Mildred "Mickey" Friedman (née Shenberg; July 25, 1929September 3, 2014) was an American architecture and design curator and editor of the journal
Design Quarterly
'.

Biography

Friedman, née Shenberg, was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to Nathaniel and Hortense Schenberg. After majoring in design at

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

, she taught design at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...

before moving with her husband to

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

in 1958. She was hired by the

Walker Art Center The Walker Art Center is a multidisciplinary contemporary art center in the Lowry Hill neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is one of the most-visited modern and contemporary art museums in the United States and, to ...

as a design consultant in 1969. Friedman was promoted to Curator of Design in 1979, after having conceived and organized several seminal exhibitions, such as the 1975 exhibition, ''Nelson/Eames/Girard/Propst: The Design Process at Herman Miller'' (''Design Quarterly 98/99''), bringing about further scrutiny and critical accolades for design as an art. She continued to work at Walker Art Center in many capacities up until her retirement in 1990. In addition to curating exhibits on architecture and design, including the Walker's noted 1986 exhibition '' Frank Gehry,'' ''architect'', Friedman was also instrumental in shaping the remodeling and interiors of the Walker. Friedman was also interested in making architecture and design more accessible. "What interests me about movements in architecture and design is when something really has an impact on the way people live and the way they think." In addition to her role as Curator of Design, Friedman also wrote extensively and served as an editor for several exhibition publications. Her first job at the

in 1969 was as the editor of ''Design Quarterly'', a publication started by the Walker (1954–1996; previous title: ''Everyday Art Quarterly'', 1946–1953). The last issue she edited was no. 152 (1991). In 2013, the Walker Art Center named their design fellowship th
Mildred S. Friedman Design Fellowship
a program started under Friedman's leadership in the 1980, in Friedman's honor.

Major exhibitions

Friedman curated or co-curated many large shows, from the 1970s up until the mid-2000s. In addition to '' Frank Gehry, architect'', other notable shows include ''De Stijl, 1917–1931: Visions of Utopia'' and ''Tokyo: Form and Spirit''. The last show she curated, ''Architecture Tomorrow'', was a three-year long series that ran from 1988 to 1991, ending after she retired.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Mildred 1929 births 2014 deaths American curators American women curators 21st-century American women