Columbia Design League

September  30, 2011
Getting Real- Mad Monkey rebrands Spanish Vines
Rebranding is more than changing a label. So when Mad Monkey production boutique accepted the challenge of refreshing materials for wine importer Spanish Vines, it focused on the company's belief that wine should be made for the people who drink it, rather than the industry "Who's Who" that make their living from it. The result was a sweeping initiative called Real People, Real Ratings, and culminated in the rebranding of the company's eleven proprietary wines.  Join us as we bend elbows and ears to appreciate the value of brand authenticity.

October 19, 2011
Meet the Designers: Music Makers 
Brenton Sadreameli of Mr. B's Glass Guitar Slides and Philippe Herndon of Caroline Guitar Pedals at Conundrum Music Hall What do the Drive-by Truckers, Lynyrd Skynyrd and GE Smith have in common? They use Mr.B's Bottleneck Guitar Slides, designed and produced by hand in Columbia, SC. What about John Flannery, Nels Cline and Henry Kaiser? They use Caroline Guitar Pedals, also designed and built right here in the capital city. Join us as we discover what these famous musicians already know, beginning with a special tour of Mr. B's West Columbia guitar slide studio, followed by a presentation from Philippe Herndon, CEO and Founder of Caroline Guitar Company. Tom Law, owner of Conundrum Music Hall, will welcome us with demonstrations by various artists using products from Brenton and Philippe.

Wine and Beer will be served by Rosso Trattoria Italia.

November 8, 2011
Demystifying Game Design
Video gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry that makes more money than the film and music industries combined. It affects everything from frequent flier incentives to US defense strategies.  The announcement of a new version of a popular game can create a frenzy of anticipation across generations and countries.  Why?  Who is involved?  What is their creative process? Join the Columbia Design League as we explore the design, science and sound of gaming and its impact on a broader design dialogue. A handful of the industry's leading experts will demystify this important industry. More Info...

Interactive Game Display and Reception- 6pm
Panel Discussion- 7pm

January 2012
Sex Sells: The Springmaid Story
Before the Mad Men of Manhattan and the sexual revolution, South Carolina WWI war hero Elliott White Springs was an advertising pioneer, using sex to sell sheets, pillowcases and other finished goods. Springs' controversial magazine ads established a branding trend that is alive and well today. Join us for a screening of ETV's Carolina Stories: Miss Springmaid, followed by a panel discussion with advertising scholars and historians. A temporary exhibition of Springmaid ads and original artwork will on view during the event.  A few of the original Miss Springmaids might even be in attendance and available for photographs.

01.27.12
6pm- Columbia Museum of Art

February 2012
JRA (Jack Rouse Associates)
JRA (Jack Rouse Associates) is a group of writers, planners, designers, media producers and project managers based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Named by The Wall Street Journal as "one of the world's more prominent design firms," JRA is a multi-disciplinary firm that has been structured to conceive, visualize and realize unique audience experiences around the globe. In partnership with Watson Tate Savory Liollio, JRA is currently designing the South Carolina State Museum's new Windows to New Worlds expansion, featuring an observatory, planetarium and theater. Join the Columbia Design League for a special preview and discussion about museum design.
In Partnership with the SC State Museum.

02.23.12
6pm- SC State Museum

March  2012
MTD: RR designers
Get up close and personal with outfits and designers from previous Runaway Runway events at the annual Runaway Runway designers' invitational exhibition. An elite group of the top designers will be on hand at the reception to discuss the conceptual and construction processes behind each of their designs. The exhibition features the actual pieces worn on the runway along with insights from the designers.
The Columbia Design League's Runaway Runway event is Columbia's premier fashion show that aims to raise design and environmental awareness through the use of post-consumer materials constructed into wildly fantastic wearables.

reception: 04.06.12
exhibition: 03.27.12 – 04.22.12

April 21, 2012
RUNAWAY RUNWAY

May 2012
Opening Reception- CDL Selects exhibition
As a counterpart to the exhibition Have a Seat, 200 Years of American Chair Design, a team of five Columbia Design League board members scoured the permanent collection of the Columbia Museum of Art for pieces that hold significant importance for them as examples of good design. The result is an exhibition of over forty pieces that represent a diverse experience of form and function. The selection team will describe their process and answer questions about their relationship with the objects they selected.

05.22.12

May 2012
Meet the Academic: Abigail Smith presents the table
Abigail Lundelius Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in Colonial & 19th Century American Literature at the University of South Carolina. Her current project is an examination of the symbolic, material and cultural significance of the table in 19th century American life and letters with particular attention to questions of gender and region. Beyond literary representations, Smith has spent time exploring objects themselves during fellowships both at Delaware's Winterthur Museum and at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Old Salem, NC. Notable for its interdisciplinary impulse, Smith's project insists that whether in a narrative or in a museum, each table has a story to tell.  This discussion is a special extension of the Have a Seat: 200 Years of American Chair Design exhibition, which explores the art of seating through a survey of exceptional American chair design from the early 19th century to the present day. 

Date TBA
MTD: RT London Furniture
Established in Michigan in 1989, RT London listened to several local colleges seeking durable furniture from a reputable manufacturer, encouraging them to manufacture a wide range of furniture products for the college and university market. They have since expanded their offering of high quality, sustainably built furniture to other markets. In 2009, RT London acquired M. Craig in Columbia, South Carolina. Its strategic location provided a natural advantage for building and shipping to their southern customers. Known for their high end residential furniture manufacturing, M. Craig's skilled workforce added a new strength to RT London in solid wood manufacturing. Join the Columbia Design League as we visit the Columbia facility to learn more about furniture-making as a special event in response to the CMA exhibition Have a Seat: 200 Years of American Chair Design.

June 2011
Summer Party Bus Field Trip and Member Social
Destination TBA 

The Columbia Design League is a not-for-profit philanthropic organization of the Columbia Museum of Art. The mission of the Design League is to promote passion for design excellence and understanding of design's broad impact on our community.

All members of the Columbia Museum of Art are eligible for membership in the Design League. For more information on becoming a Columbia Design League member, click here