Design Evolution: Chicago’s Century of Progress and World Fairs of the 1930s
About the Event:
When Chicago’s 1933-34 Century of Progress International Exposition was being planned and built, organizers wanted to design a distinctly modern fair but were unsure what that meant. They eventually arrived at a definition of modern that was not based on a specific aesthetic style, but instead on the use of new materials and construction processes that would meet the functional needs of a modern society. As they planned the fair, its architecture evolved from neoclassicism--the preliminary concept for the exposition--to Art Deco, with the earliest pavilions constructed with design features found at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris; to modernism and streamlining.
This richly illustrated talk will explore the evolution of designs produced for the Century of Progress Exposition, focusing on the Art Deco pavilions, and the influence of the Chicago exposition on the designs for the other American expositions, including the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair.
Even though this event is online, it will include a live PowerPoint --- with wonderful images that you will be able to see directly on your computer screen, tablet, or mobile device ---- as well as a Q&A session with participants.
Can’t join us at the time of the live event? No problem! Those who register will receive a recording of the entire program a few days after the live presentation. When you sign up for the program you have the opportunity to watch, or rewatch, the recording at a time more convenient for your schedule.
About the Speaker:
Lisa D. Schrenk, Ph.D. is Professor of Architectural History and Faculty Fellow at the University of Arizona. Her research on twentieth-century modern architecture focuses on Chicago, international expositions, and the early work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Her books include The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and Building a Century of Progress: The Architecture of Chicago’s 1933-34 World’s Fair. She has authored many articles and book chapters, several focused on exposition Art Deco. She was a consultant on, and gave the opening lecture for, the National Building Museum’s exhibit, Designing the World of Tomorrow: America's World Fairs in the 1930s. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Architectural Historians and as President of the Chicago Society of Architectural Historians. She is co-founder of ISIE, the global Institute for the Study of International Expositions. In 2020 she was named AIA Arizona Community Educator of the Year, in part for initiating and serving as faculty advisor for the UA Women in Architecture Society.
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