Holiday Event: The Art of Rockefeller Center (Online Event)

From its iconic, towering Christmas tree and over-the-top shop windows, to its seasonal ice-skating rink and show-stopping Radio City Music Hall, nothing captures the holiday season in New York City like a visit to Rockefeller Center!

Sign up today to join the Art Deco Society of New York and our engaging tour guide, Deborah Zelcer, for a festive, virtual tour of Rockefeller Center––featuring the history behind some of the world’s favorite Art Deco architecture, art, and holiday traditions!

In this exciting web-based tour, Zelcer will show us how, even though Rockefeller Center soared into creation during the Great Depression, it is a living cultural showcase that continues to celebrate the spirit of optimism and achievement expressed through extensive Art Deco visual references. 

Concentrating on Rockefeller Plaza and 30 Rock in this ‘city within a city’, we will explore the technological, economic, and social forces that shaped its form, decoration, and exuberant public spaces, while learning about the rich campaign to animate the Center with distinctive architectural design and superb works of art. And, we will learn about the accomplished architects that wove together this complex of multiple buildings with an ambitious plan of incorporating period art, directed by the forward-thinking stewards of the Center––the Rockefeller family. 

In this virtual visit, we will explore Rockefeller Center’s Art Deco architectural style and see the distinguished artworks that call Rock Center home. We will see highly-celebrated sculptural works such as Paul Manship’s Prometheus and Hildreth Meiere’s Dance, Drama and Song roundels, in addition to lesser-known, yet equally impressive sculptural reliefs, murals, and so much more! 

This visually stimulating online exploration will conclude with a virtual tour of the beloved Radio City Music Hall––the performance center that inspired the Rockefeller Center project almost 100 years ago!

Even though this tour is online, it will include a live PowerPoint—with wonderful images that you will be able to see directly on your computer screen, tablet, or mobile device—as well as a Q&A session with participants. 

Can’t join us at the time of the live event? No problem! Those who register will receive a recording of the entire program a few days after the live presentation. When you sign up for the program you have the opportunity to watch, or rewatch, the recording at a time more convenient for your schedule.

About the Guide:

Deborah Zelcer leads ProwlerNYCWalking Tours, which illuminate the social, political, technological, and economic contexts that have shaped buildings and cities throughout history. After receiving a Bachelors degree in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, she worked for architectural/urban design specialists, landscape architects, and various commercial and residential design firms. She credits studies with the esteemed architectural historian Reyner Banham for igniting her passion to interpret the built environment. Zelcer discovered the joy of entertaining audiences with tales of urban evolution after a stint in the Moth Storytelling Workshop, and has continued conducting tours during the Covid era with online tour offerings.