Please Be Seated: A Century of Chair Design
January 21 – March 24, 2024
Please Be Seated: A Century of Chair Design encouraged visitors to rethink the roles that chairs play in our everyday lives.
From classic to contemporary, this exhibition spanned nearly 150 years of chair design history, exploring the stories behind exquisite pieces of furniture by designers like Eileen Gray, Ron Arad, Philippe Starck, Moooi, Verner Panton, Paola Lenti, and others, whose work makes homes more beautiful and our bodies more comfortable.
The exhibition also included a video game by MSCHF, Chair Simulator, which challenged conventional notions of design and gaming by blending the two into an immersive experience.
Finally, Please Be Seated explored Shirley Chisholm's iconic statement, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair," with a selection of chairs designed by local artists, designers, and community groups, and an interactive activity that asked visitors to think about chairs as symbols of space, identity, and empowerment.
This exhibition was presented in partnership with Switch Modern.
Other collaboratiors included Dolce & Gabbana Casa, Cartessa Design, City Issue, and Westside Modern.
Featured Chairs & Designers
Clover Chair, Ron Arad
Diamond & Side Chair, Harry Bertoia
Wassily Chair, Marcel Breuer
Fiberglass & LCW Chair, Ray & Charles Eames
Hortensia, Julia Esque & Andres Reisinger
Wiggle & Cross Check Chair, Frank Gehry
Planetario Margherita Armchair & Planetario Mercurio Ottoman, D&G Casa
Bellini Chair, Mario Bellini
Bits&Parts Chair, Joris Laarman
Bibendum Lounge Chair & Roquebrune Dining Chair, Eileen Gray
Villa Gallia Sofa Chair, Josef Hoffman
Vostra & 369 Lounge Chair, Walter K
Wallace Lounge Chair, Jean-Marie Massaud
Telar Outdoor Lounge Chair, Lina Obregón
Stacking & Series 430 Dining Chair, Verner Panton
Smoke Dining Chair, Marten Baas
Fabricus Lounge Chair, Preben Fabricus
Carbon Stool, Bertjan Pot & Marcel Wanders
Knotted Chair, Marcel Wanders
Tulip Chair, Eero Saarinen
Louis Ghost & Toy Dining Chair, Philippe Starck
Thonet 214, Michael Thonet
Korq Armchair, Kevin Walz
Sacco Lounge Chair, Piero Gatti, Franco Teodoro, & Cesare Paolini
Smoke Dining Chair, Marten Baas
Featured Artists & Community Groups
Deanna Sirlin
Jamaal Barber
Darya Fard
Kristan Woolford
Masud Olufani
Patricia Hernandez
Cristo Rey
Go Paint Love
Pride x Design
Pebble Tossers
Jolly Avenue Garden
EQiA (Equity in Architecture)
Connections School of Atlanta
Global Village Project
Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence
Elizabeth & Kurt Seidle
Visitors Designed Their Own Chairs!
We believe that everyone should have a seat at the table, and during Please Be Seated, we turned our side gallery into a chair design studio with an activity inspired by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. Visitors were invited to design chairs that represented themselves or others, creating a variety of colorful seats that prioritized comfort, artistry, and — in some cases — humor.
