Students need look no further than their own kitchens for a glimpse into Columbus College of Art and Design’s latest exhibit.

“Tupperware Party: Past, Present, Future” celebrates the resilient line of plasticware that has been keeping leftovers fresh for years.

The exhibit presents more than 1,000 different products and traces the history behind the line of plasticware. Beginning with the pastel palate of the 1940s and ’50s and ending with the bright-colored plastic of today, the show covers the continuity and progression of more than 50 years of Tupperware products.

The Tupperware is shown in real-world surroundings, including period refrigerators and table settings. Market-specific products like Japanese picnic baskets and kimono keepers are also on show.

However, according to Natalie Marsh, CCAD director of exhibitions, the most interesting aspect of “Tupperware Party” isn’t just the plastic on display.

“It’s really the story behind Tupperware, the history of the product and the Tupperware party that is most intriguing,” she said. “This is really more of a historical show.”

Tupperware was the brainchild of Earl Tupper, an eccentric man who made his living as a tree surgeon and farmer out of New Hampshire. Tupper invented a refined polyethylene container in the 1940s that was less odorous and fragile than plastics of the time. Tupper’s new line of plasticware was advantageous, but went nowhere when stocked on the shelves of retail stores.

In came Brownie Wise, who was selling Tupper’s products out of her Detroit home by hosting Tupperware parties for women. Tupper hired Wise to market the product, and she not only revolutionized the market by developing the home party plan, but also made room for women in the role of the salesperson. Women were given the opportunity to work without it reflecting negatively on their husbands.

“It wasn’t acceptable for women of that time to have a career,” Marsh said. “It was acceptable for them to sell Tupperware because it was a party, and although the wife would be working, the husband wasn’t viewed as a slacker.”

According to Dennison Griffith, president of CCAD, the idea for the exhibit is attributable to CCAD alumnus and industrial designer Scott Miller, who designed Tupperware products for eight years.

“Scott had designed the Galaxy Bowl for Tupperware, and it had been accepted into the permanent collections of certain museums,” he said. “We were at an event in Miami together and we just looked at each other and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool to do a Tupperware show?’ “

Miller, who left the company last February, has designed many Tupperware products, including a modern and more functional cereal server as well as the aforementioned Galaxy Bowl — a contemporary candy dish.

“It’s not just about developing another product, it’s about developing a product that will make people’s lives easier,” he said. “It’s not a product designed to be hidden — it’s not only very functional, but beautiful. It’s the beauty in pure geometry that makes it lasting.”

The exhibit took more than two years to develop, and presenting Tupperware as a functional art was met with skepticism.

“At first, I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea. I didn’t know how interesting Tupperware could be and I wanted it to appeal to a variety of students,” Marsh said.

After some research, Marsh discovered the Smithsonian had a Tupperware collection, though most of it was in storage, and went on a research trip to sift through the stored plasticware and explore the Smithsonian’s small display.

Soon after, she sent out a call to local distributors looking for Tupperware from different time periods. She received several contributions from the Smithsonian and private owners who were willing to part with their plastic.

“Tupperware Party: Past, Present, Future” is on display at CCAD’s Acock Gallery, Canzani Center, located on Cleveland Avenue and Gay Street. The gallery is open from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily, and from 10 p.m.-9 p.m. on Thursdays. Admission is free. The show runs until March 21.