Prospect founder Laura Currie brings art to the everyday
Acquiring a Judy Chicago or Nir Hod may be more achievable than you think, thanks to the New York member’s collaborations with art titans on limited-edition designs
By Osman Can Yerebakan Above: Amazon plate by Judy Chicago (courtesy of Prospect) Wednesday 5 August, 2020 Long read
Living on Prospect street as a marketing student at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Laura Currie did not plan to start a company named after her address in less than a decade. ‘Having my own business, in fact, found me, and I had no clue what I was getting myself into,’ she ruminates today.
Currie launched Prospect, which collaborates with contemporary artists to produce limited-edition design products, in 2016 with a T-shirt by Baron Von Fancy, reading ‘BABE’ in the artist’s signature typeface. ‘I’ve always fancied design objects, and later came my interest in art,’ says the 31-year-old, who cemented her interest in artist collaborations during an internship for the launch of a partnership between photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and Hermès. She soon realised a hunger among young professionals to own artworks they admire, yet without breaking the bank. From a napkin printed with a celestial painting of feminist trailblazer Judy Chicago, to a beach towel emblazoned with a humorous text piece by pioneer conceptualist Lawrence Weiner, her products take relishing art on museum walls or catalogues a step further.
Besides paying homage to her college years, Currie believes that the word prospect encapsulates the past, present and future in art to prompt conversations in approachable ways through objects. You’ve been a fan of Judy Chicago since you first saw her seminal work ‘The Dinner Party’ at the Brooklyn Museum? Prospect offers a slice from feminist art history through plates adorned with patterns of the Amazons, one of 39 female figures she commemorates in her installation. ‘I have always wanted to make some of my work available to a broad audience without sacrificing quality, which is something Laura has been doing,’ said Chicago via email, adding that their collaboration has involved ‘a joint commitment to honoring the history and meaning of my images.’ Currie considers working with such a canonized artist an expansion in her company’s mission of adding an educational element to the utilitarian experience.
Currie launched Prospect, which collaborates with contemporary artists to produce limited-edition design products, in 2016 with a T-shirt by Baron Von Fancy, reading ‘BABE’ in the artist’s signature typeface. ‘I’ve always fancied design objects, and later came my interest in art,’ says the 31-year-old, who cemented her interest in artist collaborations during an internship for the launch of a partnership between photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto and Hermès. She soon realised a hunger among young professionals to own artworks they admire, yet without breaking the bank. From a napkin printed with a celestial painting of feminist trailblazer Judy Chicago, to a beach towel emblazoned with a humorous text piece by pioneer conceptualist Lawrence Weiner, her products take relishing art on museum walls or catalogues a step further.
Besides paying homage to her college years, Currie believes that the word prospect encapsulates the past, present and future in art to prompt conversations in approachable ways through objects. You’ve been a fan of Judy Chicago since you first saw her seminal work ‘The Dinner Party’ at the Brooklyn Museum? Prospect offers a slice from feminist art history through plates adorned with patterns of the Amazons, one of 39 female figures she commemorates in her installation. ‘I have always wanted to make some of my work available to a broad audience without sacrificing quality, which is something Laura has been doing,’ said Chicago via email, adding that their collaboration has involved ‘a joint commitment to honoring the history and meaning of my images.’ Currie considers working with such a canonized artist an expansion in her company’s mission of adding an educational element to the utilitarian experience.
‘I have always wanted to make some of my work available to a broad audience without sacrificing quality,’ said Chicago
Above: Bigamy Hood Towel by Judy Chicago. Below: 'Marble Goddess' by Judy Chicago. Bottom: a straw by Misha Kahn (courtesy of Prospect)