Women And Design in the Modern Era. Studio Talk III
As Part of the Program Accompanying the Exhibition Defiance: Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era
In Studio Talks I-III, exhibition curator Michal S. Friedlander and moderator Shelly Kupferberg will present the life stories and experiences of German-Jewish women in the applied arts, putting them in dialogue with contemporary female designers in Berlin.
The third and final studio talk focuses on the lives and work of, among others, graphic designer Franziska Baruch, weaver Trude Guermonprez, and ceramicist Marguerite Friedlaender-Wildenhain. Using these three women as examples, the discussion explores themes of emigration, legacy, and rediscovery. Our guests include artists Natalia and Maria Petschatnikov, who work with refugee women from Ukraine in the project Art Ponedilok. Arriving in Berlin (Art Ponedilok. Ankunft in Berlin) as well as designer Alma Alloro and textile designer Wambui Mwangi.
Past event
Where
W. M. Blumenthal Academy,
Klaus Mangold Auditorium
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
(Opposite the Museum)
The Studio Talks I-III series sheds light on the historical challenges faced by German-Jewish women and their struggle for self-determination amid the tension between Jewish culture and tradition and majority society. These women were pioneers who founded their own businesses and found creative ways to market and distribute their products. Themes such as the marginalization of independent Jewish women in crafts, design, and fashion remain relevant today as they did 100 years ago. These themes tie in with current international discourses on gender, Jewish perspectives, flight, and self-determination.
Defiance: Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era
Exhibition Webpage
Defiance: Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era (11 Jul to 23 Nov 2025): visual and audio resources relating to the exhibition and information in German Sign Language
Publications
Exhibition catalog: 2025, in German
Digital Content
- Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era: All biographies at a glance
- Jewish Places: Important places where the Jewish designers lived and worked on our interactive map
- Do you know Eva Samuel?: How the research for the exhibition took off
- Small Puppets – Strong Women: community project accompanying the exhibition (in German)
- Objects from the exhibition in our collection online in German
See also
- Paper doll based on a costume design by Dodo (1907–1998): Create your own movable paper doll!
- Beaded bracelet based on a design by Emma Trietsch (1876–1933): Make your own beaded bracelet!
- Fashion paper doll based on designs by Irene Saltern (1911–2005): Dress your own fashion paper doll!
- Jewish Women Ceramists from Germany after 1933: Online feature on Google Arts & Culture, in German
