Thoughtful Things

courtesy Will Reuther

 
Ideal Space
at N.C. Museum of Art

by Jessie Ammons

This month’s Ideal Space exhibition at the N.C. Museum of Art showcases the tactile talents of N.C. State College of Design students. “Everybody has a bunch of stuff in their houses, in their offices. To many, it’s just stuff. To us, that stuff is important. It really says a lot about us as people and how we live our lives,” says Will Reuther, a master’s candidate in industrial design who envisioned the show. “We want people to re-think space, specifically in their home.” He called on a group of 10 fellow design school students, undergraduate and graduate, to contribute to the final product.

“We want people to experience what we’re making in an intimate way,” Reuther says. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the collection of home products, including tables, chairs, planters, mirrors, and room dividers. Reuther says the invitation to touch is unexpected – “usually, you go to a museum and you’re trained not to touch things” – and allows viewers to connect with the work. “We think through picking things up, feeling their texture, understanding their weight, that’s how what we’re making will resonate. … There’s an intermingling of people and ideas and products.”

Jan. 6 – 25; design.ncsu.edu/event/ideal-space-exhibition-ncma