Be Joyful And Experience “A Safari For The Soul” At Wiener Museum Of Decorative Arts In Dania Beach Now Through End Of December

“Jabula” means “to be joyful” in Zulu. And joy is what the Wiener Museum of Decorative Art (WMODA) gives to every visitor!  The Ardmore Design team continues to reimagine motifs from their iconic ceramic art to transform our living spaces with the beauty of the natural world rooted in African style and culture.  Visionary, Arthur Wiener shares his passion for the creative arts by supporting local communities of artists and their environments.  The Rickie Report shares the details and some sneak peeks of the newest WMODA Exhibit, “A Safari for the Soul” available now through December 31, 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

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481 S. Federal Highway    Dania Beach, FL 3300

954-376-6690   http://wmoda.com

 

 

Gallery Hours:  Tuesday thru Saturday  10 am – 4 pm

 

 

 

A   Safari   for   the   Soul

 

 

 

Be inspired by the Ardmore works of art

and the words of wisdom

from Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, who

said  “I am the captain of my soul.”

 

 

 

 

Step into A Safari for the Soul to experience the wild and wonderful world of Ardmore Ceramic Art. Imagine yourself as an intrepid explorer traveling through the magnificent mountains and grassy savannas of South Africa to visit the Ardmore community of ceramic artists. Our destination is KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa which means “children of heaven” in the Zulu language. The Ardmore studio was founded in 1985 by Fée Halsted who began teaching local people how to create unique ceramic art. The fame of the developing studio spread internationally as collectors discovered the wit and whimsy of Ardmore ceramics which can be experienced in the WMODA Safari for the Soul gallery. Ardmore began experimenting with fabric design in 2010 and launched the Qalakabusha sofa, meaning “new beginnings”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each Ardmore piece is unique, a one-of-a-kind work of art which typically involves a thrower, a sculptor, and a painter. The studio is full of talented men and women who create dynamic and diverse imagery, ranging from lyrical foliate forms inspired by Africa’s flora and fauna to intricate patterns reminiscent of Zulu beadwork and basket weaving. Over the years, sons and daughters have joined their mothers, fathers, aunts, and uncles at Ardmore to create new family traditions in this remote region of South Africa. They collaborate in the spirit of Ubuntu, meaning “we are because of others”.

 

 

Wearable Art

 

 

 

Ardmore Sabie Kings Flame Scarf

 

 

 

 

The success of Ardmore’s fantastical furniture and fabrics heralded an exciting new design direction for the ceramic art studio. The new Ardmore Design Studio gained international recognition in 2013 following their collaboration with Hermès, the luxury French brand. Talented Ardmore artists, including Sidney Nyabeze and Abel Mohloakoana, worked under the guidance of Fèe’s eldest daughter, Catherine Berning, to create a stunning range of silk scarves. Ardmore’s latest sensational silk art collection featuring the Sabie Kings is now produced under their own brand.

 

 

Environment and Culture

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ardmore Studio helps create awareness of the plight of endangered animals in Africa and the need to protect the environment. Their initiatives to address issues such as ivory poaching, illegal hunting and trafficking are represented in sensitive studies of rhinos, elephants, leopards, and pangolins. One of Ardmore’s most magnificent sculptures symbolizes sustainability and portrays Nelson Mandela on the summit. Abundance was produced for the 2011 Climate Change Conference in Durban and now has pride of place at WMODA thanks to Arthur Wiener. Arthur has been collecting Ardmore avidly for over ten years and he is glad that his purchases help support vulnerable communities in South Africa.  One of the most impressive masterworks is Somandla Ntshalintshali’s symbolic vessel, created with Fée’s creative guidance, which is currently on exhibition in South Africa. The crocodile at the base represents ancient spirits and evolves into a pangolin, symbolizing sanctuary. The secretary bird emerges victorious over perilous times holding in its talons snakes and a bat which represent the COVID-19 virus.

