Contact:
Kristin Aguilera, Deputy Director
Museum of American Finance
212-908-4695, kaguilera@moaf.org
On November 19, the Museum of American Finance will open “Worth Its Weight: Gold from the Ground Up,” an exhibit that will captivate visitors with the many spectacular and unexpected ways gold has influenced our lives – from science and technology to entertainment and pop culture to finance and economics. The exhibit will be featured in three galleries and the Museum’s theater and will be on view through December 2016.
“We are excited to showcase more than 100 stunning gold objects from over a dozen public and private collections in this unique exhibit on Wall Street,” said David Cowen, the Museum’s president.
The “Gold in America” gallery will feature three subject areas – Gold Rushes, Finance and Mining & Refining – exploring how the story of gold is intimately intertwined with American history. “The Many Faces of Gold” section will showcase vignettes about the myriad uses for gold and its meaning around the world, including how the concept of “gold” has become a symbol of “the best.”
The most familiar relationship people have with gold is through jewelry and adornment. The “Jewelry Box” room will focus on the luxury and glamour of gold jewelry and décor, with several unique objects on loan from collections around the country including the Smithsonian Institution, the Tiffany & Co. Archives and jewelry designer Marla Aaron. The “Midas Touch” room will feature the creations of Sidney Mobell, a modern day Midas who transforms everyday items into dazzling gold and jeweled artworks, challenging the relationship between the mundane and the luxurious.
“The 17 objects designed by world-renowned jeweler Sidney Mobell – from an 18-karat gold Monopoly set to a diamond, ruby and sapphire encrusted cell phone – are unique works of art that will bring a lot of pleasure to the visiting public,” said Cowen.
“Worth Its Weight” is sponsored by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Sidney Mobell, with additional support from the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI), Van Eck Gold Funds and Loomis. The exhibit is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council. More information on this exhibit, including a list of object highlights, can be found at www.moaf.org/exhibits/gold.
Opening Reception: The Museum will host an exhibit opening on Thursday, November 19, from 6:00-8:00 pm. For media access to this event, or to request more information about the exhibit, please contact Deputy Director Kristin Aguilera at kaguilera@moaf.org or 212-908-4695.
About the Museum of American Finance
The Museum of American Finance, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is the nation’s only public museum dedicated to finance, entrepreneurship and the open market system. With its extensive collection of financial documents and objects, its seminars and educational programming, its publication and oral history program, the Museum portrays the breadth and richness of American financial history, achievement and practices. The Museum is located at 48 Wall Street, on the corner of William Street, and is open Tues–Sat, 10 am – 4 pm. For more information, visit www.moaf.org or connect with the Museum on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @FinanceMuseum.