International Museum of Dinnerware Design facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The International Museum of Dinnerware Design

Guests speaking with Margaret Carney [right], founding director and chief curator of IMoDD
Former name	The Dinnerware Museum
Established	2012
Location	Kingston, New York
Collection size	9,000+ objects
Founder	Margaret Carney

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design (IMoDD) is a special museum in Kingston, New York. It focuses on the design of dinnerware. This museum was started in 2012 by Margaret L. Carney.

IMoDD is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to collect, keep safe, and celebrate amazing dinnerware. This includes pieces made by top artists and designers from all over the world. Through its collections and exhibits, IMoDD shows how different cultures think about food and dining. It also honors the beautiful objects we use when we eat. The museum has over 9,000 items in its collection. These include works by modern artists and famous industrial designers. It also features fine art that shows dining scenes.

Discovering Dinnerware History

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design was founded by Margaret L. Carney in 2012. She loved the work of famous designers like Eva Zeisel and Russel Wright. She also admired functional pottery by modern artists. In the late 1990s, Margaret Carney started thinking about a museum just for dinnerware. She had already organized special shows and written books about it.

She planned an exhibit in New York City in 2002. Sadly, the September 11 attacks happened, and the exhibit space closed. On December 30, 2011, a designer named Eva Zeisel passed away. This made Margaret Carney decide to move forward with her museum plans. Eva had supported her dream. So, in 2012, Margaret Carney moved to Ann Arbor. She officially started the museum and applied for its non-profit status.

Early Exhibits and Growth

At first, the museum didn't have its own building in Ann Arbor. This was because commercial spaces were very expensive. So, IMoDD showed its collection in special exhibits at other places. These "pop-up" exhibits usually lasted from a few days to several months. For example, one of its first shows was "Whetting Your Appetite" in 2013. It was held at SOFA Chicago, a big art and design event.

In January 2017, the museum changed its name. It went from "The Dinnerware Museum" to "The International Museum of Dinnerware Design." This new name better showed its goal. The museum wanted to collect dining history from all over the world. It also wanted to focus on the design of these items. The museum does not have paid staff, but it has had interns and volunteers. Margaret Carney is still the Director and Chief Curator.

A New Home for IMoDD

In April 2024, Margaret Carney announced exciting news. The museum was moving to its first permanent home! This new location is in Kingston, New York. Margaret Carney explained that the new space means exhibits and programs can be open all the time. This is much better than just having pop-up shows. She also noted that Kingston is a lively arts community. It's also close to where famous designers Russel Wright and Eva Zeisel lived and worked.

Since it started, IMoDD has held special exhibitions every two years. These shows feature new artists, invited artists, and historical pieces. Some past exhibits include "The Art of High Chair Fine Dining" (2014) and "Cake" (2016). More recent ones were "Butter" (2019), "Breakfast" (2021), and "Entomophagous Dining" (2023).

Exploring the Collections

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design celebrates a very important part of our daily lives. Its permanent collection has dinnerware from ancient times to the future. The objects are made from many different materials. These include ceramic, glass, metal, plastic, wood, and even yarn!

The collection features historic dinnerware by famous designers. Some of these include Eva Zeisel, Russel Wright, and Arne Jacobsen. It also has amazing pieces by hundreds of modern artists. These artists include Warren MacKenzie and Ruth Duckworth.

A young girl looks at David Oliviera's "Wire Scribble Sculpture" at an IMoDD exhibition.

Besides old and new dinnerware, IMoDD also collects fine art. This art might not be dinnerware itself, but it shows dining experiences. For example, it has art by Roy Lichtenstein and Sandy Skoglund. The museum has more than 9,000 objects in its collection.

Exhibits and Learning Programs

The International Museum of Dinnerware Design has offices and storage in Ann Arbor. But since it didn't have its own museum building, it worked with other places. It has partnered with local museums, galleries, and libraries for over twenty exhibits. Three successful shows were held at SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art + Design).

