MAY 2019 — NOVEMBER 2020
COLLECTING MODERN: GIFTS FROM THE GEORGE R. KRAVIS II COLLECTION

George R. Kravis II (1938 - 2018) assembled a vast and comprehensive design collection with the vision of advancing public understanding of the meaning and value of design. His bequest of over 400 objects to Manitoga / The Russel Wright Design Center will help us raise awareness of Russel Wright’s industrial design legacy, his and Mary Wrights’ groundbreaking innovations in design and lifestyle, and their great contribution to modernism in America.

JUNE 2017 — NOVEMBER 2018
NATURE IN DESIGN

Russel Wright Dinnerware Inspired by Manitoga. While the beauty of Russel Wright’s early dinnerware lines lay in color and shape, the later lines were distinctive for their ornamentation, often drawn from nature and sometimes literally incorporating it. Includes examples from Harker China Company’s White Clover (1951); Knowles Esquire (1955-1962); Flair - Ming Lace (1959). Exhibition objects from the Collection of Melissa Meyers, promised gifts of Dennis Mykytyn, and the Collection of Manitoga, Inc.

August 29, 2015 — July 30, 2016
SPun Aluminum designs by Russel Wright

Launched in the early 1930s when the start of the Depression and the end of Prohibition made an impact on the American domestic environment, Russel and Mary Wright’s first commercial line, Informal Serving Accessories, included punch bowls, cocktail sets, tidbit trays. Cool aluminum was juxtaposed with wood, cork and rattan knobs and handles. These housewares, intended for casual gatherings, were loaned to Manitoga from the collection of Gary and Laura Maurer. 

August 29 — November 8, 2015
The Power of Two-Designs of Mary & Russel Wright at Garrison Art Center

The Garrison Art Center, with consultation from Manitoga, presented an exhibition of early work by Mary and Russel Wright including some never before displayed objects and drawings. 

Photos: Spun Aluminum on Display - Vivian Linares; Libbiloo design object by Russel Wright - Masca