One of a pair of Paul Manship sculptures at the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, FL. This building is on the Post-Congress tour of Palm Beach. Photo courtesy of Jack Johnson, Miami Design Preservation League.
Art Deco World Congresses are back! The Miami Design Preservation League and the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches will host the 2023 Congress in April. To give us a talk on Miami Art Deco architecture, as well as a preview of the upcoming gathering of Art Deco organizations from around the world, is Jack Johnson, Chair of the Miami Preservation League.
The talk will be preceded by the 30 minutes Art Deco Society of Los Angeles’ Annual Meeting. ADSLA Member tickets are complimentary. Non-member tickets are $12. Members should click the ticket link below and when you log into Agile, a free ticket option will appear to you. If you do not see this option, you will need to renew first.
This is a live virtual event on Zoom. If you are unable to make the live presentation, you will receive a link to view the program at your convenience for a window of time.
ART DECO MIAMI PRESENTATION:
Jack will talk about the unique style of Art Deco architecture to be found in Miami Beach and how it differs from the Art Deco buildings to be found in California. He will also discuss why and how Miami Beach became the first city in the world to recognize and preserve it's Art Deco heritage, spawning a movement that now boasts 29 Art Deco Societies all over the world. Finally, he will whet our appetites for the 16th World Congress on Art Deco, which will be held in Florida April 18-31 with the theme "Modernism: Florida's Hidden Treasures." The Pre-Congress in the Orlando area will feature Florida Southern College (built by Frank Lloyd Wright during his Art Deco period), the Maitland Art and History Museums (featuring Mayan Deco architecture and design), and the Bok Tower and Gardens (a beautiful Gothic Deco tower where we'll explore the surrounding gardens while listening to a carillon concert). We'll have our first catered dinner party at the Maitland Art and History Museums.
The World Congress in Miami Beach and Miami, will be a full week of receptions, tours, lectures, galleries, museums, music, parties and gourmet meals in breathtaking settings. Tours will include Ocean Drive of course, but also neighborhoods you've never seen even if you've visited Miami Beach before - North Miami, Collins Park Historic District, Lapidus Historic District, North Beach, Single-Family Homes, City of Miami bus tours, Lincoln Road, Flamingo Park Historic District and a closing dinner party at the iconic Victor Hotel overlooking Ocean Drive, Lummus Park and the Atlantic Ocean.
Finally, the Post-Congress in Palm Beach County, hosted by the Art Deco Society of the Palm Beaches, will include Lynn University, Boca Raton Innovative Campus, Norton Museum of Art, an outdoor Egyptian Soiree, Lake Worth Beach, Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, Lake Worth Playhouse, Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens, Armory Art Center, Paramount Building, and an outdoor closing dinner party at the Pan's Garden of the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach.
The Bok Tower in Lake Wales, FL. will be visited during the World Congress, on the bus trip from the Pre-Congress in the Orlando area to the Congress in Miami Beach. Photo courtesy of Jack Johnson, Miami Design Preservation League.
ABOUT JACK JOHNSON & THE 16th WORLD CONGRESS
Jack Johnson is Chair of the Board of Directors of the Miami Design Preservation League and a former Chair of the Board of MDPL’s sister organization, the Miami Beach Community Development Corporation. He has been a member of the MDPL Board since 2001 and a tour guide for MDPL since 2003.
He retired in 2002 from a 32 year career at the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
For the last 4 years of his career, Jack was Director of Community Planning and Development in the Miami Office of HUD. In that position, Jack administered the Community Development Block Grant, HOME and HOPWA programs for all of South Florida.
He is currently leading the production of the 16th World Congress on Art Deco, which will be held in Miami Beach/Miami April 20-28, 2023, with a Pre-Congress in Central Florida April 18-20 and a post-Congress in Palm Beach County April 28-30. The World Congresses are programs of ICADS, the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies.
Jack and his husband, Shin Shiung Huang, were married in Miami Beach in 2018.