Art, Architecture, and Design in Baseball

Most of the cases in this exhibition examine baseball’s impact on American culture. However, impact goes both ways - baseball has been shaped by the American culture in which it is situated. Design principles have influenced the equipment of the game, as seen in the Wilson glove displayed and in the accompanying text which discusses the glove as an iconic American design.

The widespread imagery of North American species of birds, as exemplified in the displayed reproductions from John James Audubon’s Birds of America, no doubt influenced the adoption of these birds as mascots for several MLB teams. In particular, the exhibition catalogue on display gives a broader understanding of a past LUAG exhibition that celebrated baseball’s aesthetic side with artifacts from Lehigh’s Gladstone Collection.