Are you interested in increasing awareness, appreciation, advocacy and action in your community?  A large group of participants at the 2009 AAO conference answered "yes" to this question.  They attended a break-out session led by Erin Cullerton, Assistant Director, AIA San Francisco and Curator and Founder of the Architecture and the City Festival, and Scott Lauer, Founder of Open House New York. 

As the founders of two of the country's largest and most successful programs, they led the session as a conversation about the importance of increasing architectural dialogue in cities everywhere, and contributing to a more enlightened and engaged public.  Participants learned about the history of Erin and Scott's programs, how funding and programming support is provided, how curatorial visions are determined, as well as first-hand knowledge on how best to coordinate with dozens of local partners, including government agencies, cultural institutions, community groups, architects and designers, and of course, volunteers.

Erin Cullerton's Presentation

Scott Lauer's Presentation - please note: there are two slides that include video.  If your system does not support the programs needed to run the video, you can find them at the following links - Page 6, and Page 22

Erin Cullerton, Assistant Director, AIA San Francisco; Curator/Founder, Architecture and the City Festival

Erin Cullerton is the Assistant Director of the fourth largest chapter of the American Institute of Architects. During her tenure, she has developed everything from award-winning communications to new public education models that bring awareness of the architecture and design profession to an increasingly savvy public audience. She has produced nearly 40 exhibitions on a range of topics from public art in architecture to investigations on the urban environment. In 2003, she founded the Architecture and the City festival, which takes place every September in San Francisco. Under her leadership, the festival has grown into an award-winning, city-wide event that reaches more than 20,000 participants and draws support from hundreds of cultural institutions and community partners. In 2005, Erin was instrumental in founding the Center for Architecture + Design, a new nonprofit organization seeking to educate the public about the importance of architecture and design in the Bay Area. Her writing on architecture and design has appeared in a variety of publications, including Metropolis, ReadyMade, Surface and Wired magazines, among others. Erin currently sits on the advisory board of The Architect's Newspaper, California edition and is the editor of Young Architects Americas (Daab) and Contemporary Prefab Houses (Daab). She is currently editing a third book on sustainable residential design (Mondadori Publishers) due out this fall.

Scott Lauer, Founder, Open House New York

Architect, Scott Lauer, is the founder of Open House New York, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of New York City’s architecture and design. Open House New York runs year-round talks, tours, events, and in-school workshops, including America's largest architecture and design event, Open House New York Weekend.  From an all-volunteer, grass roots organization, Scott has overseen every aspect of the organization's growth into a major New York City cultural institution. In 2008, 175,000 participants attended 350 sites and programs, all free-of-charge.  More than 600 volunteers assisted. 

Prior to founding Open House New York, Scott worked in London and New York designing and managing a series of award-winning projects. For the past three years he has run The Library Initiative for the Robin Hood Foundation, managing the design and construction of 25 elementary school libraries in New York City's poorest neighborhoods.  Scott continues to consult on architecture and design projects and serves on Open House New York’s Board. He is a graduate of Cornell University.  

The Kent School of Architecture, at the University of Kent (UK), is hosting this year’s Architectural Humanities Research Association Conference, November 19 - 20, 2010.  They are calling for papers that focus on the Conference theme: Scale.  What is culturally specific about scale? And what does scale mean in a world where an intuitive, visual understanding is often undermined or superseded by other senses, or by hyper-reality?

To read more about the conference, be sure to visit the Kent School of Architecture.

AHRA Conference Call for Papers.doc

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum has developed three variations of their City of Neighborhoods program, each using community as the focal point to bring design thinking to new audiences.  At the AAO conference, Mei Mah, Deputy Director of Education, and Kim Robledo-Diga, Professional Development Manager at Cooper-Hewitt led a break-out session that was a case study about the City of Neighborhoods program.  They shared models that have been successfully engaging New York City public school students, K-12 educators nationwide, and a rural Texas border town. 

Be sure to scroll to the bottom for the audio!

