Sit: Designs by Charles and Ray Eames

The exhibition Sit is an exploration of Charles and Ray Eames’ design process and history. Through a mix of historical imagery, production techniques, compelling artifacts, and engaging interactives, Sit inspires visitors to think critically about how design impacts their everyday life.

The exhibition features three Eames chairs that represent three different modes of sitting: the barstool, the lounge chair, and the office chair. Historical images and artifacts from the Eames archive provide additional context for these iconic designs, showcasing the popularity and impact of these chairs through a visual history. All objects featured in the exhibition have been generously loaned to us by our friends at Herman Miller.

Included in the exhibition is an area for play and creation; a space for visitors to learn about the production process in design and to engage in a critical exploration of the act of sitting. This space asks us to consider how we get comfortable, how we create conversation, and how chairs impact our productivity and state of mind.

Sit will be a place of inspiration and discovery for visitors; an opportunity to learn about the history of design and explore the elaborate process of executing a design—even when the design is as seemingly simple as a “chair.”

Organized by Alyson Beaton and Lauren Smedley, faculty in the School of Design and Creative Technologies at The University of Texas at Austin.

This exhibition was made possible by the generous support of Workplace Resource LLC and Herman Miller.