Rakish Behavior

Innovation is frequently the younger sibling to a problem, question, or challenge—a designer realizes something doesn't work, and then an idea is born. Case in point is the Outdoor Grip Garden Rake by Scott Henderson for Casabella.

Housewares manufacturer and distributor Casabella hired Henderson, a product designer, to develop a clever take on the lawn rake. Henderson thought and raked, and in so doing realized that he had a peculiar habit of grabbing the wood stick down low—where head meets pole—turning the rake surface into a giant claw.

This stance is not comfy for the lower back or the hands, especially when using rakes with sharp edges. So Henderson designed a giant handle right at the face of the rake's head for easy scooping. It's quite pretty, too.

If only rakes shoveled snow.

American Masters: Building China Modern

I.M. Pei, one of the most influential architects of the last half-century, returned to his Chinese homeland after seventy years, and designed a modern museum to house the antiquities of Suzhou, in the region where his forebears lived for centuries. The film follows Pei’s personal and architectural journey from west to east over the seven-and-a-half-year process of placing a modern building in the most ancient neighborhood of a 2,500-year-old city. With intimacy and immediacy, we experience the realization of Pei’s lifelong dream—and biggest challenge—a work that he ultimately defines as “my biography.”

Tickets are on sale to Architectural League and Paley Center members for $15. Non-member tickets are $25 and go on sale March 12. Architectural League members should use the code AL when ordering tickets online or on the phone for the discount. Order tickets here.

Organized by the Paley Center for Media in association with the Architectural League of New York.
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