Mei Mah, Deputy Director of Education, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Mei Mah is the Deputy Director of Education at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution (CH-NDM) where she is responsible for strategic educational initiatives and collaborations. She served on the development and launch team of National Design Week and www.educatorresourcecenter.org  (ERC), the Museum’s online resource design hub.  During her tenure at the Museum, Mei, has produced symposia, hands-on activities, and gallery programming for over sixty exhibitions including Open Talks: Pioneers of Change, Extreme Textiles: Design for High Performance, Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005, and the National Design Triennial series. Mei sits on the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA) museum panel and cultural committee of the Netherlands America Foundation. Her interest in design education began while working in architecture and community development and prompted her to pursue a M.A. in Arts Administration from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Kim Robledo-Diga, Professional Development Manager, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Kim Robledo-Diga, has over nine years experiences in arts education.  As Professional Development Manager at Cooper-Hewitt she is responsible for integrating design thinking into local and national school curricula standards and professional development trainings across the country. Kim earned a Bachelor of Fine Art with a Minor in Art History from the Maryland Institute, College of Art and a Masters of Fine Art with additional studies in arts administration from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. In her prior positions, Kim developed workshops and content that utilizes museum’s collections which address state and local educational standards, designed youth exhibitions, family guides and produced a variety of cultural events and educator training on techniques for using works of art to enhance the learning experiences of children. In addition to her work in the museum field she taught at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, was the ceramics department head at the Instituto Allende in Mexico and taught and oversaw special events at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland.

If you polled the architecture and design field about who are the leading experts in using academic standards in design education, chances are the Chicago Architecture Foundation would be mentioned first.  Jean Linsner, Jennifer Masengarb, and the rest of the youth education department at CAF are always ahead of the curve when it comes to planning and creating innovated education programming and curriculum.

Since CAF hosted the 2009 AAO conference in Chicago, we were lucky enough to have Jean and Jennifer lead a session break-out session about this exact topic.  Participants rated their session as one of the highlights of the conference, and we're happy to be able to share some of that presentation with you today.  

Using Academic Standards in Design Education

Using academic standards in design education is not an oxymoron.  Academic standards can provide a framework for developing programs that meet the needs of teachers.  Learn strategies for demystifying state and national academic standards; making connections between your content area, target audience, and the standards; walk away with a plan for developing engaging and responsive programming.

Academic Standards Presentation

Using Academic Standards in Design Education Handout

Jean Linsner, Vice President of Youth Education, Chicago Architecture Foundation
Jean Linsner is responsible for the strategic development and supervision of CAF’s Youth Education Programs. Linsner is an expert in education program management for child and adult learners in both for-profit and not-for-profit settings. She is the co-author of CAF’s Schoolyards to Skylines: Teaching with Chicago’s Amazing Architecture. Linsner has been at CAF since 1999. She holds BA degrees in English and Telecommunications and an MS in Education from Indiana University.

Jennifer Masengarb, Education Specialist, Chicago Architecture Foundation

Jennifer Masengarb is Education Specialist at the Chicago Architecture Foundation and served as the author of CAF’s high school curriculum, The Architecture Handbook: A Student Guide to Understanding Buildings, awarded a 2009 national Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects.  She is also the primary author of Schoolyards to Skylines: Teaching with Chicago’s Amazing Architecture, CAF’s award-winning K – 8 curriculum. 

In 2000, Jen came to CAF with experience gained by working at architectural firms, by researching for historic structure reports, and in teaching high school English and history in Eastern Europe.  She holds a bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Detroit Mercy and a master's degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia.

Gregory Dreicer, Vice President of Exhibitions and Programs at the Chicago Architecture Foundation, and Gregory Wessner, Digital Programs and Exhibitions Director at the Architectural League of New York, are AAO's resident experts on creating engaging architecture exhibitions.

At the AAO conference in November 2009, Greg and Greg hosted a popular break-out session about strategies for engaging broad audiences in learning about the design of the spaces and places that surround them through exhibitions.  The session focused on the different possibilities for encouraging learning about the big issues in architecture, infrastructure, and planning.

Be sure to check out the MP3 recording of this session at the bottom of this post.  Enjoy!

Gregory Dreicer, Vice President of Exhibitions and Programs, Chicago Architecture Foundation

Gregory Dreicer is a curator and historian whose explorations of built environment and building technology have received national recognition. He is the former director of Chicken&Egg Public Projects, which was a leading exhibition planning, development, and design firm specializing in social, political, and technological issues. Dreicer worked with organizations including the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, Museum of the City of New York, Smithsonian Institution, and Federal Highway Administration. In the 1990s, Dreicer was a curator at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. He has curated more than 20 exhibitions and his articles have appeared in journals including Perspecta, Culture Technique, History and Technology, and Design Book Review. Dreicer received his PhD from Cornell University’s Department of Science and Technology Studies. He holds an MS in Historic Preservation and a BA, both from Columbia University. Dreicer joined CAF in January 2007.

Gregory Wessner, Digital Programs and Exhibitions Director, Architectural League of New York

Gregory Wessner is the Digital Programs and Exhibitions Director of the Architectural League of New York.  As a curator and editor, he has organized numerous exhibitions, including New New York: Fast Forward, Studio as Muse: Herzog & de Meuron’s Design for the New Parrish Art Museum, 13:100: Thirteen New York Architects Design for Ordos, and, most recently, Toward the Sentient City (with curator Mark Shepard) and New New York 6:1000 Blocks. Publications include 125 Years: The Architectural League of New York, and Travel Reports from the Deborah J. Norden Fund.

