Philadelphia is a centerpiece of American History, the place where the American constitution was drafted in the late 18th century. It is a city with a strong physical heritage that sometimes strikingly resembles the streets and architecture of Europe. Today, Philadelphia is in the process of reinventing itself and following the effects of a post-industrial decline, it is now harnessing its creative potential to redevelop itself. With a new brand “With Love Philadelphia XoXo” and events like Design Philadelphia, the city is looking to reflect a younger image and perhaps attract crowds from neighboring cities like New York City and Washington, DC. With the fourth largest GDP in the United States (after New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) Philadelphia has the economic resources to invest in its creative industries to boost its profile to an international scale.

Philadelphia is one of America’s most cultural cities with countless museums, performing arts centers and historic sites. The city also has a unique mural arts program that encourages individuals to collaborate with their communities and together transform public spaces. As the former center for the American textiles industry, Philadelphia continues to promote that heritage through the Fabric Workshop and Museum that includes an artist-in-residence program dedicated to experimentations with fibers. Following the same theme but moving much beyond textiles, Fabric Row is a neighborhood that gathers independent retailers and has become one of the creative districts of the city.

The Design Center at Philadelphia University boasts an impressive fashion archive and stunning gallery spaces exhibiting past and present design works. The center’s mission is to show that design participates and shapes everyday life. Its collection is often used by design students and scholarly research but is also appreciated by design connoisseurs and aficionados.

The Design Center at Philadelphia University is located at the former private residence of Goldie Pailey (mother of CBS founder, William Pailey). The house borrows from California’s mid-century modern architecture. Even though the house has been converted into a gallery, the interiors have been kept intact. It features a beautiful 50’s kitchen with original appliances – that serves as a meeting room, closet spaces and bathrooms, including one that is being used as a site-specific installation room filled with light bulbs. Some vintage cabinets and drawers have been turned into mini fiber galleries by designer Todd Oldham  (pictured above). In fact, there is not a single space that is not creatively occupied at the Design Center. It is a real cabinet of curiosities.

Lace in Translation (pictured above) is the latest exhibition at the Design Center. Dutch design studios Demakersvan, Cal Lane and Tord Boontje were given access to the Quaker Lace Company’s collection to re-interpret the pieces and produce something new. The results are original pieces of contemporary furniture, garden sculptures and interior objects that reflect the delicate complexities of lacing.

The Office for Lost Objects™ is the intriguing name of a furniture design practice led by Jarrod Beglinger. It creates conceptual furniture and uses design philosophy to question our relationship with objects and everyday life.

This philosophy is based on six principles:

• Respect the Super Normal.
• Revel in the infra-ordinary.
• Honor craftsmanship.
• Follow a logic.
• Express an integrity.
• Seek an essence.

Jarrod started with engineering studies at MIT which later led him to do an internship at BMW in Germany where he became more aware of design. He decided to spend more time in Europe and applied to Eindhoven’s Design Academy where he was accepted to pursue a Master’s degree. There, he discovered a new way of seeing the world through design and started to make design pieces that worked as social commentaries. His strongest design influence is the “Super Normal” as practiced by Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa: a type of design thinking that emphasizes less on aesthetics but rather focuses on making “normal” objects that integrate so well in everyday life, people don’t even question them.

Iowa City is surrounded by rolling farmland and peaceful residential neighborhoods making it an ideal retreat for writers and thinkers. The heart of the city is the University of Iowa  where the acclaimed Writers’ Workshop is located. The workshop is a 2-year residency program that has been running for the past 70 years and has graduated a number of award-winning authors. It was the first creative writing program established in the United States. In 1967, the International Writing Program was set-up to welcome authors from around the world in order to give them an opportunity to experience American university life.

Iowa City is a place to be experienced in literary ways. Prairie Lights is a landmark independent bookstore gathering local authors and hosting its own local radio show. The Iowa Literary Walk between Clinton and Gilbert streets is an opportunity to read a selection of words by writers who have a special relationship with the city. The Center for the Book is a unique place where writers, artists, designers, calligraphers and paper makers work together to learn various aspects of book making (from paper to letterpress printing, book-binding and illustration) and take books to the realm of fine art.