Mildred Friedman

Mildred "Mickey" Friedman (née Shenberg; 25 July 1929 – 3 September 2014) was an American architecture and design curator and editor of the journal Design Quarterly.

Friedman, née Shenberg, was born in Los Angeles to Nathaniel and Hortense Schenberg. After majoring in design at University of California, Los Angeles, she taught design at Los Angeles City College before moving with her husband to Minneapolis in 1958. She was hired by the Walker Art Center as a design consultant in 1969, later being promoted to design curator in 1979. She continued to work there in many capacities up until her retirement in 1990. In addition to curating exhibits on architecture and design, including the Walker's noted 1986 exhibition Frank Gehry, architect, Friedman was also instrumental in shaping the remodeling and interiors of the Walker.

Friedman was also interested in making architecture and design more accessible. "What interests me about movements in architecture and design is when something really has an impact on the way people live and the way they think." In addition to her role as a curator, Friedman also wrote extensively and served as an editor for several exhibition publications. Her first job at the Walker Art Center in 1969 was as the editor of Design Quarterly, a publication started by the Walker (1954-1996; previous title: Everyday Art Quarterly, 1946-1953). The last issue she edited was no. 152 (1991).

In 2013, the Walker Art Center named their design fellowship, the Mildred S. Friedman Design Fellowship, a program started under Friedman's leadership in the 1980, in Friedman's honor.

Friedman curated or co-curated many large shows, from the 1970s up until the mid-2000s. In addition to Frank Gehry, architect, other notable shows include De Stijl, 1917-1931: Visions of Utopia and Tokyo: Form and Spirit. The last show she curated, Architecture Tomorrow, was a three year long series that ran from 1988-1991, ending after she retired.