Miami Beach, FL (May 9, 2006)—Join The Wolfsonian–Florida International University as it kicks off International Museum Day on Thursday, May 18.

The Wolfsonian is one of sixteen museums honoring this international event at the invitation of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). This year’s theme is “Museums and Young People,” intended to raise awareness about the role of young people in the community and how this age group is redefining the mission and practices of museums all over the world in the twenty-first century. In keeping with the theme, The Wolfsonian will display works from the Page at a Time (PAT) children’s program, which features handcrafted books created by fifth-grade students from eight Miami-Dade public schools. The books, many of which explore a range of mixed media, will be on display in the lobby of The Wolfsonian through May 19, 2006.

“Page at a Time is a very strong interdisciplinary program and a great model for museum-based education. During the program, students learn about specific topics such as history, the visual arts and writing, as well as art books, museums, and the interconnections between these topics. Students then apply their new knowledge to a creative project,” notes Mark Osterman, The Wolfsonian’s education programs manager. “It’s fun for the students and invigorating for the educators. The exhibition is a great experience for the students and their families.” Page at a Time is funded by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Division of Life Skills-Art Education program; Evelyn Greer, district 9 MDCPS School Board Member; Carnival Foundation; and Citigroup Foundation.

In addition to the PAT exhibition, The Wolfsonian will also celebrate this worldwide event by offering unique promotions such as free gallery admission the entire day. Free tours of the Art and Design in the Modern Age: Selections from The Wolfsonian Collection will follow at 6pm. This exhibition showcases The Wolfsonian’s collection of modern objects from the 1885 to the 1945 era, demonstrating the active role design plays in motivating actions, expressing ideas, creating desires, and shaping identities.

At 7pm, the day-long celebration continues with a lecture, “Domesticated Utopias: The Ideal Home in the Twentieth Century,” in which Michelangelo Sabatino, assistant professor of history of art and architecture at the University of Houston, discusses the relationship between notions of utopia and the ideal home in the twentieth century. After the program, visitors may enjoy The Dynamo Café, where a ten percent discount will be offered on all menu items served that day. The Dynamo menu features small plates, table shares, sandwiches, and sweets.

About The Wolfsonian–Florida International University

The Wolfsonian is a museum, library, and research center that uses objects to illustrate the persuasive power of art and design, to explore what it means to be modern, and to tell the story of social, historical, and technological changes that have transformed our world. It encourages people to see the world in new ways and learn how objects from the past shape the present and influence the future. The collections comprise approximately 120,000 objects from the period of 1885 to 1945—the height of the Industrial Revolution to the end of the Second World War—in a variety of media including furniture; industrial-design objects; works in glass, ceramics, and metal; rare books; periodicals; ephemera; works on paper; paintings; textiles; and medals. While these objects can best be understood in the context in which they were created, they illuminate as much about our times as they reveal about their own.

The Wolfsonian is located at 1001 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, Fla. Admission is $7 adults; $5 seniors, students, and children six-12; free for Wolfsonian members, State University System of Florida staff and students with ID, children under six, and Miami Beach residents with ID. The museum is open Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday from noon-6pm; Thursday and Friday from noon-9pm; and is closed on Wednesday. Contact us at 305.531.1001 or visit us online at www.wolfsonian.org.

The Wolfsonian receives ongoing support from the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts Council; Crispin Porter + Bogusky; Continental Airlines, the preferred airline of The Wolfsonian; the Arthur F. and Alice E. Adams Foundation; and Karla Conceptual Event Experiences.

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