Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America presents the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. This exhibition will explore how employing playfulness allowed designers to bring fresh ideas to the American home, children’s toys and play spaces, and corporate identities.

Co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum, the exhibition includes over 200 works in various media, ranging from works on paper, models, textiles, furniture, and ceramics to films, toys, playground equipment, and product design.

Organized around three themes—the American home, child’s play, and corporate approaches to design—the exhibition encourages visitors to consider how design connects to their daily lives.

Serious Play is co-curated by Darrin Alfred, curator of architecture and design at the DAM, and Monica Obniski, Demmer Curator of 20th and 21st Century Design at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Admission: Included in general admissions.