Excess, Decadence, and Hedonism: Considering the Cultural Impact of 1980s Design

What does it take to preserve architecture and design from the 1980s, a messy decade associated with exuberant excess? Can we define buildings and houses previously associated with or influenced by hedonism as being worthy of preservation, and how do we shift our thinking of such a recent era to do that?    

Join Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of Docomomo US, and Mx. Rock Herzog, interior designer and content curator of the wildly popular Twitter account @CocaineDecor, for a conversation on what cultural considerations can be made in order to place the 1980s in a position of protection and preservation. 

Waytkus will present, as examples, her advocacy work for such iconic 1980s NYC postmodern projects as the dramatic atrium at 60 Wall Street, (under threat of redevelopment) and the Ambassador Grill (now a protected New York City Interior Landmark), both designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize recipient Kevin Roche of Roche-Dinkerloo. 

Herzog will discuss the impact of culture on design from the 1970s through the 1990s with a particular emphasis on the role that drug culture, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and the rise of the gay designer played in understanding  the design of that time period.  

Following the presentation will be an elegant wine and hors d’oeuvres reception in the museum’s stunning outdoor sculpture garden adjacent to the theater, catered by Eight4Nine. (VIP 'presentation with reception' ticket purchase required).  Funds raised from the presentation and reception support Docomomo US efforts to preserve 1980’s architecture and design.

VIP ticket includes preferred seating, post presentation reception and 1 year membership or renewal to Docomomo USA (value $100).  General Admission ticket is a ‘presentation only’ ticket.

Docomomo US is the United States chapter of Docomomo International, a non-profit organization dedicated to the documentation and conservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the modern movement.   docomomo-us.org

What does it take to preserve architecture and design from the 1980s, a messy decade associated with exuberant excess? Can we define buildings and houses previously associated with or influenced by hedonism as being worthy of preservation, and how do we shift our thinking of such a recent era to do that? What can you do to support these efforts? 

General Admission $25, VIP $125
Presentation 3:00 - 4:00 pm, followed by the Fundraising Reception 4:00 - 6:00 pm

Things to know

• This event is for ages 18 and older.
• VIP ticket includes preferred seating, Fundraising Reception and 1 year individual membership to Docomomo US (value $100). 
• General Admission ticket is a ‘presentation only’ ticket.  
• The entrance to the Annenberg Theater is located behind the Annenberg Theater Box Office, adjacent to the Palm Springs Art Museum's North Parking Lot.
• Ample free public parking is available in the multi-level public garage across from the Palm Springs Art Museum.
• Handicap parking is available. This event is wheelchair accessible.

This event is organized by Modernism Week and is part of the week-long event taking place February 16-26, 2023.