Press Release

The Henry Ford Celebrates House Industries: A Type of Learning With Opening Party on June 8

Dearborn, MI – (May 22, 2017) - Join The Henry Ford and House Industries to celebrate the opening of the new limited-engagement exhibition House Industries: A Type of Learning. The evening kicks-off at 6:30 pm on June 8 at Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation with short presentations from House Industries co-founders Andy Cruz and Rich Roat plus their longtime co-conspirator Ken Barber. Tickets include a signed copy of their newly-published book House Industries: The Process is the Inspiration (Watson-Guptill/Penguin Random House). The Mattson 2, a surf jazz rock duo from Southern California will provide the live soundtrack for the opening party. 

Known throughout the world for its eclectic fonts and far-reaching creative exploits, House Industries has been a standard-bearer of American design for 25 years. Chances are that most people in the world have seen House fonts on movie posters, magazine covers, websites or even cereal boxes. House Industries has worked with a wide range of collaborators including Jimmy Kimmel, Hermès, The New Yorker, John Mayer, Muji, the Estate of Charles and Ray Eames, Uniqlo and Heath Ceramics.

A Type of Learning is part retrospective, part art installation and part call to action. This 7500 square-foot multi-sensory exhibition informs, teaches and, most importantly, empowers people from all walks of life to follow their interests, embrace their influences and find personal fulfillment in their own creative pursuits. The exhibit is embedded with an infectious sense of possibility—that everyday objects can fuel monumental ideas and ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

A Type of Learning shows how a love for drawing letters combined with childhood interests became a gateway for House Industries to explore everything from fonts and fashion to ceramics and space travel. Their own diverse body of work is paired with many of the things that inspired them, demonstrating how different objects and experiences can result in new ideas and creations. These objects include hot rodder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s futuristic Mysterion show car; a full-scale model of the 2017 Ford GT Supercar that features House Industries fonts in its digital instrumentation and for its Heritage Le Mans race livery; Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon jumpsuit; revolutionary furniture designs by Charles and Ray Eames; Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo from Mystery Science Theatre 3000; The Henry Ford’s original Apple 1 computer; and dozens of other influential artifacts that will help visitors make the connection between inspiration and innovation.

House Industries: A Type of Learning opens inside Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation on May 27 and runs through September 4, 2017. 

Tickets to the party are $85. Beer, wine and other refreshments will be served. Guests can purchase tickets online at www.thehenryford.org or call The Henry Ford Call Center at 313-982-6001. Admission to House Industries: A Type of Learning exhibition is included with ticket purchase to Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. 

About The Henry Ford
The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is an internationally-recognized history destination that explores the American experience of innovation, resourcefulness and ingenuity that helped shaped America. A national historic landmark with an unparalleled Archive of American Innovation, The Henry Ford is a force for sparking curiosity and inspiring tomorrow’s innovators. Nearly 1.8 million visitors annually experience its five attractions: Henry Ford Museum of American innovation, Greenfield Village, Ford Rouge Factory Tour, Benson Ford Research Center and The Henry Ford Giant Screen Experience. A continually expanding array of content available online provides anytime, anywhere access. The Henry Ford is also home to Henry Ford Academy, public charter high school which educates over 500 students a year on the institution’s campus. In 2014, The Henry Ford premiered its first-ever national television series, The Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation showcasing present-day change-makers and The Henry Ford’s artifacts and unique visitor experiences. Hosted by news correspondent and humorist, Mo Rocca, this Emmy-winning weekly half-hour show airs Saturday mornings on CBS. For more information, please visit our website thehenryford.org.