Egg Collective fills New York showroom with pieces by female designers
New York studio Egg Collective has followed up its Designing Women exhibition last year with a second edition for this year's NYCxDesign festival, featuring furniture and homeware pieces from a new roster of female designers.
Designing Women II: Masters, Mavericks, Mavens showcases selected works from across generations "to foster a conversation about how women have achieved success, blazed trails, and furthered their craft over time," according to organisers Egg Collective.
Founded by three female designers, the studio is hosting the exhibition in its Lower Manhattan showroom. Lora Appleton of Kinder Modern co-curated the all-white space.
Highlights include Mary Giles's symmetrical wall art of delicate mesh wires, a series of white marble lights by Kristin Victoria Barron, and a structural shelf design by Katie Stout made with multicoloured paper pulp.
While last year's showcase celebrated female designers from New York, the 2018 edition has expanded to include designs by women from across the globe. "This year's exhibition features an international roster of work from both contemporary and historical female voices," said Egg Collective.
Along one wall is a long cream sofa from 1949, which was custom-upholstered by Swedish designer Greta Magnusson Grossman for her own home.
Other vintage pieces include a chair and matching ottoman from 1956 by Danish designer Nanna Ditzel, a white oval coffee table by Italian maker Cini Boeri from 1972, and animal-like ceramics by American artist Leza McVey from the 1950s and 60s.
A colourful woollen tapestry hangs on a wall, made by Swedish designer Lilian Holm in 1945, next to a pair of oversized terracotta candle holders and matching table by Georgian studio Rooms. Nearby, is a delicate, wave-like aluminium centrepiece by Korean-American artist Mimi Jung.
Egg Collective contributed its own pieces to the exhibition, including a large wood table with organic edges atop a steel tubular frame, a low pine cabinet with delicate flat door-pulls, and another dark wood circular dining table.
In the back of the showroom is a large head-shaped bookshelf by Morrocan designer Nicola L, while a dark-walled section features jewellery by Heidi Abrahamson and Sonwai-Verma Nequatewa, and politically-charged table pieces by Bari Ziperstein. Rounding out the exhibit are all-pink and white stone lamps by American artist Natalie Weinberger, and geometric marble pieces by Italian designer Marta Palmieri.
Egg Collective was founded by Stephanie Beamer, Crystal Ellis, and Hillary Petrie in 2011. The group's decision to put on a display of work by only female designers last spring was spurred by the political climate in the US, following the inauguration of president Donald Trump. Several other all-female shows took place in New York around a similar time, aiming to make a statement about gender parity in the design industry and beyond.
