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Toledo Toledo- Full Circle
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Isabel Toledo was born in Camajuaní, Las Villas, a colonial town in Cuba's legendary Valley of the Sugar Mills. Ruben Toledo, who would later be her husband, was born in Havana. Along with many Cubans of the 1960s, they arrived in the United States with their families while still children, and were processed as political refugees at the Freedom Tower, in the heart of Miami. Their story is one of passion, creativity and perseverance, an exhilarating trajectory through the worlds of art, design and fashion. Their singular body of work, celebrated in this exhibition at The Freedom Tower, is a great testament to the promise and fulfillment of The American Dream.
Beginning with the launch of her first collection in 1985, Isabel Toledo was immediately recognized as one of the fashion world's brightest innovators and a best-kept secret – one divulged to all when First Lady Michelle Obama wore Isabel's now iconic lemongrass lace ensemble to President Barack Obama's historic inauguration in 2009.
Toledo/Toledo: Full Circle showcases the essence of the incomparable yin-yang relationship of the Toledos, beginning with a timeline of their journey from Cuba to the New York underground art scene of the 1980s and their elevation into the highest strata of international creative achievement and recognition. Archival footage of their creative progression is projected in the adjacent film room. A 28-year retrospective of Isabel's designs is displayed on mannequins created by Ruben in the central gallery, showcasing Isabel's most emblematic design concepts grouped by recurring themes: Origami displays the concept of garments formed by the folded repetition of pattern shapes. Suspension demonstrates how garments constructed from a balanced central core gracefully defy gravity. Liquid architecture highlights the structural lines that give form to jersey garments. Organic geometry conveys Toledos' ability to transform geometric shapes into complex amorphous structures. Manipulated surface explores how Toledo alters the weave and surface of textiles to achieve an armor akin to a second skin. Shape highlights the soft sculptural quality of her clothes. Shadow examines the play between the transparent and the opaque.
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Floating over the installation hangs a selection of Ruben's panoramic watercolor scrolls that document Isabel's collections. This chronicle, in progress for almost three decades, demonstrates Ruben's astonishing eye for revealing details with irony and humor, qualities that are displayed in a selection of his satirical cartoons, ranging from 1985 to the present in the next gallery, The Drawing Room. The First Lady's Armoire holds prototype samples of Isabel Toledo designs worn by First Lady Michelle Obama during numerous occasions of historical significance. All galleries unite and intersect, like the work of the two Toledos, thus bringing into focus the full circle their work has woven.
The creative output of the Toledos extends well beyond fashion to include furniture, ceramics, glass, set and costume designs, advertising and graphic design, as well as illustration and animation. This exhibition attempts to demonstrate the crosspollination of Isabel and Ruben's creative vision and to showcase the impact of their particular design vocabulary and its visual imprint on our time, thus gracefully illustrating Isabel's quote, "Fashion is what time looks like."
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About the MDC Galleries of Art Design |
Exhibition Credits
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Since 2005, the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College has served as the flagship venue for premier exhibitions and the administrative offices of MDC's Museum & Galleries of Art Design; including the newly founded, MDC Museum of Art Design. With more than 13,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Museum is known for its presentation of exhibitions by emerging artists, as well as major figures in modern, post-modern and contemporary art. The MDC Museum of Art Design vision is to present world-renowned artists, support the vast community of local emerging and established artists, and allow a platform to present exhibitions by MDC's many distinguished students, alumni and faculty.
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Curator Fred Dennis Exhibition Design Toledo Studio Exhibition Cord. Marilu Menendez Film Room Editor Suzy Zabrowska Graphic Design MDC Marketing Department Copy Editor Monica Roos Registration Vickie Pierre & Gabriela Nunez Preparators Marcos Valella & Robert Perez Assistants Catalina Vargas, Desiree Di Tomaso, Farida Begum, Tiarra Barbarito, Stephanie Cameau, Natasha Gaguine, Alex Melendez, Cody Shingler, Airon Benitt, Anna Kropyva, Xavier Alexis Rosado, Jaell Hernamaez Special Thanks to The Andy Warhol Museum, Univision, Charlene Parsons and Christy Martin |
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Tours
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Hours |
Admission |
To arrange a guided group tour during museum and /or gallery hours, call the MDC Museum and Galleries of Art Design Education Department at 305.237.7700. All tours are approximately half an hour. Two-week advance notice is required to schedule your tour. |
For museum and gallery hours, please call 305.237.7700 or visit www.mdcmoad.orgor www.mdc.edu/galleries. The MDC Museum and Galleries of Art Design are closed on Sundays, and most legal and College holidays.
For information on exhibitions, please call 305.237.7700 or visit www.mdcmoad.org or www.mdc.edu/galleries
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Admission to exhibitions and programs is free. All facilities are wheelchair accessible. |
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