As critical mega-events of society, World’s Fairs are situated between material pragmatism and utopian ideals. This exhibition conveys the important role that World’s Fairs play as testing grounds for operations that otherwise may not have been realized, ultimately contributing to shaping the world we live in today.
World’s Fair: An American Tradition in Architecture and Urbanism Innovation
Exhibition Dates: August 7 – December 1, 2023
Watch the Introductory Lecture
HGA Gallery, Rapson Hall
Minnesota’s current bid for Expo’2027 comes almost 40 years after the World’s Fair was previously held on US soil, making it an auspicious time to explore the impact and contributions of these global events. Expos and World’s Fairs have long been part of America’s tradition of innovation and ingenuity, serving as a platform for experimental work in the field of architecture and urbanism, while simultaneously providing settings to exhibit and test avant-garde ideas. This exhibition showcases exemplary World’s Fair sites that characterize the emergence of new paradigms for architecture and city design, thereby enabling the evolution and progression of many design fields. It tells the history of this ongoing effort, which is dedicated to making a better-built environment for people and the communities they live in.
From an architectural perspective, this exhibition articulates the contributions of World’s Fairs and their buildings, which serve as experimental sites for the development of architectural styles and innovative building typologies. These large-scale projects have produced significant milestones in the larger narrative of architectural history. Examples of notable World’s Fairs and the stylistic eras that they embrace include the 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition and Beaux-Arts, the 1939 New York World’s Fair and Art Deco, 1962 Seattle Century 21 Exposition and Futurism, as well as the 1984 New Orleans Louisiana World Exposition and Postmodernism. Through the lens of urban design, the exhibition also presents innovative strategies staged at World’s Fairs that accelerated ideas around city-making practice at both the national and global levels, including the City Beautiful Movement, Functional Planning, and Urban Renewal. Finally, the exhibition highlights the legacy of World’s Fairs, whose implications extend beyond the scope of initiatives designed to be ephemeral or dismountable. Concepts conceived as experimental frequently serve as model cities or districts in the long term.
As critical mega-events of society, World’s Fairs are situated between material pragmatism and utopian ideals. This exhibition conveys the important role that World’s Fairs play as testing grounds for operations that otherwise may not have been realized, ultimately contributing to shaping the world we live in today.
Learn More About the History of World's Fairs
Credits
Curator: Dingliang Yang
Curation and Production Team: Silver Li, Ryland Sample, Julian Whitman, Timothy Follett-Dion, with Mia Miao, and Julie Zhu
Exhibition Advisors: Jean McElvain, Laureen Berlin-Gibson, Thomas Fisher, and Jennifer Yoos
Hosting Organizations: The Goldstein Museum of Design and the College of Design's School of Architecture
Supporting Organizations: College of Design, Institute for Advanced Study, Minnesota Design Center, and Minnesota USA Expo’2027 Bidding Commission
