Marianne Strengell
She took over Cranbrook's weaving program and helped bring handwoven pattern into industry.
This artist's work is shown through the museum and artist links on this page while it remains under copyright or awaits a permission-cleared image.
Strengell was born in Helsinki and joined Cranbrook's faculty in 1937, becoming head of Weaving and Textile Design in 1942. She shifted the curriculum toward weave structure and helped make handwoven patterns workable for mechanized production.
She made interior fabrics for Eero Saarinen's General Motors Technical Center and upholstery for the 1959 Lincoln Continental. Her students included Jack Lenor Larsen and Ed Rossbach.