Russel and Mary Wright Design Gallery
Manitoga, Garrison, New York
2021-ongoing
The only permanent, in-depth public exhibition of the Wrights’ product design anywhere, this exhibition told the story of how the husband-and-wife team shaped modern American lifestyle – from early experiments in spun aluminum in the 1930s and the colorful rounded forms of American Modern dinnerware to Japanese-inspired patterns and textures decades later. The Design Gallery of over 200 objects was in dialogue with Wright’s masterful estate, Manitoga, and sought to complement the visitor’s tour of the site with an installation both informative and experiential. The beauty of the Wrights’ explorations of form, color, and nature surrounded visitors on the gallery walls, while a central timeline display offered them an opportunity to understand the full trajectory of the Wrights’ remarkable careers as 20th-century domestic innovators. The state-of-the-art exhibition space connected to the main house museum and to an exterior terrace with stunning views of the surrounding woodland landscape.
Working with executive director Allison Cross and director of collections Vivian Linares, Mr. Albrecht developed the exhibition’s themes, selected artifacts, and wrote exhibition text.
Credits
Exhibition and graphic designer: Studio Joseph
Exhibition lighting designer: Anita Jorgensen
Photographer: Michael Biondo
