wood: American oak, cocolobo, cueramo and granadilla.
"The furniture produced by his manufacturing company was one of the highest representatives of modern Mexican design, due to its high quality"
The furniture produced by his manufacturing company was one of the highest representatives of modern Mexican design, due to its high quality. It was recognized nationally and internationally, particularly in the United States, where it had a large clientele. In 1975 he participated in the exhibition Mexican Design: Prospective Retrospective, organized at the MAM by Fernando Gamboa.
Under the curatorship of Iñaki Herranz, Don S. Shoemaker. Artisanal and industrial design took the audience on a tour the artists’ work. Among the 150 pieces of design in the show are chairs, armchairs, benches, tables, consoles, chests, headboards, shelves, drawers, trays, lamps, trays, ashtrays, kitchen utensils, salt shakers, water bottles, candle holders, book holders, briefcases, cases, jewelry boxes, rings, bracelets, buckles, toys and board games.
Don S. Shoemaker's creations were also complemented by a couple of pieces made by his son George and his grandchildren Stanley and George Jr., in order to demonstrate the continuity of this lineage of great designers, carpenters and cabinetmakers so be it without the original commercial name of Señal S.A.
More info at https://mam.inba.gob.mx/don-s-shoemaker-diseno-artesanal-e-industrial
Furniture designer Don Shoemaker was born in Nebraska to an affluent family. During the 1930s, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. In the late 1940s, he married and subsequently, on his honeymoon, fell in love with Mexico. He loved the country so much that later in the 1940s, he moved to Mexico with his wife. Shoemaker lived and painted in a town called Santa Maria de Guido, overseeing the City of Morelia in Michoacán.
Don and his wife Barbara lived in harmony with nature, growing many rare plants in their greenhouse. Don became inspired by the tropical woods of Mexico and began to manufacture furniture from these precious timbers. What began as a small factory in the late 1950s became known as Señal S.A and grew to where Don employed more than a hundred skilled artisans. Soon he became an important figure in the economic and cultural life of his adopted town. Señal S.A brought new wealth and an economic boost to the town, and Dom was known for his warm and charitable heart.
The furniture designed for Señal S.A by Don were modern interpretations of traditional Mexican furnishings. Many of his iconic designs were inspired by traditional Mexican woodwork. The pieces made from Cocobolo, a Mexican rosewood, and other precious woods were highly sought after. The furniture was exported to showrooms in Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and large Mexican cities. His designs were liked very much by wealthy Mexican families who had complete sets decorating their homes.
His most well-known designs include the Sling Sloucher chair, Sling Swinger chair, the Suspension stool, and his Coffee tables, which were also very popular. Don Shoemaker’s furniture, chairs, tables, and decorative objects remain popular worldwide.
Don passed away in 1990 and handed the business over to his son George, George however, died in the early 2000s, and the company disappeared.