Charlotte Studio to Present on “Timeless Modernism;” Archivist to Discuss “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs”

Two world-class experts will visit Mint Museum Uptown next week to illuminate the excitement behind World’s Fairs – events that debuted new items ranging from hot dogs and ice cream to premier decorative arts in the days before the Internet and electronic media allowed the sharing of new ideas.

The public is invited to register for exciting presentations from the Design Within Reach studio – whose staffers are experts on the “timeless modernism” of furniture designs which premiered as early as the World’s Fairs of the 1930s and remain popular today – and the national archivist from Tiffany & Co., who will be visiting from New York to present about the jeweler’s rich history of bringing its designs to World’s Fairs. Registration is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings, by visiting the front desks of either of The Mint Museum’s two locations, or by calling 704.337.2107.

The gallery talk on “Timeless Modernism” will occur on Wednesday, November 6 at 7 p.m. within the galleries where the groundbreaking exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939 remains on display through January 19. The presentation is limited to 30 participants and spots are still available. The event is free for Mint members and for college students with valid ID, but non-members must pay $10 adult exhibition admission to Inventing the Modern World in order to enter the gallery.

Leading the discussion is Kari Woldum, Vice President of Merchandising at Design Within Reach, where she manages the merchandising and product development departments. Leveraging her passion for design and modernism, her role at DWR has spanned the entire assortment, from sofas and beds to floor coverings and dining chairs. Woldum is responsible for developing and curating the full product line. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder and spent some years in magazine publishing before discovering her true passion: seeking out the best in authentic modern design.

Next Sunday, November 10, Tiffany & Co. Archivist Annamarie V. Sandecki will speak in the Duke Auditorium at 3 p.m. on “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs.” The lecture is free to Mint members and college students with valid ID, but requires general museum admission for non-members ($10 general adult admission, plus an optional additional $10 to visit the Inventing the Modern World exhibition before or after the talk). The Tiffany & Co. Archives preserve, maintain, and make available materials relating to the history of Tiffany as a jeweler and silversmith. Sandecki also administers a collection of hundreds of Tiffany objects spanning the company’s history, and is responsible for the acquisition of additional Tiffany designs through auctions and estate sales.

Sandecki received her bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Delaware, and continued her education in the museum administration masters program at New York University. She is a member of American Association of Museums, the Society of Jewelry Historians and the New York Silver Society.

The Inventing the Modern World exhibition contains several Tiffany & Co. designs, including a priceless corsage ornament from 1900 made from Montana sapphires, diamonds, and platinum. The exhibition was organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and traveled to the New Orleans Museum of Art before making its final stop at the Mint. So, the Mint is the final place anywhere in the world for the public to see the approximately 200 objects shown during the major World’s Fairs from 1851 to 1939, many of which had never before left their home countries, all under one roof. Major support for this exhibition was provided by Wells Fargo, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition is brought to Charlotte through generous support from Duke Energy, Novant Health, Rodgers Builders, and the Southern Christmas Show.

Both events will occur at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Above image: Tiffany & Co., Unites States (New York), 1837-present. Corsage Ornament, 1900. Montana sapphires, diamonds, demantoid garnets, topaz, blued steel, gold alloys, and platinum. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Acquired by Henry Walters, 1900, 57.939

Charlotte Studio to Present on “Timeless Modernism;” Archivist to Discuss “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs”

Both events will occur at Mint Museum Uptown at Levine Center for the Arts, 500 South Tryon Street in Charlotte.

Show will feature decorative arts and design innovations from the world’s great cultural capitals

A groundbreaking international exhibition is set to arrive at Mint Museum Uptown this fall. Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851—1939presents outstanding examples of glass, furniture, jewelry, ceramics, precious metalwork, and textiles displayed at the world’s fairs between London’s Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in London in 1851 and New York’s World’s Fair in 1939.

“The Mint is pleased to offer Charlotte audiences and the region a blockbuster exhibition celebrating art that is beautiful, inspiring, and historically significant,” said Dr. Kathleen V. Jameson, President & CEO of the Mint. “This nationally touring exhibition will be accompanied by one of the most exciting slates of in-depth and innovative programming we’ve ever hosted.”

