Gallery of Design curator enjoys finer things in life

Here is what was on the menu at David Wells’ house the other night: “Grilled shrimp with fresh tarragon from my garden, and homemade tomato sauce with fresh basil — I also grow my own tomatoes and basil. I served the shrimp over squash and grilled polenta,” he reports.

Wells can expect us all to come right over.

What we would encounter is an interlude in which all of our senses (well, maybe not hearing) would be deeply and gratifyingly engaged, for aesthetics matter profoundly to Wells. He brings the same perfect articulation to his work as curator of the Gallery of Design at the School of Human Ecology.

Ensconced in that role since July, Wells says that his job is to shape the aesthetic experience of gallery guests. His inaugural show, “Patterns of Creative Work,” in honor of SoHE’s yearlong centennial celebration leads the viewer in a specific direction.

“This exhibition is the first of two parts. “Patterns of Creative Work’ gives gallery-goers an opportunity to see what faculty and staff in the SoHE Department of Environment, Textile and Design are doing,” he says. “The next one, “Patterns of Excellence,’ will showcase the work of SoHE alumni through both a curated group exhibition and a “pattern wall’ of images that alumni submit themselves.”

In the world of Wells, a pleasing physical layout leads directly to an important idea. Central to “Creative Work,” for example, is what individuals and groups use to form their identities.

The introduction of such an idea into a gallery exhibition is far from a haphazard process.

“A successful exhibit design should lead a viewer visually, establishing subtle traffic patterns that sequence and order the relationships between art and ideas,” he says. “When done well, the layout seems natural and unforced.”