 

 

 

Pottery to Pillows to Poufs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ardmore’s graphic designers have also translated the studio’s lush patterns of African fauna and flora into a vibrant range of furnishing fabrics and pillow designs in luxurious silk, velvet, and cotton, as well as outdoor fabrics for the Solaris collection. Interior designers can create their own safari adventures with curtains and furniture, or they can choose from the stunning love seats, benches, and poufs in the Sabie collection sold at the WMODA shop.

 

Entertaining with Ardmore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ardmore tabletop collection features tablecloths, runners, and napkins for formal dining as well as tea towels, melamine place mats, and coasters for casual entertaining. The latest Sabie collection of textiles was inspired by Fèe Halsted’s vacation in the Kruger National Park where the bush is lush, thick with foliage and abundant in wildlife. Fèe described her magical trip as a “never-ending tapestry of camouflaged beasts, where light, sound, movement and color shift and change”. Her fertile imagination resulted in three designs namely Sabie Forest, Camp Critters and King Cheetah which are available to order in several styles and colors through the WMODA museum shop. All sales benefit the educational programs at WMODA which is a 501c3 not-for-profit museum.

 

 

 

WMODA is a non-profit museum founded in 2014 by Arthur Wiener and his family to inspire appreciation and understanding of ceramics and glass as art forms. This remarkable legacy enables us to celebrate an important aspect of our cultural heritage in an exciting and enjoyable environment.

 

 

 

For more information about this exhibit and upcoming events at WMODA:

Contact:

Louise Irvine louise@wmoda.com

Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts

481 S. Federal Highway   Dania Beach, FL 33004

954-376-6690

 

 

 

 

For coverage of your events, to place an advertisement, or speak to Rickie about appearing in The Rickie Report, contact:

Rickie Leiter, Publisher

Rickie@therickiereport.com   561-537-0291

17019 SW Sapri Way   Port St. Lucie, FL 34986

 

 

Wiener Museum Of Decorative Arts In Dania Beach Invites You To “Sparkle & Shine” Sunday, December 1. Visit This Treasure Trove Of Living Glass Masters, Ardmore Studio Ceramics, Wedgwood, And Royal Doulton.

There’s lots going on this season at Wiener Museum Of Decorative Arts, Florida’s Fired Arts museum in Dania Beach. The special exhibitions of glass artists Dale Chihuly, Paul Stankard, and other living masters is hot! WMODA is renowned for its amazing collection of British pottery and porcelain with illustrious names, such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton. Another major draw is contemporary ceramic art by the Ardmore Studio in South Africa. Now WMODA has become a shopping experience with the expansion of its museum shop to include jewelry, glass and ceramic art made by talented artists in South Florida. On Sunday December 1st, WMODA hosts “Sparkle & Shine”, a Holiday shopping event in association with museumstoresunday.org.  The Rickie Report shares the details and gives you an overview of this treasure trove hot spot!  The Rickie Report is excited to share some general information about the Wiener Museum of Decorative Art and has already made arrangements for a personal visit.  We can’t wait!!!

 

 

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481 S. Federal Highway    Dania Beach, FL 3300

Inside the Gallery of Amazing Things

954-376-6690    http://wmoda.com

Hours:  Monday – Friday  10 am – 5 pm

 

YOU    ARE    INVITED!

 

 

 

 

 

“S P A R K L E     &     S  H I N E”

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1  

11 AM – 4 PM

 

 

FREE admission with registration:

 

 

 

 

ART ON FIRE – THE CHIHULY CONNECTION

 

