Pipsan Saarinen Swanson

{{Infobox person

| name = Pipsan Saarinen Swanson

| image = Pipsan Saarinen Swanson.jpg

| caption = Pipsa Saarinen Swanson in 1948

| birthname = Eva-Lisa Saarinen Swanson

| birth_date = March 31, 1905

| birth_place = Kirkkonummi, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire

| death_date = {{dda|October 23, 1979|March 31, 1905}}

| death_place = Bloomfield Township, Michigan

| nationality = Finnish
American

| occupation = Industrial, interior, and textile designer

| alma_mater = University of Helsinki

| spouse = {{marriage|Robert Swanson|1926}}

| parents = Eliel Saarinen
Loja Gesellius

| relatives = Eero Saarinen (brother)

}}

Eva-Lisa "Pipsan" Saarinen Swanson (March 31, 1905 – October 23, 1979){{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/swanson-pipsan-saarinen-1905-1979|title=Swanson, Pipsan Saarinen (1905–1979) {{!}} Encyclopedia.com|website=www.encyclopedia.com|language=en|access-date=October 27, 2018}} was a Finnish-American industrial, interior, and textile designer based in Michigan. She was known for her contemporary furniture, textile, and product designs.

Early life and education

Swanson was born in Kirkkonummi, Finland to architect Eliel Saarinen and noted textile designer and sculptor Loja Saarinen.{{cite news |title=Designer Pipsan Saarinen Swanson |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109575341/pipsan-saarinen-swanson-1905-1979/ |work=Detroit Free Press |date=October 26, 1979 |location=Detroit, MI |page=41 |accessdate=September 15, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}J. Robert F. Swanson and Pipsan Saarinen Swanson Papers, Cranbrook Archives, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. [http://www.cranbrook.edu/sites/default/files/ftpimages/120/misc/misc_35148.pdf] She was the elder sister of celebrated architect Eero Saarinen. She studied weaving, ceramics, and fabric design at Atheneum Art School and University of Helsinki. She moved to the United States with her family in 1923. They eventually settled in Bloomfield Hills when her father became the resident architect at The Cranbrook Academy of Art.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/45486311|title=Women designers in the USA, 1900-2000 : diversity and difference : Jacqueline M. Atkins [and others]|date=2000|publisher=Yale University Press|others=Kirkham, Pat., Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts.|isbn=0300087349|location=New Haven, CT|oclc=45486311}}{{Cite web|url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18535949/bio|title = Pipsan Saarinen-Swanson | Biography | People | Collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum}}

She married architect J. Robert (Bob) F. Swanson in 1926.

Work

Swanson was part of a strong period of educators and students at Cranbrook known as the "golden moment". She taught the first class on contemporary furniture design at Cranbrook. In 1935, both she and her mother had their textiles exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Swanson left the academy to work with her husband. They formed Swanson Associates in 1947. It was the first architectural firm that also included interior design services. Swanson was typically responsible for the interior design. Among the projects on which they worked was The Koebel House, located in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.{{Cite web|url=https://cranbrookkitchensink.com/tag/pipsan-saarinen-swanson/|title = Pipsan Saarinen Swanson}}

One of her most noted products was a line of indoor outdoor furniture known as the Sol-Air Group, produced by Ficks Reed. She created various other furnishings and decorative items including lamps, glassware, fabrics, and pottery with Swanson and her brothers.{{Cite web|url=https://archives.cranbrook.edu/repositories/2/resources/43|title = Collection: J. Robert F. And Pipsan Saarinen Swanson Papers | Cranbrook Archives Finding Aids}} Swanson was also an industrial design consultant for clients including Barwick Mills, Goodall Fabrics, and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.{{cite web| url = https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/swanson-pipsan-saarinen-1905-1979| title = Swanson, Pipsan Saarinen (1905–1979) {{!}} Encyclopedia.com}}

She was named an honorary member of the American Institute of Architects in 1972.Design in America: The Cranbrook Vision, 1925-1950

By Robert Judson Clark pp. 274-282

Swanson died at her home in Bloomfield Township, Michigan in 1979 following a short illness.