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Speed Limits exhibition, on view through February 20, 2011 |
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FEBRUARY 2011
AND SO MUCH MORE TO THINK ABOUT! |
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THE WOLFSONIAN–––
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
1001 WASHINGTON AVE
MIAMI BEACH, FL 33139
HOURS FOR MUSEUM, MUSEUM SHOP & DYNAMO FOOD FACTORY & CAFÉ
Noon-6pm: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
Noon-9pm: Friday
Closed Wednesday
Free admission after 6pm on Friday
PHONE
General information: 305.531.1001
Program information: 305.535.2644
Membership information: 305.535.2631
$7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children 6-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, and children under 6.
CURRENT EXHIBITIONS
| The Wolfsonian–Florida International University uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design, to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, historical, and technological changes that have transformed our world. It encourages people to see the world in new ways, and to learn from the past as they shape the present and influence the future. | |
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Hurry Over: Experience Speed Limits Before it Closes!
"Inspired!" "Thought provoking." "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful…" "Makes you think." "Poetic and true." "So relevant and yet rarely discussed." "Fantastic." "Intriguingly researched." And then, of course, many variations of, "Want to tell you how much I enjoyed this, but I don't have the time." These are a few of the many comments that museum viewers have had in response to the exhibit Speed Limits, which takes the occasion of the centenary of Italian Futurism to examine the role of speed in our lives, past and present. Is speed beautiful, as the Italian Futurists proclaimed in their 1909 manifesto? Has it enriched the world's magnificence, as they also proclaimed, and by extension our lives? Or have our lives been hijacked by the sheer speed of contemporary life? Is speed something to be celebrated or reined in? Speed Limits doesn't intend to answer these questions, but to spur the viewer to think about them. The exhibit is on view through February 20; in keeping with the tenor of parts of the exhibition, this means that time in which to view Speed Limits is running out…don't let it get away!
"The questions it poses are profound and topical in an era in which we are beginning to understand the consequences of the fast lane," critic Beth Dunlop wrote of Speed Limits in a review in the Miami Herald. The exhibit, co-organized by The Wolfsonian and the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), is curated by Jeffrey T. Schnapp, CCA senior Mellon fellow, professor at Stanford University, and visiting professor at Harvard. The exhibit presents over two hundred works from the collections of The Wolfsonian and the CCA, drawn from a wide range of media: items on view include photographs, books, drawings, posters, clocks, paintings, furniture, and video installations. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog, also titled Speed Limits ($39, co-published by The Wolfsonian, the CCA, and Skira Editore, Milan), edited by Schnapp and available in The Dynamo Museum Shop.
Speed Limits was guest designed by Miami-based architect Rene Gonzalez, who aimed to create a space that would reinforce the exhibit's themes and therefore immerse the viewer in the complex world of the exhibit. He accomplished this through a backdrop of black, white, and shades of gray, using techniques such as strategically placed mirrors and painted stripes of various widths on the floors and walls that move the viewer through the exhibit and keep things a bit off-kilter, a bit disorienting.
Although most of the items on view are not contemporary, "the provocative issues posed by this show, namely the quickening pace of our lives, and its consequences, are absolutely of our time," Dunlop wrote in her review. She called it "heady and provocative and also a lot of fun, an absorbing effort that can be read on many levels." In the New York Times' "Wheels" blog, Phil Patton commented, "Now that we live in it, the future of the Futurists appears considerably less attractive. While the dream of that sleek and speedy future inspired designers and artists, traffic jams have replaced visions of smoothly flowing freeways." And in the publication Dwell, Aaron Britt recommended that readers make their way to The Wolfsonian to view the show, saying that it "gets at the increasing pace of life in the early part of the 20th century, and reminds us how artists and designers reconciled themselves to the largest technological shift the world had seen."
So, at the risk of repeating ourselves, what are you waiting for? Don't miss it—come view or revisit Speed Limits before it's gone!
