MoMA Design Studio

Jack Whitten experimented relentlessly with materials and art-making techniques. In the 1970s he created a tool he called the “Developer,” a rake-like device that he used to drag paint across the surface of his canvases. We were inspired by this sense of motion which felt symbolic of his creative approach, and set out to capture this feeling in the entrance by staggering the exhibition title, and including photographs that capture the breadth of Whitten’s life—a snapshot of him using the “Developer”, a closeup of the varied materials in his studio, and a portrait in New York City where he worked from the 1960s onward.

Inside the gallery, the quotes above every section text introduce visitors to Whitten’s perspective. To build on this further in the marketing campaign we selected key quotes and paired them with artwork details for social media, and showed a breadth of images for digital screens in the subway. Together, the advertising introduces Whitten to new audiences by presenting his voice and highlighting the experimentation of his six-decade long career.

Curatorial team: Michelle Kuo, Helena Klevorn, Dana Liljegren, David Sledge, with thanks to JaBrea Patterson-West, Kiko Aebi, Eana Kim; Exhibition design: Aimee Keefer; Design and production: @momadesignstudio, Paulette Giguerre; Typography: AG Book (designed by Günter Gerhard Lange, published by Berthold); Silkscreening: @crownprintsnyc; Vinyl & image reproduction: @artworldsign; Exhibition photos: Jonathan Dorado, Imaging and Visual Resources