Material Matters: How Synthetics Shaped a New Era

August 28, 2026–February 21, 2027
The Wolfsonian–FIU @ 1001 Washington Avenue

Many items we rely on today emerged within the last century. Created to improve upon or replace natural resources, new classes of synthetic materials sparked rapid change across industries and in everyday life. Featuring works from the Wolfsonian collection, Material Matters traces how manmade plastics, rubbers, and textiles reshaped design, manufacturing, and modern living.

This installation is on view in Knight Lab 3.

Banner image: Book frontispiece (detail), The New Plastics, 1945. Herbert R. Simonds and M. H. (Maurice Hubbard) Bigelow, authors. D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., New York City, publisher. The Wolfsonian–FIU, Purchase, XC2020.08.6.1.