While the modern marvels of Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair were offset by Renaissance palaces, the New York Fair of 1939 paid little homage to the past. By contrast, it was entirely future-oriented, symbolized by the iconic, streamlined structures known as the “Trylon” and “Perisphere,” by RCA’s pavilion built in the shape of a radio tube and perhaps most emphatically by Norman Bel Geddes’s “Futurama” housed in the General Motors pavilion—a land of Oz where radio-controlled cars traveled at breakneck speeds through cities which soared to the sky. This course will journey back to a billion-dollar exposition that once promoted science-fiction miracles as just around the corner—but fell far short of bringing about its promised Utopia. 

Lecture attendees can enjoy light refreshments during the lecture! 

Date: Tuesdays, March 19 and 26, 2024

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 PM 

Location: Dobson Lecture Hall | Mesa Contemporary Art Museum | 1 E Main Street Mesa, AZ 85201 (southeast corner of Center Street and Main) 

To Register: Due to limited staffing, we ask that you please email Engagement@mesaartscenter.com to register for any classes. Thank you for your understanding! 

Parking: Free parking available on Center Street, Main Street, and 1st Avenue, and in the MAC parking lot on the northeast corner of Center Street and 1st Avenue.