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Egg Collective Exhibition Features, Empowers Female Designers

Architects would do well to take note of how female designers, like the founders of Egg Collective, are organizing to promote each other’s work.

What began as serious post-election-heartbreak last year has since roared to life as a passionate public movement for women’s empowerment. Tapping into this zeitgeist—which has taken a particular hold within the creative industries—Egg Collective invited a group of NYC-based women designers and artists to contribute to an exhibition that would not only celebrate the wealth of female talent in New York City, but also help foster the dreams of future generations of young women.

If the size of the crowd at the opening of the Designing Women exhibition on May 1 was any indication, it’s an exciting time for female designers. Of course, the trio behind Egg Collective—Stephanie Beamer, Crystal Ellis, and Hillary Petrie—have long known that to be the case. Female collaboration and empowerment were part of their founding ethos when they established their design company in 2011.

ForDesigning Women, they invited a diverse group of women—both friends of Egg Collective as well as artists and designers they had admired from afar—to contribute works. Among the objects on show at the Egg Collective showroom until May 26 are Bec Brittain’s Mercury Lights, Lindsey Adelman’s Knotty Bubbles Pendant, Anna Karlin’s Layered Dining Table and Dining Stools, Hiroko Takeda’s Gathering and Apollo Solo II textiles, and a velvet chaise from Moving Mountains. Several of Egg Collective’s own pieces—including their Crain Cabinet, Isla Coffee Table, Howard Sofa, Samuel Side Table, and Hawley Side Tables—also hold court. All pieces in the exhibition are for sale, with 20 percent of proceeds going to Girls Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering young girls.

Designing Women is one of several events during NYCxDesign that specifically highlight the work of women (Chamber Gallery is also featuring an all-female show). In contrast, the architecture field has long been wringing its hands over the topic of gender equality while making slow progress—at the recently concluded AIA national convention, female speakers were only added as a hurried afterthought. Architects might do well to take note of how female designers have been organizing to promote each other’s work, helping the design profession pull much further ahead.

If you liked this, check out all our NYCxDESIGN coverage here—including a post on Bec Brittain and Anna Karlin’s favorite NYC spots.

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