Phoenix’s oldest warehouse hosted a reception to celebrate the opening of the city’s first design museum Thursday night.
The Phoenix Design Museum is a collaborative effort between designers Mark Dudlik and Tanner Woodford and is part of Lost Creature, a nonprofit organization that “aims to bridge culture and creativity with community projects,” Woodford said.
Archives of permanent collections provide a sense of the traditional museum formality, but temporary exhibitions and avoiding the constraints of a permanent exhibition hall differentiate the Phoenix Design Museum from its competitors.
Unlike traditional museums, Dudlik and Woodford created a provisional showcase museum open only one month at a time in different locations across the country.
“The Phoenix Design Museum is a pop-up concept meant to highlight Phoenix and its unique culture,” Woodford said.
Once home to the Arizona Paper Box Company in 1946, the Phoenix Seed & Feed Capitol Warehouse accommodates the museum’s fall location near Second and Buchanan streets, south of U.S. Airways Center.
“The point of the museum is to bring awareness to the community’s designs and to revitalize a space by telling the stories that haven’t been told in years,” Woodford said.
Woodford said warehouse owner Michael Levine was devoted to the historical preservation of the building and completed a lot of restorative exterior work to ensure that the space is now being used.
“There’s a lot of lousy stuff around Phoenix, so it’s nice to see a space like this being executed well,” said Austin Baker, the creative director for Keane Creative, a branding, advertising and marketing firm specializing in distinguishing company personalities.
The American Institute of Graphic Arts, the oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, hosted an opening reception for the Phoenix Design Museum Thursday as part of Phoenix Design Week, and during Pivot, the AIGA national design conference.
“I’ve been to the last two design weeks and have always been inspired by their exhibits,” Baker said. “It’s a great ‘take-risk’ attitude.”
Four exhibitions were displayed at the reception, including a permanent collection of work by late Phoenix-based designer Kenneth White, more than 30 “Design For Good” case studies, “Creative Identity” –- an international award show — and the “365 | AIGA Design Effectiveness Exhibition” showcasing award-winning work that pairs aesthetics with results.
ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts graduate Raquel Raney assisted in setting up the Phoenix Design museum exhibits.
“With an extremely limited budget, we played off the warehouse’s industrial vibe,” Raney said. “As a design community we’re getting together to let the local community know we’re here.”
The Phoenix Design Museum is open Oct. 4 through Nov. 11, Tuesday through Sunday between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. A $10 entry fee permits visits throughout the month.
Limited edition products by local designers can be purchased at Ignorance and Ambition, the museum’s gift shop.
In efforts to raise awareness for designs happening in Phoenix, Woodford said he hopes visitors leave the museum with an appreciation for the young and passionate designing community and for the work that’s there.
Contact the reporter at caitlin.hale@asu.edu
