CRANBROOK CENTER FOR COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH PRESENTS

ROOM FOR A LADY: LOJA SAARINEN AT CRANBROOK—THE DIRECTOR’S CUT 

Virtual Documentary Film Screening and Conversation

Tuesday, November 15, 2022
11:00am – 12:15pm EST
7:00pm – 8:15pm EST


Virtual Event
$15 for Adults and Seniors
$5 for Full-time Students with ID

Conversation with 
Kevin Adkisson, Curator, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research 
Nina Blomfield, Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Collections Fellow, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research 

Registration for this program has closed. To register to view the recording, please email center@cranbrook.edu.

Photograph of Kevin Adkisson interviewing Robert Saarinen Swanson in Saarinen House

Did you miss your chance to see Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook in person? Catch up on the extraordinary story of Loja Saarinen with a virtual screening of Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research’s recent documentary film on the life and work of the Finnish-American designer and textile artist. Originally produced for the Center’s May 2022 House Party at Cranbrook, the expanded Director’s Cut of Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook includes a new interview with Loja Saarinen’s granddaughter, landscape architect Susan Saarinen. The live virtual screenings will be followed by a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film and a live conversation with curator and director, Kevin Adkisson, and Center fellow, Nina Blomfield.

Join us as we share the Director’s Cut of Room for a Lady, and celebrate the many contributions that Loja Saarinen made to Cranbrook and the world!

ABOUT THE FILM
Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook tells the remarkable story of textile designer and entrepreneur Loja Saarinen.  

Trained in sculpture with experience in photography, model making, and design, Loja Saarinen emigrated from Finland to America in 1923 and worked alongside her husband, architect Eliel Saarinen, in the building of Cranbrook. She founded and led Studio Loja Saarinen from 1928 to 1942, creating handwoven rugs, curtains, and fabrics for clients around the nation with a dedicated team of Swedish immigrant weavers. The Studio’s painterly, geometric textiles complete the architectural vision of Cranbrook as a Gesamtkunstwerk, or total work of art. Loja’s story has remained too long in the shadows; Room for a Lady brings her artistic contributions to Cranbrook into the spotlight. 

Written and directed by the Center’s curator, Kevin Adkisson, Room for a Lady incorporates interviews, historic images from Cranbrook Archives, and new high-definition video of Studio Loja Saarinen textiles pulled from the vaults of Cranbrook Art Museum and displayed in their original settings to weave together a fascinating story of craft, architecture, and female entrepreneurship.

Photograph of Gerhardt Knodel pointing out a detail of a Studio Loja Saarinen curtain on camera

Guest experts featured in the film include family members Robert Saarinen Swanson, Eric Saarinen, and Susan Saarinen; Gerhardt Knodel, Director Emeritus and Former Fiber Department Head and Artist-in-Residence, Cranbrook Academy of Art; Lynn Bennett Carpenter, Artist-in-Residence in the Weaving Studio, Cranbrook Schools; and the Cranbrook Center’s Director Gregory Wittkopp, Head Archivist Deborah Rice, Curator Kevin Adkisson, and Decorative Arts Trust Marie Zimmermann Collections Fellow Nina Blomfield. 

The film was produced by Vincent Chavez and Elkhorn Entertainment and Media for the Center’s annual fundraiser, A House Party at Cranbrook, and premiered on May 21, 2022, at the historic Kingswood School, Cranbrook. The film runs 43 minutes.

Photograph of the production crew preparing to film outside Saarinen House

ADDITIONAL REGISTRATION AND VIEWING INFORMATION  
On the Friday before the screening date, registered participants will receive an email with instructions on how to join the virtual screening; a reminder will be sent one hour prior to the start of the lecture. Each link is unique, and advance registration is required for all participants. The screenings will begin promptly at their scheduled times and will be followed by a Q&A session.

For additional information, please send an email to Center@cranbrook.edu or call Emma Brick, the Center’s Senior Administrative Assistant, at 248.645.3307. The Center’s regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 4:30pm.

Photograph of Nina Blomfield being interviewed on the set at Saarinen House

PHOTO CREDITS
Banner: Detail of Rug for Kingswood School Headmistress's Office, 1931, designed by Loja Saarinen, woven by Studio Loja Saarinen, Cultural Properties Collection, Kingswood School for Girls; Photography by James Haefner, Courtesy Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research. 
 
Center Curator Kevin Adkisson interviews Robert Saarinen Swanson in Saarinen House for Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook, April 26, 2022; Photography by Nina Blomfield, Courtesy Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research. 
 
Cranbrook Academy of Art Director Emeritus and Former Fiber Department Head and Artist-in-Residence Gerhardt Knodel points out a detail of a Studio Loja Saarinen curtain on camera in Saarinen House for Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook, April 25, 2022; Photography by Kevin Adkisson, Courtesy Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research. 
 
The production crew of Elkhorn Entertainment and Media prepare to film outside of Saarinen House, April 26, 2022; Photography by Kevin Adkisson, Courtesy Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research. 

Executive Producer Vincent Chavez of Elkhorn Entertainment and Media prepares to film Center Collections Fellow Nina Blomfield in Saarinen House for Room for a Lady: Loja Saarinen at Cranbrook, April 25, 2022; Photography by Kevin Adkisson, Courtesy Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.