HAD-471 Art, Design, and Cultural Exchange at World's Fairs Expositions, 1851-2015

3 Credits

Spectacular and celebrator, world’ fairs and international expositions have been staged globally since the 1851s. This course explores these ambitious events as hubs of artistic and design activity and as grand narratives of prestige and progress. The course addresses theories of exhibitions, such as the “exhibitionary complex, “which shed light on reciprocal roles that fair visitors play. Emphasis is places on selected fairs such as Britain’s Great Exhibition of 1851, the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris for which the Eiffel Tower was built, the 1939 and 1964 New York World’s Fairs, the design, all of which were originally inspired by ideals of progress and demonstrations of power. The class also examines the enormous role these fairs played in promoting nationhood, art, and goods: publicizing technological and design innovation and novelty: and conveying values.