The Wolfsonian thanks the following supporters for making this exhibition possible: United Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian–FIU; Bulgari; Rene Gonzalez Architect; James Woolems and Woolems Inc.; FPL FiberNet, a leading provider of fiber-optic solutions; Tui Lifestyle; the Frances L. Wolfson Fund at Dade Community Foundation; the Funding Arts Network; and The Wolfsonian–FIU Alliance. Reception sponsored by Bacardi USA, Inc. |
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Railcar, La Littorina, c. 1937
Manufactured by Fiat
Italy
Steel, glass, wood leather, upholstery
The Wolfsonian–FIU,
The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection
1990.3.1 |
| | La Littorina En Route to Istanbul
The largest single object in The Wolfsonian's collection, La Littorina, an Italian-made self-propelled railcar powered at each end by a six-cylinder diesel engine, is currently making its way to Istanbul. It will be on long-term loan for ten years to that city's Rahmi M. Koç Museum, which will undertake a complete restoration of the railcar's interior, exterior, and engine. The Wolfsonian's Littorina (model ALn 56 1903) was manufactured in 1937 by Fiat for the Italian public railway company in response to an increasing need for mass transport that was faster and more comfortable, due in part to a growing tourist industry. La Littorina has had a somewhat itinerate history in recent years, including being on loan to two different US museums. The railcar was acquired in 1988 in southern Italy by museum founder Mitchell Wolfson, Jr., who restored it to its original condition and shipped it to Miami in 1990. It was then loaned to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum. The train sustained severe damage in 1992 due to Hurricane Andrew, and was repaired in 1993. At that point, it was transported to the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where it was on a long-term loan for several years. La Littorina's current travels began with it being picked up in Tennessee. It is travelling by boat to Turkey and will arrive in Istanbul later this month.
"We are delighted that our Littorina is finding such a suitable home in the Rahmi M. Koç Museum," says Cathy Leff, The Wolfsonian's director. "It is exciting to think of it making its way to Turkey, where it will add value to a wonderful collection and is sure to delight the museum's many visitors. At the same time, it is fascinating to consider how different this current trip is than the route and type of transit for which the railcar was originally designed." The Rahmi M. Koç Museum, founded by Turkish industrialist Rahmi M. Koç, specializes in industrial history from around the world. Located in the heart of old Istanbul, the museum opened to the public in 1994 and currently has eleven thousand square meters of gallery space. Items in the museum's collection include a submarine, originally the USS THORNBACK (SS-418), built in 1944; a 1961 Amphicar, an amphibious car designed in Germany; a 1917 Albion X-ray ambulance; a recreated olive oil factory; and a street of recreated shops including a chemist, a clockmaker, and a cobbler and blacksmith. |
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Second year FIU architecture student displaying her project, based on
an Italian Futurist painting |
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Wearing The Wolfsonian: FIU Architecture Students on Display
In an interesting twist on how to approach a museum object, second year architecture students at FIU recently completed an assignment in which they interpreted objects in The Wolfsonian's collection by translating them into wearable items. Students visited the museum, chose objects to research, and then had two weeks to come up with a design they could wear based on the object. Students presented their work in late January—using themselves as models—to a jury of their studio instructors and Wolfsonian staff members. "The assignment was about researching and critically analyzing an object and then, using themselves as the display site, creating a design that was related to the body," says Robert Holton, one of the second year studio instructors involved in the project, along with Elite Kedan and Alice Cimring, under the supervision of pre-graduate coordinator Claudia Busch. As Busch explains, "One of the questions was, how would the object intersect with the body, how would it relate to the body as a site? How would students operate on an object in order to wear it? The assignment was about performance and display, and the final product did not need to be functional."
End results reflected plenty of imagination along with solid research into the original objects. Students used materials from cardboard to fabric to papier-mâché to foam core to create their object interpretations, which were meant to reflect not only design considerations, but also political and social implications. Students chose works such as Futurist paintings, a telephone, a wrought-iron candleholder, and a teapot in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. "It was a really rich project. Students were very creative, very inspired and we got a lot of great results," says Holton. In all, forty-five students participated in the project. "At the outset, some of them didn't understand the assignment and were intimidated by the idea of using their own bodies," says Busch. "But they quickly became engaged, and were motivated by working with the collection." The idea for the assignment grew out of a brainstorming session among the instructors, explains Kedan, and was influenced in part by the avant-garde, Bauhaus "Triadisches Ballett" by artist and choreographer Oskar Schlemmer (1888-1943), in which the body is transformed into stylized, geometric shapes. This is the third year instructors have assigned a project involving The Wolfsonian to FIU's second year architecture studio. In the past they've varied the assignments each year, but they anticipate having students complete this particular assignment again in the future. "The students were able to really connect with the objects and read the stories into the designs, to imagine those objects and give them life," says Cimring. |
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Exercise machine, c. 1905
Designer unknown
Made by Health Developing Apparatus Co., Inc.
