Cincinnati celebrating modern design Feb. 25-26

CINCINNATI – The Sharonville Convention Center will once again become ground zero for modern design enthusiasts Feb. 25-26, 2017. The 20th Century Cincinnati retrospective is now in its third decade. The event returns for what many consider to be the region’s most unique consumer show.

20th Century Cincinnati’s 70 national and regional dealers all focus on the distinctive avant garde art and design trends of the past century that are collectively referred to as “modernism.” The term first appeared in the early 1900s and has now come to include the Art Deco, Streamline, Machine Age, Mid-Century Modern, Pop Art, and Post-Modern periods.

Besides offering vintage furnishings and lighting, 20th Century Cincinnati’s exhibitors also display an impressive array of period decorative accessories such as paintings, sculptures, posters, art glass, metalwork, pottery, dinnerware and textiles. The show’s popular fashion element includes several top-shelf jewelry dealers complimented by clothing and apparel specialists who cater to the fans of wearable styles from the period.

Nostalgic pop culture memorabilia rounds out a showroom floor that is playful but also a serious study of the era’s most important artists, designers, and architects.

Cincinnati’s non-profit modern design forum cf3 will present the 2017 20th Century Cincinnati Special Exhibit. “drafted + crafted: iconic Cincinnati MCM homes” will explore several of the city’s mid-century builders and architects through original hand-drawn blueprints and drawings of six different

area homes. Both period and contemporary photos will help reveal the Queen City’s outstanding, yet often endangered, 20th century modernist architectural treasures. cf3’s past efforts to document and preserve modernist structures have included homes designed by such international stars as Frank Lloyd Wright and George Nelson, as well as dwellings by Cincinnati’s own Abe & Ben Dombar, Woodie Garber, Ray Roush and Carl Strauss.

20th Century Cincinnati activities kick off with a two-hour preview on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. Preview admission is $25 in advance and $30 at the door.

Preview passes include the exclusive shopping period, a complimentary coffee and juice bar, and a full-weekend pass. Advance tickets are available by mail, phone or by link at 20thcenturycincinnati.com.

Regular show hours on Saturday and Sunday are from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Adult admission is $8. Tickets are available at the door and are good for both days.

The Sharonville Convention Center is located at 11355 Chester Road just off I-75 at the Sharon Road exit (exit #15). Directions, area lodging, exhibitor links and other event details are available at 20thcenturycincinnati.com or from manager Bruce Metzger at 513-738-7256.