Modernism Museum

Modernism Museum

145 E 4th Ave,
Mt Dora, FL 32757352-385-0034

https://www.modernismmuseum.org/

AT A GLANCE:  Modern Museum
Parking	Plentiful and free, street parking.
Amount of time needed to peruse exhibits:	45 – 60 minutes hour
Amount of time needed for gift shop	30 – 45 minutes
The “must have” souvenir	Colorful glass objects
Online shopping	Yes
Kid friendly shopping	Yes
Kid friendly	Yes
Dress code	Dress tastefully.  Sassy hats are welcome.
Be sure to…..	Watch the introductory film, and things will make sense (in terms of art).
Nearby/other establishments to visit	Cupcake Delights.  Try the chocolate cupcake.
Walkability, general downtown area / amount of traffic	You will need a car or other transportation to reach Mt. Dora.  The downtown area is walkable.
Safety, in terms of type and number of crimes committed in general area	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.

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. 

http://moma.org

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:

 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_art#1960s

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

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).

 

Watch the introductory film in the conference room

This is a bed.  Honest.

A brightly colored plastic chair

An explanation of Memphis Style Art

A furnished room

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

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.

 

Photo from book "David Bowie Is"

 

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.”

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.

 

Welcome to the gift shop!

The shop has many items for younger children

 

Pedestrian jewelry

Statement jewelry

This is the gift shop combo I would have purchased for myself, in addition to the colorful merchandise.

I firmly believe that every gift shop should have a "Sale" table

Bright wooden owls

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. 

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.”