Inventing the Modern World comprises approximately 200 objects shown during the major world’s fairs from 1851 to 1939 – a journey through the major cultural capitals of the world. Large and small in scale, these seminal objects are culled from private and public collections, primarily in America and Europe. Many of these objects have never before left their respective institutions or countries. Among the many lenders are The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Designmuseum Danmark, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. The exhibition was co-organized by the Carnegie Museum of Art and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, and traveled to the New Orleans Museum of Art before making its final stop at the Mint, where it will be on view from September 22 through January 19, 2014.

“We wanted to bring this exhibition to Charlotte because it truly does present the best examples of decorative arts from the second half of the 19th century through the first half of the 20th,” says Brian Gallagher, Curator of Decorative Arts at the Mint. “The exhibition also complements two of our museum’s greatest strengths: historical decorative arts and contemporary craft and design, and so we knew that our members and supporters would especially enjoy it.”

World’s fairs were important places for debuting advancements in modern living. “In the decades before television commercials, much less the Internet, these fairs were one of the primary vehicles through which people could learn about other cultures and other countries,” says Gallagher. “They were a place for people to see the latest works of art and design created in other countries as well as their own.”

Some fairs were broad in scope, displaying decorative arts alongside paintings, sculpture, industrial design and agricultural products; others concentrated on exhibiting decorative arts alone. Both types of expositions functioned as showcases and marketplaces for design. Above all, they democratized design, exposing countless visitors and others to the latest artistic and technological achievements of their time.

Exhibition highlights include an extraordinary Fabergé tiara fashioned from thousands of tiny rose-cut diamonds set on knife-edge mounts, which gives the tiara the appearance of woven lace. Acclaimed firms such as Tiffany & Co., Lalique, Cartier, and Boucheron are also represented at the exhibition through superlative examples of their works.

Inventing the Modern World is the grandest exhibition ever hosted by the Mint; it is the largest exhibition since the opening of Mint Museum Uptown, and the first to take up both the third and fourth special exhibition levels. It is also the Mint’s first ticketed exhibition in over a decade. Exhibition admission is $10 for adult visitors on top of regular museum admission. Exhibition admission is free for Mint members and children under 18 when they accompany a paying adult. (Exhibition tickets are available at mintmuseum.org).

The Mint will offer a lineup of can’t-miss special events during the opening weekend of Inventing the Modern World, and Charlotteans will have the opportunity to ride a Ferris wheel beside Mint Museum Uptown throughout the weekend. Guests can preview the exhibition with an exclusive cocktail reception at the Preview Celebration on Saturday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. (Tickets are available for $200 for non-members, $100 for members, and $50 for Corporate Leadership Circle and Crown Society patrons; call 704.337.2011 to register.) Mint Museum Uptown will open early and offer special members-only hours on Sunday, September 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Coffee and light brunch fare will be offered. A private tour led by Brian Gallagher will also be offered on Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Space is limited and reserved for the Mint’s Benefactor and Sustainer members. Sunday Fun Day will also be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will include family-friendly crafts and activities celebrating the exhibition (FREE for children and Mint members, $5 general admission /$15 general + special exhibition admission for adults). On Sunday, guests can also attend a special lecture by Inventing the Modern World co-curators Jason T. Busch, Chief Curator and the Alan G. and Jane A. Lehman Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, and Catherine L. Futter, Helen Jane and R. Hugh “Pat” Uhlmann Senior Curator of Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. The lecture is at 2 p.m. and is FREE for members and non-members after museum admission. For more information on these and other events or to register for programs, visit mintmuseum.org/happenings or call 704.337.2011.

Other programming during the exhibition’s run include a lecture on “Tiffany at the World’s Fairs” by the archivist at Tiffany & Co., New York, Annamarie V. Sandecki, scheduled for November 10, and a panel discussion by contemporary experts on concepts that may change our lives in the future, “What’s Next? Inventions that will change Contemporary Living,” scheduled for December 4 and sponsored by UTC Aerospace Systems. A full listing is available at mintmuseum.org/happenings.

Major support for this exhibition was provided by Wells Fargo, the Windgate Charitable Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition is brought to Charlotte through generous support from Duke Energy, Novant Health, Rodgers Builders, and the Southern Christmas Show. In-kind support was generously provided by Adams Outdoor Advertising.

A fully-illustrated catalogue is available in the Mint Museum Shops in hardcover ($75 for non-members, $67.50 for members) and paperback ($45 for non-members, $40.50 for members).

NOTE TO MEDIA: Members of the media are invited to preview the exhibition at 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 19 at Mint Museum Uptown. Interviews with Curator Brian Gallagher and other museum officials will be available. RSVP to leigh.dyer@mintmuseum.org.