International Art Deco
Barbara Baer Capitman, founder of the Miami Design Preservation League (MDPL), created the concept for the World Congress on Art Deco® in 1989. During an "organizing symposium" held shortly before Ms. Capitman’s death in 1990, the National Coalition of Art Deco Societies, later renamed the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS), was born.
The enthusiastic response to the first World Congress, hosted by MDPL, led to the decision to continue the World Congress as a biennial event. ICADS, which selects the sites, adopted a policy of alternating between U.S. host cities and cities around the world. The most recent World Congress was held in Melbourne, Australia in April 2007, and the 10th World Congress will be held in Montreal, Canada in May of 2009. The 11th World Congress on Art Deco will be held in May 2009 in Montreal.
