Over the years I've enjoyed many visits to the Wolfsonian since it is very close to the home of the friends that I stay with in South Beach. I originally had walked past it a few times as it doesn't have a fancy new building, instead it is located in a converted storage building. But after my first visit I was hooked. The permanent collection is very good and I have seen some great temporary exhibitions here.
As a bit of background, the museum was started with the personal collection of Mitchell Wolfson, Jr. who was and continues to be an avid collector with varied interests. I just read a short interview he did and at 80 years old he has collected and donated over 155,000 pieces to his museums. Even if he started buying on the day he was born, it still works out to more than 5 items a day. The reason the museum is in a storage building is that he bought it once he was already renting 90% of the space to store his collection.
The intent of the collection is to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design. This is accomplished with a collection that includes furniture , industrial-design objects, Glass, ceramics, metal, rare books, textiles, works on paper, paintings and more. If you like the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, war time propaganda, tourist posters, or architectural drawings, you will certainly find something of interest.
My visit this week was a bit different due to the restrictions in place due to the Coronavirus. It began with a large room for an exhibit titled The New Deal: Art Relief. On exhibit are various posters and paining that were produced by the Federal Art Project (FAP), a network or art centers set up across the country during the Great Depression funded from Washington, but administered locally. Vice President Harry Hopkins made sure that artists were included in the relief efforts saying, "hell, they've got to eat just like other people." Very relevant today as I heard people complaining that the Kennedy Centerand other arts organizations were allotted Covid relief funds.
The Next exhibit was Art For Justice, a small exhibition on racial justice focused on the Scottsboro Nine, black teenagers falsely accused of rape in 1931, and all but the youngest sentenced to death. The display included a collection of Linoleum Cut prints; issues of the Labor Defender magazine, a a publication of the Communist Party that organized the boy's defense; and a few other items.
Walking on there were some rescued architectural elements including a permanent installation of a window grille created in 1929 for the Norris Theater in Norristown, PA. It is a great piece of Art Deco architecture saved from the wrecking ball.
Finally, on the way out there was a large collection entitled, "You, Me, We, Us, Solidarity in AIDS Graphic Design with a number of posters from around the world. Again, another timely display as we are in the midst of another pandemic.
Marco Simon Tibasima (Tanzanian), designer.
Kuleana Center for Sexual Health, Mwanza, Tanzania, publisher.
On this visit, museum traffic was tightly controlled in a one way path that conveniently led to an exit through the giftshop. This museum gift shop is quite good with a selection of gifts and books including a great children's section. Even here, the founder's penchant for collecting is evident as the library shelving was reclaimed from the ASPCA Building in New York City.
Weekday visitors can find on-street free parking west of Washington, Ave.
If you are looking for a bite to eat, Puerto Sagua, nearby at 7th and Collins has been open since 1962 serving authentic affordable Cuban food in a simple, no frills setting.
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