PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Fri, Oct 4 | 7–8:30pm
Combat Hippies: Words vs. War
Sometimes looking behind us helps move us forward. Don’t miss this special in-gallery, spoken-word performance by lead performers of Combat Hippies, an ensemble of military veteran performing artists. Engaging with select works, the Combat Hippies will “talk back” to the art, exploring the impact of war for those on active duty, for those returning to civilian life, and for those who await them and then welcome them home. After the performance, stick around for an opportunity to “talk back” together with the performers.
Free and open to the public | RSVP
Fri, Oct 11 | 6–9pm
Second Shift
It’s SoBe’s best-kept nightlife secret: when the other happy hours wind down, we keep the killer specials going! For a sophisticated date night that will be kind on your wallet, pencil in a stop at The Wolf. First take a free guided tour of the galleries at 6pm, then head downstairs to the Design Store for half-priced beer, wine, and mixed drinks. After pregaming with our one-two punch of culture and cocktails, you’ll be right in the heart of the action only a couple of blocks from Ocean Drive—perfectly situated to hit the town in style.
Free and open to the public; drinks available for purchase
Fri, Oct 11 | 7–8:30pm + Sat, Oct 12 | 1–2:30pm
Deco Through Dance
Miami Beach’s history has always been one of change and movement; from a mosquito-infested swamp, to a coconut farm, and eventually a flourishing Art Deco mecca born out of a building boom. Taking into consideration the tensions between our future-oriented city and our past, Miami-based choreographer and dancer Liony Garcia brings you Corporeal Decorum, a research-oriented dance piece designed to document and preserve Miami’s iconic Deco architecture. The program includes a guided architectural tour with architectural historian Fredo Rivera.
Presented with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, and Board of County Commissioners.
Free and open to the public | Oct 11 RSVP / Oct 12 RSVP
Thu, Oct 17 | 6–9pm
Miami Beach Culture Crawl
We’re partnering with the City of Miami Beach and neighboring institutions in select months to present free evenings of à la carte culture. Just hop on the complimentary trolley service stopping at each of the participating locations (or grab your bike or comfy walking shoes!) and take in the best of South Beach’s art, performances, screenings, and tours. Plan your night as you like it—choose a couple of spots, or make the full rounds, 6–9pm. Visit mbartsandculture.org for full details and route.
For October’s Culture Crawl, The Wolfsonian invites Miami for a special encore of Corporeal Decorum, artist Liony Garcia’s research-based dance piece inspired by Miami Beach’s iconic Deco architecture. Performances will continue throughout the night, beginning at 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30.
Free and open to the public
Fri, Oct 25 | 6:15–7pm
Viernes Gratuitos: Recorridos Guiados
Cada viernes por la noche es tu oportunidad de disfrutar de The Wolf en forma gratuita. Viernes seleccionados, disfruta de un recorrido de 45 minutos en español a las 6:15pm. Nuevos guías aportan diferentes perspectivas.
Gratis y abierto al público
Friday nights are your chance to experience The Wolf for free–plus, on select Fridays, catch a 45-minute tour in Spanish at 6:15pm. New guides bring different perspectives.
Free and open to the public
Fri, Oct 25 | 7–8:30pm
Sketching in the Galleries
Tap into your inner artist by sketching in our galleries! Drawing materials, gallery stools, and professional bilingual instruction provided to participants of all ages and skill levels. English/Spanish
Free and open to the public; walk-in basis, no RSVP required
Fri, Oct 25 | 8–11pm
Foggy Windows
Turn up the heat with Foggy Windows, a traveling talk show and party that seeks to answer a simple question: why doesn’t anyone slow dance anymore? Through conversation and performance, Foggy Windows invites you to investigate the adventure and absurdity of modern romance, culminating in a night of slow dancing in a foggy “ballroom.” Sip complimentary cocktails by Bacardi as host Jason Fitzroy Jeffers dives into our collection to explore modes of communication and technology and how they tend to keep us apart—or bring us closer together. We supply the fog, you bring the steam.
