Chicago Modernism show  

I went Friday night and was...
I went Friday night and was disappointed as well. (I was glad that I went though, as I got to sit in a few chairs I've been wanting to try out for a while now.) It was my first year being there, so I can't compare it to previous years. Someone I know who had attended in the past (but not this year) surmised that the paltry turnout may have been due to the struggling economy...that room didn't seem like it could've held too many more booths though.

I went Friday night and...
I went Friday night and was...
I went Friday night and was disappointed as well. (I was glad that I went though, as I got to sit in a few chairs I've been wanting to try out for a while now.) It was my first year being there, so I can't compare it to previous years. Someone I know who had attended in the past (but not this year) surmised that the paltry turnout may have been due to the struggling economy...that room didn't seem like it could've held too many more booths though.
Agree with you across the board. I'm sure the economy has a role in this. I wasn't geared up to purchase anything...like you, more for the learning experience...trying different chairs. Was also hoping to see more regarding modern architecture. Overall it was a good show...great people.

Umm.... this is not about that but.....
.... I saw my first exhibition of modern design yesterday at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (Decorative Arts exhibit). There I was amazed to see all kinds of things in the flesh, that I had previously only seen and read about in books on classic modern design. Don't remember all the names of the pieces and their designers, but y'all would recognize most of them.
There was the modern chess table (black, with dots for chess squares, Noguchi?), a famous Noguchi coffee table (bent wood, curved glass), the original Aalto chairs (bent wood seat and the basket weave seat), the Eames wall unit (colored wood and moulded plywood), Jacobson's "egg chair" in light purple (though I seem to recall it was labelled "Saarinen Egg Chair"), a massive angular dining table by Frank Lloyd Wright, an even more massive lounge chair made of corrugated cardboard by Frank Gehry, an even more massive sectional sofa (made of sculpted foam, put together in the form of a cube, but the pieces come apart), what looked like a white table lamp the size of a tree, the leather "bachelor chair", the huge baseball mitt lounge chair, chairs and sideboards in the style of that multicolored angular plywood plank 80's chair Verner Panton did for Ikea, but these were the original designs from the 20's (already read about them in a design book but still forgot the names!). Many smaller objects of design from 60's to 90's (geez, including Kareem Rashid!), and mid century Danish/Finnish vases, including the Aalto one.
(Ok I'll take one of those and the Eames unit...)
It's also the home of many famous paintings, such as Picasso's most known piece, (also Renoir, Rembrandt, Monet, etc), but my favourites were the fresher contemporary pieces, of which there were many (paintings and sculptures, including a memorable piece featuring two skinny monkeys attacking an obese one, made out of latex and yak hair!). If you're in Montreal, it's worth checking out (and even free to the public!).