March 28, 1928
An exhibition of work in art structure, design and color inspired by the collections of the Brooklyn Museum and done in classes for teachers conducted by Kate Mann Franklin is now on view in the Library gallery of the Museum. The exhibition will continue to April 8.
It is very extensive and represents the result of the year's work on the part of Miss Franklin with her teacher students. It also includes some of the best work of the pupils of these teachers. This is brought out particularly in an interesting, colorful castle at the end of the gallery done in one plane by putting together elements cut out from paper. On the side wall near to it is the same kind of idea executed by a group of forty pupils
The exhibition is intensely interesting as the groups are labeled to show by what department of the Museum's collections they were inspired and those familiar with the collections can readily identify the source, although the resulting designs are by no means copies. There are groups, for instance, showing influences of Japanese prints, the Buddhas of the Chinese collection, the peacock in the Natural Science department, motifs from the Scandinavian household arts, American bedspreads and American Indians.
This exhibition is very appropriately shown in the gallery which has been especially designed and set aside for the display of work of students in public, private and art schools.
Miss Franklin is instructor of art in the Friend's Schools, Brooklyn, a lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a member of the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors and a designer for craft work in the "Modern Priscilla". For the last two years she has had a class for teachers in design and color at the Brooklyn Museum in which she has carried on this idea of using Museum inspiration for work in the class room.
Brooklyn Museum Archives. Records of the Department of Public Information. Press releases, 1916 - 1930. 01-03/1928, 050. View Original
