Centuries of Progress: American World's Fairs 1853 to 1982
Centuries of Progress: American World’s Fairs 1853 to 1982 January 28 to April 5, 2013 Teacher’s Guide
989-964-7125 www.marshallfredericks.org
Information on the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum Location: The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University in the Arbury Fine Arts Center, 7400 Bay Rd., University Center, MI 48710. Contact Information:
Phone: (989)964-7125 Fax: (989)964-7221 Email: [email protected]
Website: www.marshallfredericks.org
The Collection: The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum features a unique collection of hundreds of works that span the career of Marshall M. Fredericks (1908-1998), a traditional figurative public sculptor, who remained active in his metro-Detroit studios until days before his death at age 90. He is known nationally and internationally for his mon- umental figurative sculptures, public memorials, public fountains, portraits, and whimsical animal figures.
Main Gallery The Main Gallery includes around 200 works, mostly plaster models, which span a 70-year career of sculpting. The museum holdings include plaster mod- els, cast and carved sculptures, medals, jewelry, min- iatures, drawings, photos, site models, molds, arma- tures, tools, machinery and archival materials. Main Gallery highlights include: Christ on the Cross in Indi- an River, Michigan; the Fountain of Eternal Life in Cleveland, Ohio; The Expanding Universe Fountain at the State Department in Washington, D.C.; Freedom of the Human Spirit in Flushing Meadow Park, New York City; Leaping Gazelle for The Levi Barbour Foun- tain at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan; The Spirit of Detroit at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center in Detroit; and The Ford Empire at Ford Auditorium in Detroit.
The Sculptor’s Studio The Sculptor’s Studio displays a permanent exhibit of objects and artifacts from Fredericks’ studio. After his death in 1998, his entire collection of archives, artwork, studio tools, equip- ment and some personal items became part of the museum’s collection. These items are arranged in a sequence that ex- plains the casting process. A large didactic panel on the lost- wax and sand-casting methods further explains the casting process. Visitors also can view a kiosk of original images of Fredericks’ studio interior and exterior, the Sculpture Garden and an extended version of the video “The Magic of Marshall Fredericks: The Poet Lord Byron.” The Sculptor’s Studio fur- thers the mission of the museum and fulfills Fredericks’ wish of educating visitors about the process of fine art casting.
2 Temporary Exhibition Galleries The Temporary Exhibition Galleries feature changing exhibitions of national, regional and international artists and showcase works from the museum collection. Its first exhibition was Cranbrook Fundamentals, which opened Oc- tober 11, 2003, and closed March 20, 2004. Past exhibitions are listed below: Contemporary American Sculpture from the Collection of the Flint Institute of Arts (April 30, 2004 to April 30, 2005) Prints by Sculptors: From the Collection of the Flint Institute of Arts (April 30 to August 28, 2004) Visiting Scholar & Artist Series: Paul Rotterdam: Drawings (October 8, 2004, to January 22, 2005), in conjunction with the Dow Visiting Artist Series The Preacher and His Congregation: From the Collection of the Flint Institute of Arts, Photographs by James Perry Walker (February 7 to March 19, 2005), in conjunction with Black History Month Marshall M. Fredericks, (1908-1998), (April 15 to August 28, 2005) The Armature Revealed: From the Collection of the Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum (June 10 to September 24, 2005) Nature Transformed: Wood Art from the Bohlen Collection (October 14, 2005 to April 30, 2006) Marshall M. Fredericks: Selected Works from the Collection (June 1 to January 19, 2007) Cultural Reflections, Inuit Art from the Collections of the Dennos Museum Center (February 2 to May 20, 2007) Pewabic Pottery: Patronage, Private Residences, Public Buildings, Sacred Spaces, (June 1 to September 29, 2007) David Hostetler: Wood and Bronze Sculptures, (October 12, 2007 to January 22, 2008) Street Sense: A 20 year retrospective of Tyree Guyton and the Heidelberg Project, (February 8 to May 24, 2008) Regional Biennial Juried Sculpture Exhibition, (June 13 to September 20, 2008) Tangents and Waves: The Art of David Barr and Diane Carr, (October 3, 2008 to January 31, 2009) Thayer and Thayer, Paintings and Sculpture, (February 7 to May 29, 2009) The Softness of Iron: Welded Sculptures by Orna Ben-Ami, (June 12 to September 19, 2009) Breaking the Mold: Contemporary Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Sculpture and Non-Traditional Tapestries, (October 2, 2009 to January 31, 2010) Sketches to Sculptures: Rendered Reality, Sixty Years with Marshall M. Fredericks, (February 12 to June 12, 2010) Artists Portray Artists: Selections from the Kresge Art Museum Collection (October 1, 2010 to January 29, 2011) Art in Architecture: The Collaborative Spirit of the Interwar Period in Detroit (February 5 to May 28, 2011)
Visit our website at www.marshallfredericks.org/exhibitions to view more exhibitions. On that same page, click on any exhibition under “All Past Temporary Exhibitions” to find a link to videos and photographs (our Flickr page).
