A collaboration by three major art museums, Designs for Different Futures was an exceptional and unexpected offering. If one wished to experience a typical blockbuster exhibition featuring famous works of fine art assembled to woo and wow the masses, one would have had to seek elsewhere. Nor should one have expected this exhibition to be an optimistic huckster vehicle nostalgically or ironically reimagining past world's fairs and international expositions. This radical departure from the frequent lineup of rare, valuable, and famous art enabled museum-goers to experience designs (and concepts) they have not encountered prior, while being challenged intellectually and emotionally. Authorship of the works also challenge preconceptions: artists? designers? manufacturers? a collective body? It depends on the piece.

The gasps heard in this exhibition weren't prompted by seeing a Monet in person for the first time. The sounds were provoked by the insights gleaned and the fear instilled when contemplating...

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