In 2006, Wessner initiated a major digital programs initiative for the Architectural League and since that time has produced more than 150 podcasts and short videos.  Wessner is a Level 2 PhD candidate in architectural history at the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where his focus of research is architectural culture and exhibitions.  

He formerly served as Chief Administrator of White Columns and the National Academy School of Fine Arts.

At the 2009 AAO conference, we were so honored to have Carol Coletta, President and CEO of CEOs for Cities as our keynote speaker.  Carol's address, given on November 5, 2009, focused on the issues around building and sustaining the next generation of great American cities. Her talk was so inspirational, and was the perfect kick-off for the conference.

Listen to Carol's talk, "Architecture and Design as a Catalyst for Change" at the bottom of this post.

Carol Coletta,  President and CEO, CEOs for Cities

Carol Coletta is president and CEO of CEOs for Cities and host and producer of the nationally syndicated public radio show Smart City.

Previously, she served as president of Coletta & Company in Memphis. In addition, she served as executive director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Conference of Mayors and American Architectural Foundation.

Carol was a Knight Fellow in Community Building for 2003 at the University of Miami School of Architecture and completed coursework toward a Master of Design Methods at the Institute of Design at IIT and at the University of Houston in Future Studies.  She is a highly sought after speaker on the success formula for cities and creative communities and is frequently interviewed as an expert on urban issues by national media.

In 2008 she was named one of the world’s 50 most important urban experts by a leading European think tank.  Most recently, she was named the recipient of the Lamda Alpha International 2009 International Journalism Award for her work with CEOs for Cities and Smart City.

If we spend 90% of our time inside buildings, how do the environments we live, teach, and learn in become educational laboratories? 

At the 2009 AAO conference, Julia Feder, Manger of LEED Education Resources at the U.S. Green Building Council led a break-out session based on this question.  The session, held
Friday, November 6, 2009, began with an exploration of how to make sense of sustainability in the classroom.  Julia also focused on USGBC education resources that can boost understanding of green building basics, as well as award winning education programs from across the country.  The group went through some hands-on activities that helped participants to identify opportunities for aligning curriculum with educational opportunities throughout the school building.

Check out Julia's presentation, and all the great Green Education resources available on the USGBC website.  Be sure to listen to the MP3 of Julia's session at the bottom of this post!

Julia Feder, Manager of LEED Education Resources, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

Julia Feder serves as the Manager of LEED Education Resources for the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). In this role, Julia oversees a broad range of activities related to the development of education programs, trainings, and resources in support of USGBC’s mission to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. Her responsibilities include overseeing the development of green building case studies, distance learning opportunities, and a variety of publications. Additionally, Julia has led USGBC’s efforts to support the integration of green building and sustainability concepts into K-12, undergraduate and graduate curriculum.

Since graduating from Antioch University New England’s Environmental Science Graduate Program in 2002, Julia has also worked with the Missouri Botanical Garden EarthWays Center in St. Louis, MO, coordinating the organization’s sustainability education programs. Additionally, she has taught fourth grade and helped start a farmers market to serve an urban neighborhood. While Julia loves her car-free, urban commute, she looks forward to any opportunity to get outside of the city with her two dogs.

Our good friends at Stalelife have been so wonderful to work with, and they've created our great AAO website!  So when we asked them to do a presentation at the 2009 conference about using social media to help grow your audiences, we were thrilled they agreed to do it.

Kurt Pennypacker and Joe Doyle presented "Build a Larger Audience with Social Media in the Mix" on Saturday, November 7, 2009.  We thank them for a great session, and for being brave enough to present in the last session timeslot of the whole conference!

You can find a copy of their presentation at either of the following links.  We hope you enjoy it!

http://stalelife.com/aao/

http://www.stalelife.com/blog/2009/11/presentation-architecture-non-profits-social-media/

Joe Doyle
Sleeves-rolled-high agency partner, Joe Doyle, oversees new business initiatives and interactive strategy. He creates beautiful, usable website solutions from site architecture and content to social media outreach and marketing.

Prior to launching Stalelife, Joe worked as a Creative Director for Chicago-based agencies New Control and Douglas-Danielle, and he’s become a sought-after consultant with top agencies like EURO RSCG and Razorfish. Joe holds an MA in Communications and Training from Governors State University in Chicago.

Kurt Pennypacker
On the other side of the Stalelife coin, Partner and Chief Creative Director Kurt Pennypacker, constructs creative marketing campaigns, CMS powered websites, branding and identity.