Sculpture Garden School groups can include a Sculpture Garden tour as part of their visit. There are approximately two dozen of Freder- icks’ sculptures on campus; most of them are close to the museum.
Admission: Admission to the Museum is free to walk-in visitors.
Tour Information: Museum tours can be scheduled by calling 989-964-7096. Arrangements for tours should be made 4 weeks in advance. Visit www.marshallfredericks.org/learn for more information about tours.
3 What is a World’s Fair? It’s similar to a festival. There are buildings of all shapes and colors. They may look like they are from another country or even another planet. Bands are playing and there are flowers and art work around every corner. Many people from across the globe come to enjoy and explore the World’s Fair. Another word to describe a World’s Fair is “exposition” or “expo” for short. In 1849 Henry Cole, a British government official, proposed an idea of an international exhibition in London in which all nations would be invited to display their products and newest ad- vancements in technology, inventions arts and more. Supported by Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it opened in Lon- don in 1851 and over 6 million people visited the fair.
What would you see at a World’s Fair? People from across the world, bands and entertainers, buildings, art, fountains, food (some familiar, others new), inventions and new technologies. People experienced traditions from many cultures around the world. Many of “the firsts” could be found at the expos such as amusement rides, popcorn, robots, and technology.
Where are they held? They are held throughout the world, most often in big cities that can handle large crowds. Many cities host the World’s Fairs when they celebrate milestones. For example, Philadelphia hosted the 1876 Exposition celebrating America’s one-hundredth birthday.
What do World’s Fairs do and how long do they last? They provide a look into the future, new inventions, new meth- ods of transportation, technology, architecture, art, entertainment, multicultur- al information, music, dancing, foods, inventions and other trends. World Fair’s Fun Fact: are not permanent. They generally last 6 months, during the warm time of the Cost for admission into the World’s year. Fair of 1876 was $50 cents, in 1982 it was $9.95
How can a World’s Fair transform an area? A trash dump in Queens, NY be- came the site of the 1939-40 and 1964 World’s Fair. It is a beautiful park today with some sculptures that still remain after the Fair was over, including Mar- shall Fredericks’ Freedom of the Human Spirit .
Some of the World’s Fairs have themes, such as The World of Tomorrow but changed to For Peace and Freedom-1939 and Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms-1933-34 What would you make the theme of one today? Have students discuss different themes.
What does “White City” mean? (Chicago 1893) The “White City” refers to the large classically inspired buildings that made up the Chicago 1893 exposition, which were temporary wood structures covered with staff, a brilliant white plaster and hemp mixture that resembled marble.
Who are the “White Rabbits”? Lorado Taft, Chicago sculptor, himself was such a hit in his day that architect Daniel Burnham tapped him for the World's Columbian Exposition. In 1893, near the same location as the “Fountain of Time,” Taft made numerous plaster sculptures for the Midway. The story is he had asked Burnham, who was in charge of the fair, if he could hire women to carry out some of these sculpture themes that were supposed to be done in a great hurry. And apparently Burnham said, "I don't care if you hire white rabbits to do that work." So Taft hired women to help him, and they called them- selves "The White Rabbits." http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/legacy-chicago-sculptor-lorado-taft
4 Where was the first Ferris Wheel located, and what happened to it? (Ferris wheel photographic reproduction) (1893) The very first Ferris wheel was built in Chicago, and designed by George W. Ferris. The Ferris Wheel was so big, that there wasn’t a space big enough to store it. Instead of building such a place, the original Ferris Wheel was blown up. It took 200 lbs. of dynamite to completely dismantle it.
