What an amazing weekend we had celebrating Art Deco at WMODA in our sold-out series of lecture sessions. Louise Irvine, our Executive Director & Curator, kicked off the weekend sessions with a fabulous introduction to all our Flappers, Vamps and Divas created by the great porcelain houses of Europe. Stephanie Sabato, emeritus professor of design from Kansas City, Missouri, put everything in context with her survey of Art Deco forms in What, Where, Why. Sharon Koskoff, the President of the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches, rounded off the programs each day with personal insights into the preservation of Florida’s architectural gems from her first meetings with Barbara Capitman, the Queen of Art Deco to her own accolades as the Duchess of Deco.

Louise led several guided tours of the Art Deco gallery at WMODA, and guests enjoyed sweet bites and bubbly, also known as “giggle water” in the Roaring Twenties. Many guests had fun with our new Art Deco Trivia Trail, assisted by our amazing team of staff and volunteers who greeted guests in the museum galleries. Claudia Bailey and Judy Cooper even dressed flapper-style for the era. Liannette Marquez brought her grandmother’s stunning flapper dress, which was weighed down with thousands of tiny seed beads. We were thrilled to meet Deedle Khan, who had lived through the entire century, having reached her 101st birthday!

George Neary, the interim director of the Miami Design Preservation League, introduced many new Art Deco fans to WMODA, and experts such as Joel Levine dropped in with friends from Miami Beach to hear the lectures. We were also delighted to welcome Lucretia and Wayne Weiner on their first visit to WMODA, having been intrigued by the museum on Art Loft, the PBS show.  Many of our guests signed up for our new Membership program, which was launched during the weekend.

The WMODA Museum Shop featured Art Deco jewelry by Esther Gold, who has been an avid collector of antique jewelry throughout her career in New York. Many years ago, she had the good fortune to discover a cache of miniature treasures in Providence, RI, once known as the “Jewelry Capital of the World.”  Now, at her home in Delray Beach, she reimagines costume jewelry designs from the Art Nouveau and Art Deco eras into gorgeous necklaces and earrings with sterling silver chains.

Several local artists attended the event, including Scherry Donato, who created stunning Art Deco-style fused glass designs to sell in the museum shop for the occasion. Glass artist, Chelsea Rousso, talked to guests about her Unity in the Community project and her next creative glass workshop on May 17 during our International Museum Day Celebration.

Mirela Popovici, who makes Murano-style glass beads, will be returning for International Museum Day on May 18, when we celebrate miniature masterpieces along with Wendy Chercass, who creates stunning jewelry with tiny beads. Mauro and Diane Gennaretti will also be back that weekend to talk about their Italianissimo collection of Murano jewelry. Save the date for the next exciting weekend at WMODA.

International Museum Day Celebration at WMODA - WMODA | Wiener Museum