Before Stalelife, Kurt was pushing pixels and carving Direct Marketing comps at Douglas-Danielle, Inc. where he met Joe. Kurt holds a BA in Graphic Design from University of Central Florida.

At the inaugural AAO conference, we were so lucky to have Peter Murray, Chairman of Wordsearch and New London Architecture, and the Director of the London Festival of Architecture as a presenter. 

In his session, presented on November 5, 2009, Peter discussed the gulf that separates architects, who are intent on process and internalized professional concerns, from the communities they serve and how to bridge that divide.  The democratization of the planning process in Britain, the interventions of Prince Charles, and 15 years of booming construction have led to an interested, but not always well informed, public.  Peter's presentation focused on the role played by architecture centers, events and festivals, publications, and the internet in helping communicate change in the built environment and promoting better design.

Check out Peter's presentation, and the New London Architecture and London Festival of Architecture brochures he shared with the group.  Be sure to check out the MP3 of Peter's session at the bottom of this post!

Peter Murray, Hon. FRIBA, Chairman, Wordsearch, New London Architecture; Director, London Festival of Architecture

Peter Murray, Hon. FRIBA, trained as an architect but has spent his career in the communication of architecture. He was formerly technical editor of Architectural Design (AD) and then Editor of the weekly newspaper Building Design. He then moved to be Editor and Publisher of the RIBA Journal.  In 1983 he started Blueprint Magazine, the first of the new wave of design and architecture magazines that charted the rise of the creative industries. He has curated a number of major architectural exhibitions including New Architecture - the work of Foster Rogers Stirling at the Royal Academy in 1986, Living Bridges at the Royal Academy in 1996.

He is Chairman of the design and communications consultancy Wordsearch, founder and Exhibitions Director of New London Architecture (NLA), Founder/Director of the London Festival of Architecture and editor in chief of London Property Review magazine. He is author of various architectural books including Contemporary British Architects, New Urban Environments, Living Bridges, The Saga of Sydney Opera House and Architecture and Commerce. He is deputy chairman and honorary secretary of the Bedford Park Society and was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 2000.

This week, we're happy to bring you the wonderful presentations of Diane Filippi and Rick Bell from the AAO conference in November. Diane and Rick co-presented a session entitled "Starting an Architecture Center" on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

All non-profits from time to time reassess their organization's direction, effectiveness, and impact.  This session focused on the reassessment that the AIA New York Chapter and the San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association underwent, that led to the creation of their new centers.  They lessons they learned about design, development, finance, and programming are applicable to other cities and institutions, and offer insight to those who are considering starting an architecture center in their community.

Starting an Architecture Center - D. Filippi.pdf

Starting an Architecture Center - R. Bell - Part 1.pdf

Starting an Architecture Center - R. Bell - Part 2.pdf

Speaker Bios

Diane Filippi, San Francisco Planning + Urban Research Association (SPUR) Urban Center Director

Diane Filippi is the Director of the SPUR Urban Center in San Francisco. In this role, Diane is responsible for the development of the Urban Center from inception through completion and grand opening. Her responsibilities have included site selection; architectural selection and process; expansion of programs; new partnerships and collaborations; and fundraising.

Prior to joining SPUR, Diane was a founder and Managing Principal of SMWM, an architectural and urban design firm in San Francisco. She is a chairperson of several organizations and institutions, including Urban Land Institute’s San Francisco District Council, Rail-volution, Americans for Libraries Council in New York, San Francisco Friends of the Library, the Campaign to Keep Libraries Alive, State of California Friends Foundation in Sacramento. She is also on the board of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Rick Bell, Executive Directory, AIA New York/Center for Architecture

Rick Bell serves as Executive Director of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects where he was instrumental in the creation of the New York New Visions design and planning coalition, which has helped to catalyze and critique the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan.  Since starting at the AIA in 2001, Rick has raised the profile and involvement of the architectural community on policy issues, including accessibility, affordable housing, sustainable design and waterfront use.  The AIA’s storefront Center for Architecture on LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village marks the shifting of priorities to a greater engagement with the public.

Previously, Rick worked in the public sector as Chief Architect and Assistant Commissioner of Architecture & Engineering at New York City’s public works agency, the Department of Design & Construction. A registered architect in New York, New Jersey and California, Rick was elected a Fellow of the AIA in 2000 for his work in public facility design.  He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), the Forum for Urban Design and the Institute for Urban Design. Rick holds degrees from Yale and Columbia and has received numerous awards for civic activities and design excellence, including a “Newsmaker of the Year” award from Engineering News Record.  He currently serves on the Executive Committee and Board of the national American Institute of Architects.