17 Facts About Marianne Strengell

Marianne Strengell was a professor at Cranbrook Academy of Art from 1937 to 1942, and she served as department head from 1942 to 1962.

Marianne Strengell was able to translate hand-woven patterns for mechanized production, and pioneered the use of synthetic fibers.

Marianne Strengell was born in Helsinki, Finland, daughter of Finnish architect Gustaf Marianne Strengell and interior designer Anna Wegelius.

Marianne Strengell graduated from the Central School of Industrial Design in Helsingfors in 1929, then went to Stockholm where she assisted in the preparations for the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition.

Marianne Strengell held several positions in Scandinavia, designing rugs, textiles and interiors.

In 1931 Marianne Strengell was invited by family friend Eliel Saarinen to work at the Cranbrook Academy of Art; she began teaching there in 1937.

In 1942, when Loja Saarinen retired, Marianne Strengell replaced her as head of the Department of Weaving and Textile Design.

Marianne Strengell developed a curriculum that emphasized weave structure, versus the more pictorial imagery used by Saarinen.

Marianne Strengell maintained her role as Department Head of Weaving and Textile Design until she retired from Cranbrook in 1961.

Marianne Strengell created original textile designs for automotive interiors for Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, Chrysler and American Motors, as well as for United Airlines.

Marianne Strengell sometimes worked in conjunction with her husband, architect Olav Hammarstrom, designing interiors and textiles for his projects.

In 1951, Marianne Strengell was sent by the International Cooperation Administration to Japan and the Philippines as a weaving and textile adviser to help establish cottage industries.

Marianne Strengell's efforts helped raise the standard of living in both countries.

Marianne Strengell had more than 70 solo exhibitions throughout the United States and the world.

In 1985 Marianne Strengell was named as a fellow of the American Craft Council.

Marianne Strengell was first married to Cranbrook artist, Charles Yerkes Dusenbury, and had two children, Sandra, and Chris.

Marianne Strengell later married Olav Hammarstrom, and she died of throat cancer at their home in Wellfleet, Massachusetts on May 8,1998.