American
Aluminum, brass, steel, wood, and cotton rope
The Wolfsonian–FIU, The Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. Collection
XX1989.444 | |
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Wolfsonian Fellow Elizabeth Lee
What type of exercise is most effective? What diet is healthiest? What is a healthy weight? These concerns, so ubiquitous in today's society, are by no means unique to our times. Just ask Wolfsonian fellowship recipient Elizabeth Lee, who is researching the relationship between health, fitness, illness, and therapeutic culture as depicted in the lives and works of artists at the turn of the twentieth century in America. Lee, an assistant professor of art and art history at Dickinson College, was in residence at The Wolfsonian from early January through early February. She used her time at the museum to conduct research for the first chapter of a book titled Therapeutic Culture: Heath and Illness in Turn-of-the-Century American Art. As part of her research, Lee has been investigating questions such as what it meant to be healthy during the Gilded Age, what constituted disease, and what exercise meant. There was a health frenzy at that time, in part a reaction to disease outbreaks facilitated by industrialization—modern developments such as subway systems and crowded tenement housing were ideal breeding grounds for disease. At the same time, though, having a big belly was a sign of wealth, and cigar smoking and drinking were the norm. While people didn't go out and exercise, they were beginning to make conscious decisions about health, Lee explains. "The body, of course, was not invented in modern times, but there was something new about the place of the body in culture at that time. In the mid-nineteenth century, while one's health was tied to religious ideas and viewed as pre-ordained, not keeping the body healthy was a sin," she says. "By the Gilded Age, there had been a shift to a more secular view, and the emphasis tended to be on individual responsibility in taking charge of one's health. Health meant that a body could be a useful worker."
During her time at the museum, Lee focused on the collection materials related to physical culture. In particular, she explored the museum's holdings of Bernarr Macfadden publications. A body builder, publisher, and health advocate, Macfadden (1868-1955) produced over fifty magazines including the popular Physical Culture magazines, which told people what to eat, how to chew, what type of exercises to do, how to think about life, and more. "He probably did the most at that time to help people understand the importance of health," Lee says. "The Wolfsonian has a treasure trove of materials on him." Most of those materials were part of a recent gift from the late Robert J. Young, a longtime collector of Macfadden's publications. Lee notes that being in Miami Beach while researching the culture of the body lent an interesting backdrop to her research. "I am probably thinking about things a little bit differently than I would if I were in North Dakota," she says. The Wolfsonian's Fellowship program has hosted more than seventy scholars since its inception in 1995. This year, for the first time, the program has a thematic focus—the three fellows hosted in 2010-2011 are all researching the links between design and health in the modern era. |
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Periodical, Labor Defender, January 1933
Published by International Labor Defense, New York
The Wolfsonian–FIU, Purchase
XC2001.05.22.7 |
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Student-curated Scottsboro Trials Exhibit
"The Negro as well as the white, before the law, should be treated with understanding, and liberality. Through no fault of their own, a century or two ago, some of them were drafted as slaves by the white powers and yet that, instead of evoking sympathy, has produced belittlement and hatred," wrote author Theodore Dreiser, commenting on the Scottsboro case in the June 1931 issue of the periodical Labor Defender, on view through April 17 as part of the library's new exhibit, The Politics of Race on Trial. The "Scottsboro Boys" were nine African-American boys falsely accused of rape in March, 1931 by two white girls also "riding the rails" in search of work during the hard times of the Great Depression. The boys were quickly tried and condemned to death, but their cause was taken up by the Communist Party's legal arm, the International Labor Defense, which brought the case to repeated trials and finally to the Supreme Court in 1937; four of the defendants were released while the others spent many more years in prison before pardon, escape, or death.