What is the Panama Canal and how long did it take to build it? The Panama Canal shortcut, through the Isthmus of Panama, made it possible for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in half the time previously required rather that the longer route around South America. The shorter, faster, safer route to the U.S. West Coast and to nations in and along the Pacific Ocean allowed those places to become more integrated with the world economy. It was built in 1914 and it took 30 years. (Wikipedia)
What were the iconic images of the 1939 World’s Fair? Trylon and Perisphere. You can see them behind the building in the upper left side of the Baboon Fountain photograph below.
What is a Unisphere? (1964) Designed by landscape architect Gilmore D. Clarke, the Unisphere was donated by the United States Steel Corporation and constructed by the American Bridge Company. It is the world's largest global struc- ture, rising 140 feet and weighing 700,000 pounds. Some sources say the Unisphere weighed 900,000 pounds, a figure which included the additional weight of its 100-ton inverted tripod base. The diameter of the sphere itself was 120 feet, or 36.57 meters. It was constructed of Type 304L stainless steel. Built on the structural foundation that supported the Perisphere of the 1939–1940 New York World's Fair, the Unisphere was centered in a large, circular reflecting pool and
Marshall Fredericks created sculpture for the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs. For the 1939-40 New York World’s Fairs, Fredericks was commissioned to design a fountain for the Glass Industries Building. For its subject matter, Fredericks chose animals, a universally appealing subject, designing a ring of monumental baboon figures, each imparted with its own person- ality, with a baby baboon sitting in the middle of an 8-foot glass basin. This is called the Baboon (Fair admission tickets) Fountain or The Board of Direc-1876, 1893, 1933-1934, 1964-1965 tor’s Fountain.
Baboon Fountain or Board of Director’s Foun- Fredericks’ Freedom of the Hu- tain, 1939. The Trylon and Perisphere are man Spirit for the 1964 World’s shown behind. Fair in Flushing Meadows, Corona Park, New York was one of only four sculptures produced in durable materials as permanent additions to the park. Commissioned for the United States Pavilion, the sculpture con- sists of a male and female figure, three wild swans rising upwards in free Freedom of the Human Spirit flight all held into place by 4 trylons. Its graceful flowing lines and upward with the Unisphere in back- motion transmit Fredericks’ optimistic attitude toward life. ground, 1964.
5 was surrounded by a series of water-jet fountains designed to obscure its tripod pedestal. The effect was meant to make the Unisphere appear as if it was floating in space. (Wikipedia)
What are some of the souvenirs of the Fairs? There are two kinds of souvenirs. The first are the art and architecture that are left after the World’s Fair is torn down. An example of this is the Eiffel Tower. It was built for the 1889 Exposi- tion in Paris, France, but was left for people to remember the fair long after it was gone. The Seattle Space Needle , built like a spire, is another example. The second kind of souvenirs we are more familiar with include posters, commemorative glasses, mini models, pins, and trading cards. Some of the most popular items were from different businesses such as the small green pickle pin from the Heinz Company. Trading Cards were introduced in Philadelphia in 1876 (Advertisements and premiums dis- tributed at world’s fairs also served as souvenirs, a marketing approach still popular today.)
What is an art and architecture style that was shown at the World’s Fairs in the 1920s and 30s? Art Deco 1933-4. Marshall Fredericks sculpted in the Art Deco style. Art Deco style is classified by streamlining, stylization and simplifica- tion of form. The Art Deco style can be applied to both art and architecture of the same time period.
What was the biggest change in transportation between 1950 and today? The automobile largely replaced mass transit and many super highways were built…an American thing , but much different than Europe. Americans invested in providing affordable cars and many highways so the public would buy many cars. Public transportation growth was stunted, as opposed to Europe in which car ownership is difficult to achieve and costly for average persons.
