Join a screening of New England Modernism: Revolutionary Architecture in the 20th Century, followed by a panel conversation with the filmmaker, Jake Gorst; Jonathan Bell, Critic in Interior Architecture (RISD); Nancy Skolos, Professor in Graphic Design (RISD) and Thomas Wedell, Senior Critic, Graphic Design (RISD). Skolos and Wedell will share reflections on their stewardship of an Ira Rakatansky-designed home that they own on Providence’s East Side.
About the film: Between the 1930s and 1970s, American Modernism established an exciting and provocative footing in New England. By the 1940s the work of American master Frank Lloyd Wright and European newcomers such as Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius influenced generations of young architects and inspired a surprisingly large catalog of important buildings throughout the region. Architects Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John Johansen, Philip Johnson, Eliot Noyes and many others led the charge. Dive deeply into this rich pool of talent whose buildings still hold international influence, despite the constant threat of redevelopment. These works tell the story of New England Modernism, a story rich with beauty, imagination, creativity and industriousness.
Jake Gorst is an Emmy® award winning documentary filmmaker and President of Mainspring Narrative Films. Over the last two decades he has produced and directed eleven feature-length documentaries, including Frey: The Architectural Interpreter (2020), Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island (2012), and Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs (2006). His films Farmboy and Leisurama have both been in national PBS broadcast distribution. The author of Andrew Geller: Deconstructed (2015, Glitterati, Inc.), Jake has also been a contributing writer to The Architect’s Newspaper, VOX Hamptons, HOME Miami, Modern, and Modernism magazines.
This event is organized by the Providence Preservation Society, Rhode Island School of Design and Bristol Historical Society.
$15 General Admission / $10 Docomomo members / Free for RISD faculty, students and staff (join or renew your Docomomo US membership here)
Don't miss: the following day, October 23, Providence Preservation Society will host a lecture and walking tour, "What Could Have Been: Providence’s 21st Century (Un)built Environment" (link below)
This event is part of Docomomo US Tour Day 2024.
