Having a product carried by the MoMA Design Store has long been a career-defining achievement for designers, even in a time when cultural relevance seems to be increasingly measured by clicks and likes—but then again, not every museum is known for acquiring digital, immaterial objects like the “@” symbol. The museum’s retail arm is arguably as legendary as its galleries, with a range of inventory that ambitiously covers both the historic and contemporary, the collectible and disposable, the functional and frivolous–and the complete and surprising oddball, like the recent addition of a “beachy-keen” inflatable sailboat by the French company Tiwal.
Seen alongside items from the store’s inventory of canonical design that includes a limited-edition colorway of De Stijl icon Gerrit Rietveld‘s Red and Blue Chair, Issey Miyake’s geometric Bao Bao tote, and a toaster by Gae Aulenti, the inflatable sailboat made me wonder: Just what does it take to get into the MoMA Design Store? What do the high priests of modern museum retail consider to be good design–and to what end?
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Each Tuesday is EducationTuesday here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts about educators and all things STEM. Adafruit supports our educators and loves to spread the good word about educational STEM innovations!