Next year, Cleveland will host the International Public Markets Conference, tying in with the West Side Market’s 100th anniversary. If a local nonprofit gets its way, we’ll also be showing off our treasures to another specialized group of international aficionados.
A group called 20th Century Society USA is making a bid to host the biennial 2015 World Congress on Art Deco. The event focuses on the streamlined style of art and design that reached its pinnacle in the ’20s and ’30s — just like the Tribe! The decision will be made at next month’s Congress in Rio de Janeiro.
Michael Beyer, president of 20th Century Society USA, says Shanghai is also in the running, but he likes our chances. He points to our experience in organizing tours (we hosted a five-day Cleveland Art Deco tour in 2006) and the fact that we’re eminently affordable — a big perk for folks who hang in international Art Deco circles, apparently. Then there’s our buildings.