The exhibit, which features pamphlets, handbills, periodicals, a songbook, an unpublished manuscript illustrated with linoleum cuts, books, and other materials, was co-curated by Brian Orfall as an outgrowth of his coursework for an MA degree in history at FIU and by Francis X. Luca, The Wolfsonian's chief librarian and an adjunct professor of history at FIU. This is the first library exhibit to be co-curated by a single student; groups of students have co-curated selected previous exhibits. Orfall, a history teacher at William H. Turner Technical Arts High School, was enrolled last spring in Luca's FIU graduate-level course, "The Great Depression and New Deal Era," and as a project chose to curate an exhibit based on the Scottsboro trials because it combined three major historical interests for him: civil rights, African American history, and the history of the country's railroads. The assignment was to produce an exhibit in Powerpoint, which he did, but after the semester he continued working with Luca on the materials to produce a full-fledged exhibit. "It was incredible. I was looking through a complete range of primary source materials. It was really exciting to work with some of these controversial materials," Orfall says. His experience working on the exhibit, his first, has influenced his classroom teaching; he now has students work on virtual exhibits, including researching and producing labels.
"Curating an exhibit is a great learning opportunity for students, many of whom have not worked directly or extensively with these types of primary sources. We're lucky to be able to give students the access and opportunity to have this learning experience," says Luca. "Most history graduate students are not accustomed to thinking about these materials from a curatorial point of view, which requires that they consider not only the content but also the visual impact of the materials, how best to display them, and how to organize these sources in space to tell a story. Working on exhibits exposes students to a whole new way of thinking about materials." The exhibit will be used as a teaching tool for multiple FIU history classes this semester including Luca's course, "America Sees Red: Communism and Anti-communism in Film and History." |
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Wolfsonian Visionaries member Olga Granda-Scott |
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Talking with Visionaries Member Olga Granda-Scott
Olga Granda-Scott lives and works in Coral Gables, where she is director of design and public relations at Alhambra (Antiques), founded by her father in 1988. The store specializes in French and Italian furniture, lighting, accessories, and fine art, and hosts a rotating series of exhibitions by contemporary artists, which she oversees. Granda-Scott, who also sidelines as an interiors consultant, grew up in the business and began accompanying her father on buying trips when she was fifteen. The business combines many of her interests: a religion major in college, she also has a deep knowledge of art history, an extensive early background in ballet, and is fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish. She has been an active member of the Visionaries, not only serving on the museum's Quince committee, but also securing a new museum sponsor (TotalBank) for the brunch with Isabella Rossellini and Bruce Weber.
What role does design play in your everyday life?
Our business is entirely driven by design and aesthetics. I am responsible for the design and content of our showroom. My goal is to make it enticing, the kind of place where clients want to make repeated visits.
What are your goals for being a member of the Visionaries?
I would like to see the Visionaries successfully establish a fund to bring great minds from the international world of design that complements the programming of the museum. I would also like to help grow the membership to include more dynamic young people from other fields.
What's your favorite object in The Wolfsonian?
I've had an interest for many years in the World's Fairs and Expositions, collecting some ephemera myself, so I am drawn to that particular collection. I love the medal designed by Pierre Turin for the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Moderne in Paris in 1925. This Exposition was responsible for the creation of the term "Art Deco" and this medal really embodies the epitome of the Art Deco style.
When in life are you most aware of design?
In my own home, in wanting to create an atmosphere that is comfortable but stimulating.
Do you have a favorite or very meaningful object in your home?
I have a didactic "poster" from the nineteenth century when the Jesuit missionaries were working in China. It is interesting because the central image is of Jesus Christ and then it has many scenes from his life and the life of the Church, but all the saints are painted to resemble Chinese men, in their clothing and appearance. I love it because it is colorful, it epitomizes an era, but it also demonstrates the syncretistic propaganda methods used by the Jesuits at that time.
Why does design matter?
