Martin Friedman (1925–2016)

Design Quarterly was put out by the Walker Art Center from 1954 until 1993. As the name makes clear, the focus was on design of all sorts – graphic, industrial, architecture, landscape – though the frequency was erratic, with some years getting four but others getting less, or in some cases more. I remember absorbing them in college; their slim size and focused themes made them perfect for undergraduate architecture school, though I also remember the great graphic design and paper selection.

For a book I'm writing on landscape design, I picked up a used copy of issue 141, which came out in 1988, the same year that the Walker's Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes with Peter Rothschild, opened. The garden is described across 60 pages with just two essays: one by Walker director Martin Friedman and one by landscape historian Marc Treib; the former describes the process and the works on display, while the latter puts the sculpture garden into a much broader context. Together they do the trick very well.

If Design Quarterly was still around, the editors would have to revisit this issue, since the Walker is in the midst of renovating and adding to the garden. Michael Van Valkenburgh is carrying out the project, which should be done in summer 2017.… (more)