Modernism Museum
145 E 4th Ave,
Mt Dora, FL 32757352-385-0034
Mt Dora, FL 32757352-385-0034
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AT A GLANCE: Modern Museum
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Parking
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Plentiful and free,
street parking.
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Amount of time needed
to peruse exhibits:
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45 – 60 minutes hour
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Amount of time needed
for gift shop
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30 – 45 minutes
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The “must have”
souvenir
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Colorful glass
objects
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Online shopping
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Yes
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Kid friendly shopping
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Yes
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Kid friendly
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Yes
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Dress code
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Dress tastefully. Sassy hats are welcome.
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Be sure to…..
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Watch the introductory
film, and things will make sense (in terms of art).
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Nearby/other
establishments to visit
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Cupcake Delights. Try the chocolate cupcake.
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Walkability, general
downtown area / amount of traffic
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You will need a car or
other transportation to reach Mt. Dora.
The downtown area is walkable.
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Safety, in terms of
type and number of crimes committed in general area
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Like Vero Beach and
Winter Park, Mt. Dora is a high-rent area.
While thieves would probably target one of the BMWs or Mercedes, keep
your valuables out of site and lock your car.
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Sometimes visual arts
and I don’t see eye-to-eye, and the recent trip to Mt. Dora reinforced that
fact. There’s a saying in retail sales
that is appropriate to this week’s visit to the Modernism Museum, which is located
in Mt. Dora, Florida:
One man’s dream is another man’s
dog
Many folks in retail
sales fall into the trap of actively selling items that they personally like,
assuming we all have the same taste. We
don’t. If a shop owner stocked only
these things, business would become sparse quickly. Hence, the above saying translates to: “just
because you don’t like it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it as part of your
inventory.”
Many use the terms “Modern
Art” and “Contemporary Art” interchangeably, nevertheless they aren’t the
same. Modern Art refers to pieces
created from the approximately the 1860s to the 1960s. It encompasses Impressionists (Monet),
Surrealists (Dali), and Cubism (Picasso).
This period in art is dubbed “Modern Art” because artists didn’t follow
the rules laid down by centuries of previous artists. They did their own thing, using shape and
color in their art to depict what was felt as opposed to the photo-like
creations that captured real life.
Contemporary Art
are those pieces created in our modern times, somewhat explaining why we toss
these words around with no abandon. Even
though Contemporary Art existed in the 1950s, Pop Art (Warhol) is used by many
to depict the beginning of the Contemporary Art movement. Andy Warhol used everyday items as his subjects,
with his Tomato Soup Can work being one of his most recognizable.
The avalanche of
Contemporary artists who created pieces since Warhol is an overload of color
and shape. This new art branched into
several directions, with some overlapping and some that are miles apart. Take a look at this screenshot listing the “schools”
within the Contemporary Art crusade:
These are the main
schools of art; there are more categories than can fit on a screenshot, especially
in the 1950s and 1960s. In today’s blog,
I discuss the Memphis school, which doesn’t appear on the list. It’s a smaller sub-school of the Postmodern
Art of the 1980s.
According to our
docent, the Memphis movement took its name from a Bob Dylan song:
Oh, Mama, can this really be the
end
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the
Memphis blues again
To be stuck inside of Mobile with the
Memphis blues again
Ettore Sottsass, an
architect by trade, is credited with defining the Memphis school in the 1980s by
introducing new colors and materials, and by influencing designs in glassware
and ceramics. Memphis Art is art for
everyday people, instead of the select wealthy collectors (source: http://images.slideplayer.com/5/1554768/slides/slide_9.jpg).
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| Watch the introductory film in the conference room |
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| This is a bed. Honest. |
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| A brightly colored plastic chair |
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| An explanation of Memphis Style Art |
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| A furnished room |
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| Verbiage for the vanity in previous photo |
To be honest, it’s not
my style, but is my “dog.” Who would
ever think that Memphis Art is anyone’s “dream?” Here’s a hint…
Ziggy played guitar, jamming good
with Weird and Gilly
And the spiders from Mars. He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man, then we were Ziggy's band
And the spiders from Mars. He played it left hand
But made it too far
Became the special man, then we were Ziggy's band
David Bowie owned one
of the largest collections of Memphis art, which is currently on loan to the
Modernism Museum. This is as close as
perfection in terms of matching art with a collector, and I can’t imagine
anyone other than Bowie owning and using these pieces.
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| Photo from book "David Bowie Is" |
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| Yes, he is. |
Dream? Dog?
You decide. I have no argument either
way.
What I do consider a dream;
however, is the gift shop affiliated with the Modernism Museum. I like that they went all out in creating
their gift shop instead of tucking it away in a corner in the main museum. To visit it, exit through the museum’s front
doors and cross the street. It’s big,
beautiful, colorful and it supports the Museum’s vision:
“We believe in
the power of art, craft, and design to ignite the imagination, stimulate
thought and provide enjoyment. Through our collections and programs we strive
to bring authentic objects and stories into people’s lives. We uphold the
values of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. Our purpose is to inspire people
to learn from art, craft, and design, and to enrich their quality of life.”
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| The gift shop is in a separate building located across the street |
Step into the gift
shop, and there is no doubt that this supports the Modernism Museum with its bright
colors, plastics, and glassware. Although
I saw no refrigerator magnets, branded wearables, or shot glasses, this is one of my favorite gift shops. I absolutely love the colors in it.
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| Welcome to the gift shop! |
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| The shop has many items for younger children |
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| Pedestrian jewelry |
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| Statement jewelry |
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| This is the gift shop combo I would have purchased for myself, in addition to the colorful merchandise. |
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| I firmly believe that every gift shop should have a "Sale" table |
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| Bright wooden owls |
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| Mt. Dora downtown |
Mt. Dora is a pleasant
town, another area settled by wealthy snowbirds that came to Florida to ride
out cold winters in the north. It has a
charming downtown area, which I encourage strolling through. The one shop that I strongly recommend is the
Cupcake Delights. Try their decadent chocolate
cupcake in accord with a cup of coffee.
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| Stop here for delicious cupcakes and coffee |
Mt. Dora may be out of
the way for some, but I vouch for it as being a good use of time. Taken together, Mt. Dora, the Modernism Museum and its gift shop is a “dream.”
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