Beginning with a small, streamlined radio he spotted at an antique show, South Florida collector Harvey Mattel built a collection of radios that now numbers in the many hundreds and includes some of the most coveted receivers in existence. In conversation with Wolfsonian development director Michael Hughes, Mattel will reveal what sparked his passion for […]
What should a radio look like? How should a tuning dial feel to the touch? More than a half-century before the iPhone, pioneering industrial designer John Vassos addressed these questions, recognizing that the right answers could mitigate fears about new media technologies and inspire people to welcome them into their homes. Danielle Shapiro, author of […]
The Shrine of the Little Flower, a Catholic church built in the Art Deco style outside Detroit, was the center of a radio empire started by Father Charles Coughlin that reached up to 30 million Americans each week in the 1930s. Originally an advocate of President Roosevelt's New Deal and critic of the Ku Klux […]
The Fontainebleau Hotel is a Miami Beach icon appearing in more than a dozen Hollywood films, representing both the city’s splendid glory and sordid historical past. Utilizing movie clips and other archival material, Joel will explore the meaning of architecture in American cinema and then reconstruct the history of the Fontainebleau while exploring the themes […]
In the 1930s art and national symbolism converged within the Federal Arts Projects, or the WPA Projects, that supported the values of the American Public. The great Depression and these Arts Projects changed the relationship between art and the public and are the harbinger of the relationships of art in the public realm today. Federal […]
This is a VIRTUAL, pre-recorded event. RSVP to receive a link to the on-demand recording when it becomes available. Glistening dance floors, star-lit skies, sequined gowns, white tie and tails—and the sleek, witty, romantic songs of the age. We have the hard edges of tapping yet the dances and singing are also open and airy. […]
During the height of the Art Deco era, a wave of Chinese artists came to Paris to learn from Western culture. Among them was architect Liu Jipiao, the organizer and designer of China's section at the famous 1925 Paris Exposition (which introduced the world to Art Deco), and a key figure in bringing modernist art […]
In the 1920s and '30s, social dancing was more popular in America than at any other time in history. Dancing happened almost anywhere people got together, infused with the same modern spirit that animated the art and architecture of the period. The popularity of dance created a vast infrastructure to support it, from sumptuous dance […]
In the early 20th century, maps played a central role in the development of modern Florida—going beyond the logistics of guiding tourists, investors, and other northerners on their routes to the Sunshine State. Wolfsonian curator Lea Nickless will show how maps were crucial for the promotion of Florida as a premier destination for sunshine and […]
Alan Raynor had a career in the business world but has always had a hand in the Arts. He wrote a musical comedy - the book and music - and wrote four scripts for full-length films. In his senior years he developed the skill of sculpting in glass. In a thirty-year span he has actively supported […]
Nancy Liebman presents her personal scrapbook chronicling her experiences and memories of the bitter-sweet ups and downs of Miami Beach Preservation. She will tell the tales of her years as a preservation activist from the earliest days of the Miami Beach movement to today. Come share in this rare opportunity to hear the stories told […]
In 1962, property owners incorporated The City of Islandia into Dade County. Encompassing 33 islands in Biscayne Bay, Islandia had a population in the single digits. Property owners lobbied for multiple different causeways from Mainland South Florida to their island community. They platted subdivisions. Everything seemed to be on track for major development of these […]
