A Lexicon for Design

A Lexicon for Design is an alphabetized index of more than 50 fresh terms for thinking with and through design objects, informed by the written contributions of 40 leading design scholars, critics, and practitioners. The publication is edited with text and introduction by Rachel Delphia and Alyssa Velazquez and foreword by Eric Crosby.

 

This experimental publication explores how language can shape and expand contemporary discourse around design, decorative arts, and craft collections. Building on the inquisitive spirit of Extraordinary Ordinary Things, the museum's dedicated design collection gallery, curators invited a cohort of leading academics, designers, educators, and critics to respond to the question, “What is the language we need now to reconsider design objects?” This ambitious book compiles their answers, comprising 53 essays authored by contributors from multiple disciplines—pulling from each response a key term that is indexed and organized alphabetically. From ableism to emotion, harm to loved, remixed to symmetry, the publication puts forward multiple points of entry and inquiry that spark new meaning for design experts and admirers alike. Lushly illustrated with over 200 plates from the museum’s renowned design collection, A Lexicon for Design offers a thrilling visual and linguistic survey.

 

Contributors:  Glenn Adamson, Sarah Archer, Chenoa Baker, Sabiha Basrai, Audrey G. Bennett, Max Burton, Rose Camara, Elizabeth Chin, Rachel Delphia, Nehal El-Hadi, Sarah Fathallah, Michelle Millar Fisher, Anne Ishii, Theodossis Issaias, Natalie D. Kane, Jennifer Kaufmann-Buhler, Alexandra Lange, Helen Lee, Ani Liu, Mindy Magyar, Ari Melenciano, Lesley-Ann Noel, Adah Parris, Victoria Rose Pass, Sarah Pickman, Anjulie Rao, Jennifer Rittner, Oscar Salguero, Emily Sara, Siddhartha Shah, Norman Teague, Marissa Del Toro, Alice Twemlow, Alyssa Velazquez, Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, Gretchen Von Koenig, Catherine Walworth, Bess Williamson, Folayemi Wilson, and Alice Wong.