$15, free for members | Tickets
Weekly on Fri | 6–6:45pm
Free Friday Guided Tours
Learn more about The Wolfsonian and related art and design themes during a 45-minute free guided tour of the building, collection, or exhibitions. New guides bring different perspectives each week!
Free and open to the public
EXHIBITIONS + INSTALLATIONS
Through Feb 2
Cuban Caricature and Culture: The Art of Massaguer
With his biting political satire, celebrity caricatures, and magazine and advertising illustrations, graphic artist Conrado Walter Massaguer (1889–1965) helped shape the visual culture of his native Cuba between the 1920s and 1950s. This installation of works recently gifted to The Wolfsonian Library by Vicki Gold Levi will bring forth Massaguer’s legacy through dozens of works, from images of the “New Woman” flapper ideal (the so-called “Massa-girls”) in his magazine Social to depictions of tropical paradise for the Cuban Tourist Commission. Massaguer’s transnational reach will be shown in his covers for Collier’s and Life, while cartoons of visiting dignitaries and Hollywood stars will reveal how he rubbed shoulders with Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, and the King of Spain—all evidence of an artist at the center of Havana’s cosmopolitan culture in the decades before the Cuban Revolution.
Through Jan 26
Caricaturas
Caricature combines portraiture with satirical wit and style. In conjunction with Cuban Caricature and Culture, our installation about Conrado Walter Massaguer—one of the leading practitioners of the form in Latin America—this display from our library collection presents works of his contemporaries from Mexico and his native Cuba, where caricature was especially vital in the early and mid-twentieth century, promoting celebrity culture and contributing to political critique. The caricatures on display include such revered and reviled world leaders as President Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth II, Fulgencio Batista, Fidel Castro, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler; celebrities like George Bernard Shaw, Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico Caruso, Diego Rivera, and Charlie Chaplin; and portraits and self-portraits of famous caricaturists like Miguel Covarrubias and Xavier Cugat.
Ongoing
Deco: Luxury to Mass Market
“Art Deco” has come to evoke a set of styles that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s out of aspirations to fuse art and industry into a modern language of design. From exquisite handcrafted objects to streamlined household appliances, the items on display in Deco will demonstrate how American designers adapted a style associated with European luxury to the demands of industrial mass production. Through decorative arts, product design, architecture, and graphics from the Wolfsonian collection, the exhibition will trace Art Deco’s origins in Europe, its migration to the United States, and its evolution into a fully American style—perhaps most spectacularly realized on Miami Beach in the 1930s.
Deco: Luxury to Mass Market is made possible by Diane and Alan Lieberman and the South Beach Group, with the support of Jamestown, L.P., and Saul and Jane Gross and Streamline Properties.
Ongoing
Art and Design in the Modern Age: Selections from the Wolfsonian Collection
These galleries provide an overview of the museum’s holdings of American and European artifacts from 1850 to 1950. Culled from The Wolfsonian collection are approximately three hundred works in a variety of formats, ranging from books, posters, and postcards to decorative arts, architectural models, paintings, and sculptures. Focal points include design reform movements, urbanism, industrial design, transportation, world’s fairs, advertising, and political propaganda. Inaugurated in November 1996, this ongoing exhibition is periodically updated.
ABOUT THE WOLFSONIAN–FIU
The Wolfsonian is a museum, library, and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design, to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, historical, and technological changes that have transformed our world. The collection comprises approximately 180,000 objects from 1850 to 1950—the height of the Industrial Revolution through the aftermath of the Second World War—in a variety of media including furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and medals.
The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL. Admission is $12 for adults; $8 for seniors, students, and children ages 6–18; and free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, and children under 6. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 10am–6pm; Friday, 10am–9pm; Sunday, noon–6pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at wolfsonian.org for further information.