ART DECO FILM SERIES
2008 Lecture Series
The Art Deco Lecture Series brings historians, authors, and other subject matter experts to Miami Beach to speak on a wide range of topics. All programs in the series generally include a reception afterwards so that you can continue to discuss the topic in an informal environment.
Lectures take place at the Art Deco Education Center, located in Historic City Hall, 1130 Washington Avenue on Miami Beach. Unless otherwise indicated, all programs begin at 7:00 pm.
Tuesday 16 September
7:00 pm
ART DECO INDIA: A PERSONAL TOUR
India remains one of the most exotic and ancient of all world cultures, and is the fount from which many dance, music, and theater forms developed. But in the 1930s and 40s, architects embraced the global interest in modernism, and these architects (both Indian and Western-trained) left an extraordinary legacy of Art Deco structures throughout the country.
Jack Johnson and Scott Timm offer an informal travelogue highlighting some of these great treasures, as well as more traditional building styles for comparison. Along the way, see local people, water buffalo, camels, Hindu celebrations, and the exquisite beauty of the Taj Mahal.
Johnson and Timm have each traveled extensively, researching and photographing Art Deco architecture around the world. Johnson is a board member of MDPL, and is the president of the board of directors of the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation. Timm is MDPL’s director of programs and outreach. Together, they represented Miami Design Preservation League on its inaugural international tour to India for two weeks in March 2008.
Location: Lobby, Barclay Plaza Hotel, 1940 Park Av, Miami Beach. Please call 305-672-2014 for directions.
Tuesday 14 October
7:00 pm
MIAMI: MEDITERRANEAN SPLENDOR AND DECO DREAMS
Miami is a world-renowned, cosmopolitan city with an architectural history to match. Its many treasures include not only Miami Beach's Art Deco buildings and Coral Gables, but also the houses and commercial buildings of the immediate postwar era, tropical vernacular architecture, mid-century modernism, and avant-garde high-rise buildings on the waterfront. What all these creations have in common is the intention to allure, delight, and engage the imagination and senses. Indeed, many of Miami's architects have conceived of the city in theatrical terms—a city as stage set.
Join us as Beth Dunlop explores the progression of building styles found throughout South Florida, from Mediterranean Revival to Art Deco to MiMo, International Style, and beyond, as documented in her new book, Miami: Mediterranean Splendor and Deco Dreams. Dunlop is the author of numerous books, including Arquitectonica and Aqua: Miami Modern by the Sea. She is the architecture critic for the Miami Herald, editor of HOME Miami magazine, and a member of MDPL’s board of directors.
Tuesday 11 November
7:00 pm
ART DECO SAN FRANCISCO: THE ARCHITECTURE OF TIMOTHY PFLUEGER
An immigrant's son with only a high-school education, Timothy Pflueger began practicing architecture after San Francisco's 1906 earthquake. While his contemporaries looked to Beaux-Arts traditions to rebuild the city, he brought exotic Mayan, Asian, and Egyptian forms to buildings ranging from simple cocktail lounges to the city's first skyscrapers. Pflueger was one of the city's most prolific architects during his 40-year career.
He designed two major downtown skyscrapers, two stock exchanges, several neighborhood theaters, movie palaces for four smaller cities (including the beloved Paramount in Oakland), some of the city's biggest schools, and at least 50 homes. His works include the San Francisco Stock Exchange, the ever-popular Top of the Mark, the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco World's Fair. It is a testament to his talent that many of his buildings still stand and many have been named landmarks.
Therese Poletti tells the fascinating story of Pflueger's life and work in Art Deco San Francisco. In lively detail, she tells the story behind the architecture: Pflueger's commissioning and support of muralist Diego Rivera, his association with photographer Ansel Adams and sculptor Ralph Stackpole, and his childhood friendship turned to adulthood sponsorship with San Francisco Mayor James "Sunny" Rolph Jr.
Therese Poletti has been a journalist for nearly twenty years. She has written for the San Jose Mercury News, and currently works for MarketWatch as a technology columnist. She lives in San Francisco.
Tuesday 09 December
7:00 pm
AMERICAN MODERNIST DESIGN: RUSSEL, THE OTHER WRIGHT
While the famous Frank Lloyd Wright was introducing Americans to modernist architecture, the lesser-known (and unrelated) Russel Wright was bringing modern design into the American home. Beginning in 1939 with the introduction of his colorful American Modern (the most widely sold American ceramic dinnerware in history), Wright designed numerous lines of popular dinnerware, in addition to top-selling wooden furniture, spun aluminum dining accessories, and textiles.
With the marketing prowess of his wife Mary (also a talented designer), Wright’s simple, practical style was influential in persuading ordinary Americans to embrace Modernism in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Wright's trademarked signature was the first to be identified with lifestyle-marketed products, paving the way for personality-driven lifestyle empires such as Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren and others.
Scott Timm is a Russel Wright collector and enthusiast, and will display items from his personal collection to illustrate the range of Wright’s genius. Timm is also director of programs and outreach for MDPL.
