Norman Teague

Norman Teague, a pivotal voice in American design and a fervent supporter of Black culture on Chicago’s South Side, brings a nuanced approach that balances design as a social practice deeply rooted in the historical and contemporary fabric of his home community. His bespoke studio creations, grounded in experimentation and meticulous craftsmanship, have a profound African grammar and resonance, articulating design infused with a distinctive “Black intent.” His furniture and objects have been collected by major institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, and his interiors have shaped the atmosphere of Chicago staples such as The Silver Room and Dorchester Community Garden. 

About Designer’s Choice
Norman Teague—Jam Sessions

What belongs in a museum, and who decides? How can we be more democratic in defining value? As a leading arbiter of taste, style, and form, The Museum of Modern Art played an instrumental role in shaping the history of modern design. Norman Teague invites us to reimagine the past by moving beyond "good modern design" as defined by institutions like MoMA. Drawing inspiration from artists and designers traditionally excluded from museums, and assisted by generative AI, he offers a reinterpretation of design history. These reimaginings—posters and full-scale prototypes shown alongside objects from MoMA’s collection—foreground makers of color and embody the cooperative, inventive spirit that guides Norman Teague Design Studios.

Teague balances reverence for design innovation with an acknowledgment of the power dynamics that shaped it. With the rise of AI forcing a wholesale reevaluation of human creativity, he reminds us of the creative potential of inviting a diversity of voices into the chorus. As in a musical jam session, collaboration, respect, and improvisation bring us back to the question that sparks every act of imagination—the what if—inviting us to contemplate both the past and the future as realms of boundless possibility.

Organized by Norman Teague with Paul Galloway, Collection Specialist, Department of Architecture and Design, The Museum of Modern Art. Co-curation by Michele Y. Washington. Design AI assistance by Daniel Overbey, poster design by Narineh Seferian, digital fabrication by Max Davis, design assistance by Mila Methvin, with studio assistance by Ana Sophia Baldas and Alissa Touranachun, Norman Teague Design Studios.