This essay examines Elements of Design, a circulating exhibition poster set produced by MoMA in 1945 and distributed worldwide. Through an examination of archived drafts, this exhibition set is discussed as an example of how the museum refined its educational approach through an evolving understanding of modern art and design. In particular, Elements of Design reflects MoMA’s expanding notion of audiences for modern art and design. This essay is the first scholarly examination of Elements of Design, including its archival drafts and documentation. Elements of Design was created by Robert Jay Wolff, former professor at the New Bauhaus, in collaboration with members of MoMA’s staff. Wolff merged Bauhaus–style foundations exercises with his experience developing visual instruction materials during the Second World War to create this visually engaging and instructive exhibition. This essay establishes important components of MoMA’s presentation of modern art and the pedagogy that would guide their educational activities for the next two decades: a focus on formal design and teaching aesthetic appreciation, a dedication to presenting modern art to the widest possible audiences, and an emphasis on the universality and unifying nature of modern art.

中文翻译：

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设计无处不在：设计元素和 MoMA 不断发展的设计教学法

这篇文章探讨了设计元素，这是一套由 MoMA 于 1945 年制作并在全球发行的流通展览海报。通过对存档草稿的检查，这个展览集被讨论为博物馆如何通过对现代艺术和设计的不断发展的理解来改进其教育方法的一个例子。特别是，设计元素反映了现代艺术博物馆对现代艺术和设计观众不断扩大的概念。这篇文章是对设计元素的第一次学术考察，包括其档案草稿和文档。设计元素由新包豪斯前教授罗伯特·杰伊·沃尔夫与现代艺术博物馆的工作人员合作创建。沃尔夫将包豪斯式的基础练习与他在第二次世界大战期间开发视觉教学材料的经验相结合，创造了这个视觉上引人入胜且具有指导意义的展览。本文建立了现代艺术博物馆展示现代艺术的重要组成部分，以及指导他们未来二十年教育活动的教学法：专注于形式设计和教授审美欣赏，致力于向尽可能广泛的观众展示现代艺术，以及强调现代艺术的普遍性和统一性。