FIU Wolfsonian- Permanent Collection

The Wolfsonian Museum purpose is to express Art and Design and the history in chances through time in new ways to impact our life in the future. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; and City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council supports the museum. It was founded with the purpose to exhibit furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and metal objects from 1850-1950. Window panel from the lounge of the Norris Theatre, Norristown,William Harold Lee Architect Armand Carroll Architect Gibelli & Company Designer, attributed, 1929, United States Philadelphia Pennsylvania and Interior for an ocean liner state room, by Antonio Quaiatti Designer,circa 1935, Italy Trieste. This pieces help their mission since their design preserves the modern era at the time.

The first piece  in the Propaganda Collection that stood out to me was Per la Gran Bretagna tutte le razze e tutti i popoli sono uguali. [For Great Britain All Races and All Peoples are Equal.] 1944, Italy. This piece criticized WWII it's Ink on paper poster depicting a Boer, an Indian, an Egyptian, an Arab, and an Irishman hanging from a scaffold, over a pile of gems and coins; all victims of the hideously fat British imperialist oppressor who stands next to them taking items from their limp bodies. The piece has a racist point of view that its been criticized by the artist, exposing Great Britain as an imposter and that is imposed by the title of this piece that happens to juxtapose the visual understanding. Another Propaganda Piece that caught my attention was "Britain Shall Not Burn" by Unknown, Designer H. M. Stationery Office, London Publisher Fosh & Cross Ltd. Printer, in Great Britain London, 1939-1945. This is an Ink on paper poster promoting the important role of the British fire guard in protecting Britain from Nazi bombs; the image depicts the Nazis represented as an anthropomorphic bomb with comical facial features, arms formed by red flames and swastika emblem is located at the center of bomb set against a blue sky in the background; multiple lines of inscriptions at top and bottom sections. The facial expression on the boom alone with flames coming out of its mouth implies fear and rage in the Nazi boom. The text at the bottom reads "Britain's fire guard is Britain's defense lets the view know the real subject is the British Fire Guard and that it will protect the city. First of all the original audience were victims of the war itself,  this takes the pieces to be viewed in a whole different way, their reaction would be a lot more personal than our second hand experience views in the museum.  Seen the same objects in our everyday lives without background meaning or context wouldn't  probably be as appreciated as a part of an exhibition of one of the hardest times in the world.  The Propaganda Collection was one of my favorites as you go through the collection you could definitely see the difference stages of the war and the different sides country's took. The different ways of each nation supported the war and what different objects mean to each.