POP! Goes the Culture: The Transformation of Suburban America

This discussion, featuring guest speaker Dennis H. Cremin of Lewis University and History Center Executive Director Carol Summerfield, will examine the History Center's "Modern in the Midcentury" exhibit, available to view through the first week of November, through the lens of 1950s popular culture.
The Eisenhower presidency (1953 to1961) was a pivotal time in US popular culture. Ironically, the disposable has become collectable, as the programs flips through magazines, radio shows migrating to television, LP records, especially Blue Note and Capitol, and the Birth of Rock and Roll and cars with tailfins. Thus, the world that emerged out of World War II offered many new items for purchase, creating a world on the move and a love for “novelties” and the “latest” thing. Carol and Dennis will talk about the immeasurable impact of magazines, radio, television, and record albums, on what we now consider "modern American life."
Dennis H. Cremin is History Department Chair at Lewis University, Romeoville, IL. He is an author of the award-winning Grant Park: The Evolution of Chicago’s Front Yard, and curators of several exhibitions. He is a popular presenter and has taught courses in the History of United States Popular Culture.