What kind of new things (inventions, technology and more) were first introduced at the World’s Fairs to help in the home? First American patent for sewing machine issued to Elias Howe in 1846. By the 1876 Centennial Exhibition dozens of companies were competing for the attention of the American public including Wilcox & Gibbs sewing machine com- pany. Sewing machines did not go into mass production until the 1850’s when Isaac Singer built the first commer- cially successful machine. Singer Manufacturing Company exhibited at the Pan-American Exposition in 1901. Sewing needle book premiums were exhibited in Chicago in 1933-1934. Pattern books accompanied the sale of sewing ma- chines in Philadelphia, 1876. The use of electricity. At the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893, visitors were dazzled by the effects of electric lights. 90,000 lights mounted on buildings and walkways illuminated the grounds and fountains at the Court of Honor. In 1904 Thomas Edison served as chief consulting engineer for the Palace of Electricity. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition featured new electric appliances such as stoves, hot plates, washing and ironing machines, dishwashers, carpet sweepers, electric doorbells, phonographs, fire alarms, and various lighting devices. Thomas Shippen house-1926; This Colonial Revival Style home had a modern kitchen, bathroom and laundry. Modern furniture and homes-1933-34; The Home and Industrial Arts Exhibit featured 13 full-scale, low-cost, single family homes complete with furnishings. Many of these homes were relocated to the Indiana Dunes, Beverly Shores and Chicago suburbs and some can be still seen today. http://users.marshall.edu/ ~brooks/1933_Chicago_World_Fair.htm The Florida Tropical house-1933-34; Built with new technologies such as air conditioning and dishwashers. DuPont Pavilion-1939-40; Display of nylon products including toothbrushes, cellophane, brush bristles, fishing line and nylons. “Picturephone” in New York World’s Fair-1964 to 1965 (visit: http://davidszondy.com/future/Living/ picturephone.htm ) Today we have something similar called Skype. In the “The Wonder World of Chemistry” exhibit, 1964-65 , visitors could see DuPont’s machinery knitting nylon stockings. Foods: popcorn and ice cream sodas in 1876; shredded wheat, Aunt Jemima syrup, Juicy Fruit gum, Cracker Jack, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer, Quaker Oats in 1893; Wonder Bakery in 1939-40, Belgian Waffles in 1964-65.
6 How did Companies use the World’s Fairs to market their products? They created interesting displays, actually manu- factured the product on an assembly line, gave out samples or involved the public in some way. Visitors had a wonderful and educational experience.
Hitchcock, Williams & Co. of London Exhibit, Centennial Exhibition-1876 (The compa- ny displayed a case of handsome and complete costumes for ladies on wax figures).
(Hitchcock, William & Co. of London Exhibit photographic reproduction) 1876
Inventor Levi Heywood patented chair-making machinery that revolu- tionized production in 1876. Chair, Chicago-1933-1934 (metal and leath- er chair from Philadelphia Savings Fund Society captures modern style. Latest furnishings exhibited Century of Progress International Exposi- tion.)
(Levi Heywood Settee patent model) 1876
Howard & Sons, Philadelphia-1876 (showcased well-appointed parlor furniture in room setting, a novel but now customary selling tech- nique)
(Parlor display, Howard & Sons, London Exhibit photographic reproduction) 1876
7 Some of the objects and artifacts exhibited during World’s Fair Expositions: Typewriters-1876; They were introduced to the public at this time. Locomotive-1876; Burlington Zephyr-1933-34 Telephone-1893; In 1876 Alexander G. Bell demonstrated his phone. American Bell generated $1 million in revenue in 1882 and by 1893 phones were widely in use. Flight, hot-air balloon-1893; Visitors could make a 1,500 foot ascent in one. Electric Kitchen, Chicago-1893 New electric applicances-1893 Lights-1893 Electricity-1904 Victor Talking Machine-1904; One-sided discs were in use and for sale. Early Films in St. Louis- 1904 (the earliest motion pictures depicted industrial work in U.S.) Automobile-1915-An actual assembly line made 18 Model T’s per day at the fair. (American Bell Telephone Diesel train-1933-34 Company print) 1893 Zeppelin/Goodyear blimp-1933-34 Robots (science and electricity)-1939; Westinghouse Airplanes-1939 Firestone-rubber tires-1939; The assembly line turned crude rubber into a new tire every four minutes. Television in New York World’s Fair- 1939 to 1940; RCA offered four television models for sale, ranging from $199 to $600, about the price of new car. Visitors were broadcast on internal closed circuit demonstrations. They re- ceived an “I was televised” card as a souvenir. A vast amount of architectural styles. For example Beaux-art style in 1904 and Art Deco style in 1933-34. Notice that architecture styles change from the 1800s to 1900s World Fairs. They used less ornamentation in the 1933 fair because of cost and streamline design. Buildings were painted with four hued color schemes for heightened effect of nighttime illumination. Architecture in the 1964-65 NYC World’s Fair was labeled “Populuxe” or “Googie” a pop- ular variety of modernism where design elements included flying saucer shapes, vast cantilevers and towering forms. (Sunset Print) 1894 All Fairs: Many artworks by well-known artists of the time. Many different displays of different cultures of the world.
