Rediscovering a Modernist Visionary: Clara Porset’s Design Legacy

In an illuminating conversation celebrating the new book LIVING DESIGN: The Writings of Clara Porset, Hammer Museum Director Zoë Ryan will be joined by distinguished art historian Brenda Danilowitz, editor of Anni Albers: Selected Writings on Design, and architectural historian Jane Hall, author of Breaking Ground: Architecture by Women, to explore Porset's groundbreaking contributions to mid-century modernism. This panel will examine how Porset, a Cuban-born designer who made Mexico her home, challenged prevailing design orthodoxies by championing both handcraft and industrial production. The discussion will highlight her previously untranslated writings and contextualize her place in global modernism, while also addressing the broader theme of women's design writing as a form of intellectual resistance and self-positioning in traditionally male-dominated fields.