Dale Chihuly is arguably the most famous glass artist in the world. His name draws vast crowds to site- specific glass installations across the globe as well as to art galleries and museums internationally. The stunning “Art on Fire” exhibit at WMODA presents the creative exuberance of Chihuly’s glass art. A fabulous Macchia garden seems to burst into bloom along with impressive Ikebana flower arrangements. A monumental Persian wall is accompanied by Chihuly’s paintings for the original installation. Chihuly’s luminous Baskets and sensual Seaforms vie for attention with his flamboyant Venetians. A Chihuly Venetian was once described as a vase which has had an affair with a chandelier. Decide for yourself at WMODA!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chihuly is the most innovative and influential glass artist of modern times, thanks to his teaching, teamwork, and artistic collaborations. Many of his friends, followers and mentors are represented at WMODA, including Toots Zynsky, William Morris, Lino Tagliapietra and Pino Signoretto. Visit the “Art on Fire” exhibit at WMODA and discover how these hot glass artists are all connected to Chihuly and how his favorite cities, Venice and Seattle, are fused together through a shared passion for glass.

 

 

 

 

 

CARNIVAL & CABARET

 

 

It’s party time at the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts as we celebrate the art of having fun at our exhibition “Carnival & Cabaret”. The Carnival & Cabaret exhibit explores the flamboyant festivals in Venice, Rio and New Orleans as seen by porcelain artists from Europe. The centerpiece of our new exhibit is Carnival in Venice, a monumental masterpiece full of masked revelers in porcelain by Lladró of Spain. Discover how Harlequin and Columbine and other characters from the Italian Commedia dell’Arte have influenced carnival fun, the art of clowning and masquerade balls through the ages. Masking was particularly popular during the roaring 1920s to disguise the flirtatious behavior of the flappers. Cabaret and variety shows in early 20th century Paris and Berlin also reveled in the theatrical excesses of carnival costumes.

 

 

 

FANTASTIQUE

 

 

 

“Fantastique” celebrates the enchanted world of ceramic art at WMODA. From myths and monsters to fairies and fables, you will be spellbound by the flights of fancy of European ceramic artists during the last two centuries. Fire-breathing dragons of the Dark Ages do battle with heroic knights or guard the treasures of the Eastern seas. Mermaids and other wonders of the deep beguile mariners while pixies, goblins and other denizens of Fairyland enchant children and adults alike. The mysteries of life and the age-old conflicts between good and evil, darkness and light, life and death are interpreted by sages, seers and truth-seekers in the universal myths of the world. On the dark side, there are macabre witches, wizards, ghosts and ghouls, while good angels and cherubs bring blessings from heaven and cupid’s arrow initiates love and new life.

 

 

 

 

ARDMORE CERAMIC ART

 

 

 

A giant smiling hippopotamus greets you as you enter the contemporary ceramics gallery at the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts and visitors can’t stop smiling in return. The hippo was made by Ardmore Ceramic Arts, a thriving artist collective in the picturesque Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The studio was started over thirty years ago by Fée Halsted, a talented ceramic artist who teaches local men and women how to make and decorate pottery. There are now around 70 sculptors and painters in the Ardmore studio making whimsical and uplifting works of art. As well as hippos, the Ardmore exhibition includes many other African animals which burst out of luxuriant foliage to form vibrant vases, tureens and bowls. Ardmore ceramic art is one of the most popular features at the WMODA Museum and it’s worth a visit just to see this exhibit.

 

 

 

 

 

THE ART OF TEA

 

 

Elegant china enriches the tea-drinking experience as can be seen at the “Art of Tea” exhibition at the Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts. Discover how skilled potters have provided the most appropriate tea services to suit all tastes and budgets for the last three centuries. Whether you drink tea hot or cold, using loose leaves or teabags, in the morning, afternoon or evening, you’ll be charmed by the sophisticated, ingenious and even quirky designs by Wedgwood, Royal Doulton and other famous makers.

 

 

 

For more information about this exhibit and upcoming events at WMODA:

Contact:

Louise Irvine louise@wmoda.com

Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts

481 S. Federal Highway   Dania Beach, FL 33004

954-376-6690

 

 

 

 

For coverage of your events, to place an advertisement, or speak to Rickie about appearing in The Rickie Report, contact:

Rickie Leiter, Publisher

Rickie@therickiereport.com   561-537-0291

17019 SW Sapri Way   Port St. Lucie, FL 34986