Past Exhibitions

Some of IMoDD's past exhibits include:

• "Unforgettable Dinnerware" in Ypsilanti, MI (2013).
• "Whetting Your Appetite" at SOFA Chicago (2013).
• "Three Courses" in Ann Arbor, MI (2014).
• "Coffee" at Zingerman's Coffee Company (2015).
• "The Art of High Chair Fine Dining" in Ypsilanti, MI (2014).
• "TEA" at Zingerman's Coffee Company (2015).
• "Time for Dinner" with weaver Mary Underwood (2015).
• "Delicious Dishes" in Ypsilanti, MI (2015).
• "A Place at the Table" at the University of Michigan Health System (2015).
• "Thirst Quenchers" at the Ann Arbor District Library (2016).
• "Cake" in Ann Arbor, MI (2016).
• "a la carte: from the studio to the table" at Washtenaw Community College (2017).
• "Dining Mid-Century" at the Stone Chalet (2017).
• "Barware" at Morgan & York (2017).
• "Timeless Dinnerware Design" at SOFA Chicago (2017).
• "Dining In Dining Out" at the Stone Chalet (2018).
• "Unapologetic Dinnerware: a brief history of disposable dinnerware" at Concordia University (2018).
• "Tabletop Stories" with the Ann Arbor District Library (2019).
• "Butter" in Ann Arbor, MI (2019).
• "Dinnerware + Design + Decoration" at SOFA Chicago (2019).
• "Sculptural Dinnerware" at the Gifts of Art Gallery (2020).
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, IMoDD showed "Delicious Dish Distractions" online (2020).
• "One Table Oodles of Dishes" was an online exhibit (2021).
• "Breakfast" in Ann Arbor, MI (2021).
• "Colorful California Dinnerware" at the Gifts of Art Gallery (2021).
• "Holiday Dining" was a virtual exhibit (2021).
• "Wedding China" was a virtual exhibit (2021).
• "A Perfect Pairing of Cookbooks and Dinnerware" at Hatcher Library (2022).
• "Travel Dining" at Gifts of Art Gallery (2022).
• "Dish Night at the Movies" at the Michigan Theater (2023).
• "Dining on Modernism" at the Palm Springs Modernism Show (2023).
• "Entomophagous Dining" in Ann Arbor, MI (2023).

Learning Opportunities

The museum also offers educational programs with its exhibits. These include public talks at places like SOFA Chicago and the Ann Arbor District Library. They also give tours during almost all public exhibitions. Sometimes, they even offer behind-the-scenes tours of their storage areas.

Recently, IMoDD has teamed up with the Ann Arbor District Library. They present "Unforgettable Dinnerware," a series of online talks. These talks feature special guests and cover many different topics:

• "Unforgettable Dinnerware: a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the International Museum of Dinnerware Design" by Dr. Margaret Carney (March 2022).
• "Eva Zeisel: an Unforgettable Designer, an Unforgettable Life" by Jean Richards and Scott Vermillion (April 2022).
• "The Unforgettable Dinnerware of Julia Galloway, with a Focus on Her Endangered Species Series" by Julia Galloway (May 2022).
• "Unforgettable Dinnerware: Setting the Standard for Setting the Table: Modern Women Textile Designers" by Lindsay Prachet and Gregory Spinner (June 2022).
• "American Mid-Century Modern Dinnerware with Michael E. Pratt" by Michael Pratt (September 2022).
• "Plastic Dishes on the Table: America’s Love Affair with Melamine in the Mid-20th Century" by Dr. Margaret Carney (October 2022).
• "A Place at the Table: Heath Ceramics and the Legacy of Edith Heath" by Julie Muñiz (November 2022).
• "Unforgettable Dinnerware: Saenger Porcelain" by Peter Saenger (December 2022).
• "How “Dish Night” at the Movies Giveaways Saved Hollywood" by Kathy Fuller-Seeley (January 2023).
• "Contemporary Black American Ceramic Artists" by donald a clark and Chotsani Elaine Dean (February 2023).
• "Degenerate Dinnerware: Shape and Decoration" by Rolf Achilles (March 2023).
• "Insect Foods: Back to the Future?" by Gina Hunter, Ph.D. (April 2023).
• "A Dinnerware Collector's Journey" by Scott Vermillion (May 2023).

Museum Newsletter

Since 2015, the International Museum of Dinnerware Design has published a yearly newsletter. It's called MENU. This newsletter shares details about the museum's exhibits, new items added to the collection, and educational programs from that year. By 2022, IMoDD had published eight issues of the newsletter.