Sept 9, 2011. 7:00 p.m.
This September, the Wolfonian Museum at FIU presents the film Twilight at the World of Tomorrow: Genius, Madness, Murder and the 1939 World’s Fair’s on the Brink of War by James Mauro (2010).
The summer of 1939 was an epic turning point for America – a brief window between the Great Depression and World War II. It was the last season of unbridled hope for peace and prosperity; by Labor Day, the Nazis were in Poland. And nothing would come to symbolize this transformation from acute optimism to fear and dread more than the 1939 New York World’s Fair. A glorious vision of the future, the Fair introduced television, the fax machine, nylon, and fluorescent lights.
The “World of Tomorrow,” as it was called, was a dream city built upon a notorious garbage dump – The Great Gatsby’s infamous ash heaps. Yet these lofty dreams would come crashing down to earth in just two years. From the fair’s opening on a stormy spring day, everything that could go wrong did: not just freakish weather but power failures and bomb threats. The Wolfsonian Book Club explores literary works whose subjects are relevant to current exhibitions and collection themes. To join or to RSVP: 305.535.2644 or [email protected].
Wolfsonian Museum-FIU
1001 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305.531.1001
www.wolfsonian.org
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