Moravian Glory: From Folk Heritage to Modern Expression September 25, 2026

Join us for the opening of a special exhibition in the Michigan Plaza lobby, showcasing Moravian heritage for four weeks.

Moravian Glory: From Folk Heritage to Modern Expression brings together two remarkable collections in a dialogue between Moravian tradition, fine art, contemporary photography, and design.

At the heart of the exhibition is a simple yet powerful idea: our roots do not hold us in the past. They give us a sense of identity, belonging, and strength — and inspire us to create something new.

The exhibition brings together the work of Joža Úprka, one of the most important Czech painters and graphic artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with the contemporary vision of photographer Alžběta Jungrová. Úprka’s posters and sculptures, presented from the George Drost Collection, capture the people, costumes, celebrations, and everyday life of Moravia with extraordinary vitality. Jungrová’s large-format photographs reinterpret the visual language of Moravian tradition through a contemporary lens, transforming the traditional indigo-print skirt into a powerful symbol of femininity, identity, and continuity.

The two collections are complemented by an installation of authentic indigo-print garments, traditional Moravian ceramics, and contemporary Czech design, including the Moravian Glory stools by Helena Dařbujánová, GON furniture by Jakub Pollág for Master & Master, and ONDULE tables by Jan Plecháč & Henry Wielgus for DEELIVE.

Together, these elements create a visual and emotional bridge between generations — between the village and the modern city, between inherited traditions and contemporary expression, between memory and magination.

The exhibition grows from the work of the Moravian Glory Foundation, founded in 2020 by Czech-American entrepreneur and philanthropist Monika Vintrlíková. Rooted in Monika’s deep connection to her native South Moravia, the foundation is dedicated to preserving and sharing Moravian traditions, folk art, costume, ornament, and craftsmanship while creating opportunities for these cultural values to speak to new generations and audiences around the world.

The exhibition is curated by Czech architect and designer Helena Dařbujánová, whose work bridges architecture, contemporary design, and traditional Czech craftsmanship. Her long-standing collaboration with Monika Vintrlíková has grown from a shared passion for Moravian heritage into a broader vision: to place traditional culture in conversation with contemporary art and design.

Originally conceived as Contemporary Takes on Folk Motifs, the project has evolved into Moravian Glory: From Folk Heritage to Modern Expression. In this new, more intimate presentation, the Moravian Glory Foundation joins forces with the George Drost Collection, creating a richer dialogue between historic and contemporary interpretations of Moravian culture.

One collection looks back. One looks forward. Together, they reveal that heritage is not something we simply inherit — it is something we carry, reinterpret, and pass on.

Moravian Glory is ultimately an invitation to remember where we come from, to see the beauty in what has been handed down to us, and to discover how deeply the past can inspire the future.