The Design Legacy of Isamu Noguchi

Nifemi Marcus-Bello is a designer whose practice bridges commercial and artistic disciplines. His work is guided by a philosophy that values intuition, resourcefulness, and deep engagement with context. Nifemi’s strength lies in his exploration of materials and his fearless pursuit of new forms and typologies, resulting in truly distinctive products and experiences.

His work and design contributions are held in the collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Design Museum London, among others.

He is the recipient of several international honors, including a Special Mention at the Loewe Craft Prize, the Hublot Design Prize, Monocle’s Emerging Designer Award, and was shortlisted for the Wallpaper* Designer of the Year Award in 2026.

Amy Auscherman is Director of Archives and Brand Heritage at MillerKnoll, where she oversees the corporate archives of Herman Miller, Knoll, and the collective’s brands. In 2025, she led the opening of a facility that brought the historic archives of Herman Miller and Knoll together for the first time, spanning the development of modern design in America. In her role, the archive is an active part of the company’s operations. It shapes how new products are developed, guides which past designs return to production, and grounds how MillerKnoll understands its own history. 

Auscherman contributed to the catalog for Isamu Noguchi: “I Am Not a Designer” (Rizzoli Electa, 2026), as well as Lella and Massimo Vignelli: A Language of Clarity (Electa, 2026), Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the US (Phaidon Press, 2025), and Serious Play: Design in Mid-Century America (Yale University Press, 2018). She co-edited Herman Miller: A Way of Living (Phaidon Press, 2019) and holds a Master of Library Science and a B.A. in Art History from Indiana University. 

Monica Obniski is Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, where she oversees a global design collection, exhibitions, and an annual architectural piazza commission. Her curatorial work, grounded in architecture and design history, explores the intersection of design and social issues. She has organized numerous exhibitions, including Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other (2023–24) and Stephen Burks: Shelter in Place (2022–23), and co-organized international projects such as Scandinavian Design and the United States (2021–23) and Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America (2017–18). 

Obniski has engaged deeply with the work of Isamu Noguchi through research and exhibitions, including Serious Play, and has been developing a Noguchi-focused project since 2018. Previously, she held roles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. She holds a master’s from the Bard Graduate Center and a PhD from the University of Illinois, Chicago.