When Raleigh was the center of modern design

RALEIGH -- The story of how N.C. State University became a home to the modern design movement is told through a sampling of furniture, textiles, ceramics and other examples in a new exhibition at the campus museum.

While the big cities were all abuzz with new design concepts in the mid-20th century, key designers made the unlikely move to Raleigh to sign up with the new School of Design. They had followed Henry Kamphoefner, a champion of the modernist movement who became the first dean of the school.

The exhibit will include work by designers such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Eames, George Nelson, Marcel Breuer, Eero Saarinen, Buckminster Fuller, Matthew Nowicki, Joe Cox, George Bireline, George Nakashima, Grete Jalk, Russel Wright, Christian Dior and many others.

There will be a public reception at the Gregg Museum of Art & Design from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 9.

It's surprising but not a coincidence that the Triangle also became home to the third largest concentration of modernist houses in the country, behind only Los Angeles and Chicago.

The organization Triangle Modernist Houses sponsors a tour of some of the area's more distinct examples of the style and has agreed to donate to the museum a portion of the proceeds from every ticket sold through the Gregg's website. The next tour stop is Sept. 24.