At the MIC in Faenza: Seventy Years of Nordic Women’s Design in Over 200 Works

From June 20, 2026, to January 10, 2027, the MIC in Faenza presents the exhibition *Nordic Table Design: A Quiet Feminist Revolution (1900–1970)*, curated by Fabia Masciello. The exhibition traces seventy years of Nordic design by women through a selection of tableware and explores the role played by intellectuals, designers, craftswomen, architects, artists, and entrepreneurs from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden in transforming 20th-century society.

The exhibition offers an interpretation of design history built upon a plurality of voices and highlights the transition from tradition to modernity, from craftsmanship to industrial production, and from a hierarchical society to a more inclusive one. This process is closely linked to women’s demands for emancipation and gender equality. The exhibition brings together over two hundred works, including historical pieces from museums, archives, and private collections, as well as objects still in production, on loan from companies. These artifacts document how tableware design has taken on a role that goes beyond aesthetic and functional aspects, becoming a sphere of social experimentation capable of influencing domestic roles, family relationships, and cultural models.

The exhibition focuses on minimalist design rooted in everyday life, placing the table at the center as a place for connection, sharing, and care. In a context marked by rapid consumption, the exhibition invites reflection on the contemporary meaning of design and the importance of an approach grounded in people’s needs. The exhibition places particular emphasis on the connection to the history of the MIC. Between 1964 and 1974, the Faenza Prize—International Competition for Ceramic Art—included a section dedicated to industrial design, in which numerous Nordic manufacturers led by women participated and were awarded prizes on multiple occasions. The exhibition thus highlights the role of the Faenza museum as a meeting point between Italian ceramic tradition and international design.

Aino Aalto, Herta Bengtson, Estrid Ericson, Nora Gulbrandsen, Grethe Meyer, Ulla Procopè, and Marianne Westman are some of the key figures featured in the exhibition, which is divided into seven sections. “The Great North” introduces the shared values that have contributed to the definition of a common identity in Nordic design. “Beauty for All” explores the birth of democratic design and the emergence of the first female designers and entrepreneurs. “The Revolution at the Table ” describes the changes following World War II, while “Design Enters the Kitchen” analyzes the social transformations linked to women’s entry into the workforce.

“Toward a New Freedom” is dedicated to the 1970s and the rise of more informal lifestyles. An invisible force pays tribute to the female workers who contributed to the production of the objects on display. The exhibition concludes with *Nordic Design and the Faenza Prize*, dedicated to the relationship with the international competition and the awards won by designers such as Grete Rønning, Marianne Westman, Rut Bryk, Hertha Bengtson, and Lisa Larson. The award-winning pieces, now preserved in the collections of the MIC Faenza, are presented together for the first time in a single exhibition. The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalog in Italian and English published by Silvana Editoriale in Milan.

At the MIC in Faenza: Seventy Years of Nordic Women’s Design in Over 200 Works

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