Lectures

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 […]

Melissa Wyllie, CEO & President of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, and Mike Cosden, Board President of the Florida Trust, will discuss the organization’s advocacy priorities and strategies for the 2024 legislative session, which will be kicking off just days before the Art Deco Weekend begins (January 9). The Florida Trust is Florida’s statewide […]

Historic places change over time. We can't stop change, but we sure can manage and direct it! This lecture will detail Florida Historic Places and provide 10 rules\/guidelines to follow in order to protect and preserve their uniqueness and historical context. these 10 rules were developed by the presenter Rick Gonzalez and will provide the […]

For more than half a century, Florida has relied on growth and sprawling development to fuel its economy. Sadly, we continue to experience the tragic consequences of this approach, which has been likened by some to a “Ponzi scheme.” Today, Florida continues to face the consequences of rapidly growing population coupled with the looming threats […]

This lively presentation examines the two weeks the Beatles spent in the potboiler that was 1964 Florida; longer than anywhere else in North America that watershed year. South Florida is center stage; it's the subject of Kealing's new book, "Good Day Sunshine State, How the Beatles Rocked Florida." It will also address the tragedy of […]

Inspired by people he met while working on the Christo Surrounded Islands project, David Bricker found himself living aboard chasing stories here in Miami, throughout the Bahamas, and across the Atlantic. Realizing that he was living in a storybook, he wrote about and photographed his adventures. Not only is this talk historically surprising and interesting, […]

Often one story tall and built of concrete block—with a large screened-in porch, Florida room (more commonly known today as a sunroom), louvered windows, and carport—the Florida House became a popular vernacular form in South Florida after the Second World War. Not simply the result of builders copying designs by known architects like Igor Polevitzky […]

Based on her just-published memoir, Dwell Time, conservator Rosa Lowinger discusses preserving modern tropical buildings in Miami and Havana. From mosaics, murals, and decorative cast stone to terracotta and ironwork, Lowinger will show how repairing the key elements of 20th-century tropical architecture serves as a metaphor for personal healing after loss, particularly the loss of one's […]

Postwar photographers such as Ezra Stoller in New York and Julius Shulman in Southern California began working closely with mid-century architects, capturing the clean lines of modern buildings, and presenting them as progressive forms for ideal living enhanced by compelling landscapes and climates. Women photographers like Dorothea Lange and Berenice Abbott were also gaining attention […]

Every great civilization, from the Ancient Greeks to the Egyptians, Sumerians, and Norse had their gods, villains, and heroes. These millennia-old stories of love, violence, honor, and betrayal passed people’s beliefs about themselves to subsequent generations. They were altered through incalculable tellings to better fit changing norms and political ends, but the core messages remained. […]