Originally published on http://detroitmodernismweek.com:
Detroit Modernism Week
A week of events in Detroit regarding Deco, Midcentury Modernism and architecture and design
The Detroit Area Art Deco Society is proud to organize Detroit Modernism Week, a week structured around events celebrating the Detroit area’s mid‐century modernist architecture and design.
The Deco Society has partnered with many local nonprofit groups and organizations in order to bring several tours, lectures and events to the public. “Our goal is to increase awareness about the Detroit area’s mid‐century architecture and design,” said Deco Society president Jeffrey Chappell.
The Deco Society is an all‐volunteer nonprofit organization in its 33rd year. The organization is has worked to put together a collection of events that range from a lecture on designer Alexander Girard to a tour of downtown Detroit’s Lafayette Park. “We partnered with several different groups in order to describe a range of types of events in this schedule – and realized that there are many Modern‐themed events.
A full schedule of the events is available at www.detroitmodernismweek.com
The Detroit Area Art Deco Society is a private not‐for‐profit corporation founded in 1986 by a group of collectors and enthusiasts interested in the decorative objects, architecture, preservation and design of the Art Deco period. The non‐staffed organization is operated by a highly dedicated Board of Directors and a committed pool of on‐call volunteers, providing education, documentation and design assistance to the community.
Detroit Designs the World
“Without Detroit, you don’t have mid-century modern or modernism in the way that we know it today.”
-Jeannette Pierce, The City Institute Director, Detroit Experience Factory
“Detroit Designs the World” is a 35-minute documentary that features sites from the list of National Registered Historic Places including: Cranbrook, the Highland Park Ford Plant, and the GM Tech Center. These sites have been selected based not only on the merits of their architects, styles, and purposes, but on the fact that they are recognized as iconic landmarks that are symbolic of Detroit in many ways: as a city that was once an economic powerhouse, as an influential model of inventive industrial design, and as a community with unique architecture, rich history, and an incredible story to share.
Viewers will enjoy a survey of Detroit-area architecture, delve into the historical stories associated with each site, and trace the storyline of how the groundbreaking work of world-renowned architects, artists, and designers influenced inventive industrial design throughout the world.
Works explored include:
Albert Kahn’s Highland Park Ford Plant
Eliel Saarinen: Cranbrook
Albert Kahn’s Fisher Building
Eero Saarinen: GM Tech Center
Mies Van der Rohe: Lafayette Park
Minoru Yamasaki: McGregor Memorial Conference Center
