Promises of Paradise: Staging Mid-Century Miami
Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, Florida


Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - Sunday, January 4, 2009

Promises of Paradise: Staging Mid-Century Miami is a groundbreaking exhibition devoted to the architects, designers and urban planners of mid-20th century Miami and their contributions to American Modernism. Through an extraordinary selection of more than 200 objects from 60 lenders, the exhibition showcases the architectural designs, furniture, textiles and decorative arts of some of South Florida’s most talented and innovative designers such as Alfred Browning Parker, Morris Lapidus, George Farkas, Frederick Rank, Kay Pancoast and Fran Williams. Their collective vision shaped the indoor-outdoor lifestyle for which Florida is known today. Although the architects of mid-century Miami are widely known, the craftsmen and designers of decorative arts have been largely forgotten. Promises of Paradise will be the first to showcase their efforts and contribution to mid-century design. The exhibition incorporates a wide range of interdisciplinary fields such as architecture, history of design, city planning, historic preservation, historical studies and tourism management and a number of scholarly programs are planned to complement the exhibition that will bring an interdisciplinary audience to the University of Florida. Organized by the Bass Museum of Art (Miami, Florida), the exhibition is accompanied by a 360-page book, Miami Modern Metropolis, highlighting architecture and design at mid-century. Promises of Paradise: Staging Mid-Century Miami has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional support provided by the Florida Department of State Division of Historical Resources, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the Furthermore Foundation’s “Grants-in-Publishing” Program. Sponsored locally by ERA Trend Realty.



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