Design matters because it can be responsible for matters of vital importance, whether it be the safety of a structure, or sending a message that starts a movement. A subtle correction made by a designer can change a message that might reach millions of people. So every design element counts, no matter how trivial it may seem. Design isn't just about aesthetics, it is also about function, but it is pure art when those two are seamlessly intertwined. |
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Eva Pitcher Set, available through The Dynamo Museum Shop |
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Valentine's Day Gifts to Love from The Dynamo Museum Shop
The handmade porcelain Eva Pitcher Set ($315), with its gorgeous, flowing lines and compelling back-story (it's designed by the legendary Eva Zeisel in collaboration with KleinReid, which calls her "everyone's favorite 104-year-old designer"), is practically guaranteed to result in a Valentine's Day for the history books. The only problem, besides the fact that the recipient may feel compelled to create a shrine for the pitchers, is the likelihood that one's other material possessions will pale in comparison. For a very different type of eye-catching gift, don't miss the striking rubber necklaces ($60) in white, blue, or black, designed by Rosanna Contadina of substantial-looking but lightweight links of neoprene, a type of rubber used in the car and motorcycle industries. Rubber jewelry doesn't say Valentine's Day loudly enough for you? Then shift your attention to the unusual necklaces, bracelets, and rings designed by Patricia von Musulin, many with semi-precious materials, such as the crackled pebbly-shaped rock crystal necklace ($700) and the selection of several dramatic Lucite cuff bracelets ($700-$1,200). Searching for the perfect gift for him, one to light that fire? Check out the sleek, understated metal lighter ($25) from Carl Mertens (sorry, we couldn't resist)…and for those Valentine's Day grinches (you know who you are) in search of gifts that say, "This is not my holiday, but I went out and got you this anyway," the ceramic skull trinket box ($200) designed by Tony Moxham and Mauricio Paniagua should do the trick. For more information: paola@thewolf.fiu.edu or 305.535.2680. |
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| | Going Soon/Coming Soon
• Speed Limits isn't the only exhibition closing this month; Advertising for Health, an installation that explores nearly a century of medical advertising, closes on February 28. On view on the fifth floor, the installation features rare advertisements and other printed objects from the Americas and Europe from the late nineteenth century through the Second World War that reflect changing ideas about health.
• Join the Boas Poetry Group on Friday, February 11 for a celebration of speed-themed poems—the group brings together non-poets for round-robin poetry readings. Begin with a guided tour of Speed Limits at 6pm (optional) followed by a poetry reading and discussion at 7pm in which participants share poems (not their own) on the topic of speed.
• We've got another great Dyno'Nite coming your way on Friday, February 18 with author and art conservator Rosa Lowinger discussing and signing her book Tropicana Nights: The Life and Times of the Legendary Cuban Nightclub (2005). Dyno'Nite events celebrate the talents, accomplishments, and interests of the local community.
• We're screening the first documentary to explore the intersections between Islam and homosexuality, A Jihad for Love. View the film on Sunday, February 27 at 2pm, as part of the ongoing film series Interfaithout! Reclaiming Our Faith; films are free and each is followed by a moderated discussion and reception. |
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On view through February 20, 2011 | | | | |  | |
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The Wolfsonian–FIU gratefully acknowledges our current publication, program, and exhibition supporters:
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; the Jerome A. Yavitz Charitable Foundation; the Rockefeller Foundation; FIU Division of Information Technology: University Technology Services; James Woolems and Woolems, Inc.; National Endowment for the Arts; Institute for Museum and Library Services; Isabel and Marvin Leibowitz; Bulgari, Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; The Batchelor Foundation; Frances L. Wolfson Fund at Dade Community Foundation; The Cowles Charitable Trust; Youth Arts Enrichment Program of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, and The Children's Trust, The Trust is a dedicated source of revenue established by voter referendum to improve the lives of children and families in Miami-Dade County; FPL FiberNet, a leading provider of fiber-optic solutions; Tui Lifestyle; Carnival Foundation; Rene Gonzalez Architect; the South Florida Group of Northwestern Mutual; Funding Arts Network; and The Wolfsonian–FIU Alliance.
The Wolfsonian–FIU thanks the following supporters of the Speed Limits exhibition:
The Wolfsonian–FIU is proud to receive ongoing support from:
The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; the William J. and Tina Rosenberg Foundation; United Airlines, the Official Airline of The Wolfsonian–FIU; and Bacardi USA, Inc.
ePropaganda is published monthly by The Wolfsonian–FIU.© 2011 The Wolfsonian–FIU.
Art Direction: Tim Hossler; Communications Manager: Julieth Dabdoub; Writer & Editor: Andrea Gollin; Photographer: Silvia Ros, unless otherwise noted. |
  
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