These are the World’s Fairs Included in the Exhibition: Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations, New York, Exhibition, 1853 Centennial Exhibition, Philadelphia, 1876 World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893 Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta, 1895 Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition, Nashville, 1897 Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo, 1901 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St Louis, 1904 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, Seattle, 1909 Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, 1915 Sesquicentennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1926 Century of Progress International Exposition, Chicago, 1933-1934 Golden Gate International Exposition, San Francisco: 1939 New York World's Fair, New York, 1939-1940 Century 21 Exposition, Seattle, 1962 New York World's Fair, New York, 1964-1965 World's Fair, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1982 8 Fair Facts: The first World’s Fair occurred in London, England in 1851 and over 6 mil- lion people attended.
The Corliss Engine was the largest steam engine ever built. It powered hundreds of machines across the 13 acres of Machinery Hall during the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876. President Ulysses Grant and Dom Pedro started the Corliss Engine at the fair in 1876.
During the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, visitors wishing to bring a camera into the fairgrounds were charged a $2 fee because close-up pho- tographs were taken by P. S. du Pont and they wanted to sell them exclu- sively.
A Ferris Wheel for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition was designed by George Washington Gale Ferris. Its wheel was 264 feet high containing 36 cars, each larger that a Pullman coach and capable of holding 60 peo- (Airship print) 1904 ple. When fully loaded it rotated 2, 160 people in the air at a time.
In 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, People from foreign nations were “exhibited” in their native costumes. These exhibits tended to rein- force American racial prejudices and ethnic stereotypes.
At the 1939-40 New York City World’s Fair, General Motors had a com- plete assembly plant where 1,000 people at a time watched raw materials enter through one door and become finished cars by the time they exited.
In the NYC World’s Fair in 1939-40 Westinghouse sponsored a Singing Tower of Light, a light and music extravaganza featuring “Elektro, the Mo- to-Man” and his dog “Sparko,” early robots who served as introductory figures to magic and science and electricity.
U. S. Rubber exhibited an 80-foot tall Ferris wheel that resembled a giant whitewall tire at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. 24 barrel-shaped gondolas, each carrying four passengers, moved around the wheel for 25 cents. It can still be found today alongside Interstate 94 in the Allen Park, MI area near the airport.
The 1970 Osaka, Japan Exposition set a record with 60 million visitors attending.
Architecture and artwork were made of non-permanent materials in most cases because the fairs were dismantled afterwards. Architecture and sculptures were made with “staff” a bright white plaster and hemp mix- ture that resembles marble.
Early fairs and markets occurred in Europe and other countries many years ago (before the 1850s) when farmers, merchant and craft workers would meet the same time annually to show and sell their wares. Many people would be able to buy goods from distant places. Our World’s Fairs of today do the same things on a Global scale.
9 Glossary Art Deco: A style of architecture and art that is simple, less cluttered with decoration and “streamlined” or simplified in form. Referred to as a “modern” style. Beaux-art: Meaning Beautiful arts, it is a Neoclassical Architectural Style. Exposition: Another word to describe a World’s Fair is “exposition” or “expo” for short. It’s a large scale public exhibition or show. It can be any- thing: automobiles, art, manufactured goods, food, etc. Perisphere: An icon element of the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair that’s de- scribed as a huge globe. Souvenirs: An object kept to remind someone of something or a momento. Spire: A tall structure that tapers to a point at the top, like a steeple. Trylon: An icon element of the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair that’s de- scribed as a tall triangular spire. Unisphere: A sculptural icon of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. It is the world's largest global structure, rising 140 feet and weighing 700,000 pounds. Some sources say the Unisphere weighs 900,000 pounds, a figure which in- Trylon and Perisphere, 1939-40 NY World’s cludes the additional weight of its 100-ton inverted tripod base. The diame- Fair ter of the sphere itself is 120 feet, or 36.57 meters. White City: White City refers to the large classically inspired buildings that made up the Chicago 1893 exposition, which were temporary wood struc- tures covered with staff, a brilliant white plaster and hemp mixture that re- sembled marble. Zeppelin: A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. Zeppelin's ideas were first outlined in 1874 and formulated in detail in 1893.
Unisphere, 1964-65 NY World’s Fair
Resources: Webnik.com Wikipedia.com Thedeskset.org “Worlds Fairs and Expos “by Allan Fowler Hagley Museum and Library http://davidszondy.com/future/Living/picturephone.htm http://www.wbez.org/episode-segments/legacy-chicago-sculptor-lorado-taft
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