2020 Design Matters Conference
We are pleased to announce that the 2020 Design Matters Conference will be held in New York City on November 18-21, 2020!
Past AAO Events
The Association of Architecture Organizations conducts year-round programs for its members, as well as select events for the general public. The primary function of these activities is to provide educators and representatives from architectural organizations with a forum for networking, resource sharing, and joint learning.
2019 Design Matters Conference
The 2019 Design Matters Conference took place in Chicago on November 6-9, 2019. For 2019 Design Matters Conference details, including an archived version of the speakers and schedule, please visit designmattersconference.org.
AAO Exhibition Sharing Committee June 2019 Meeting
The next AAO Exhibition Sharing Committee Meeting will take place Wednesday, June 19 from 11:00am-12:00pm Eastern Time and is open to all AAO Members.
At this next meeting, we will continue with another short round of individual reports from members, as well as discuss priority activities we think should be included in the Design Matters Conference this fall in Chicago.
Register Now!
AAO Exhibition Sharing Committee February 2019 Meeting
During the 2018 Design Matters Conference in Seattle this past November, a number of long-time AAO members voiced their interest in establishing a committee to exchange timely updates and information concerning traveling exhibitions suitable for display at AAO member sites.
AAO Board member and Executive Director of AIA New York/Center for Architecture Benjamin Prosky will chair this ad hoc committee, which is open to all current AAO members.
2018 Design Matters Conference
The Design Matters Conference is the world’s only dedicated annual meeting that seeks to bring top designers, journalists, and civic leaders into exploratory dialogue with those not-for-profit professionals and volunteers charged with creating cultural programs (exhibitions, tours, lectures and symposia, festivals and films, youth outreach) to spur broader public interest in architecture, urbanism, and culture.
AAO Webinar: Creating and Marketing an Online Resource
Thursday, August 9, 11am Central Time
Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
AAO Webinar: Crowdfunding Strategies for Your Architecture Organization
Gabrielle Lyon, Chicago Architecture Foundation
Thursday, December 14, 11am Central Time
2017 Design Matters Conference
2017 DESIGN MATTERS CONFERENCE
Presented by Association of Architecture Organizations
Sept. 14-16 2017 · Chicago, IL
AAO Webinar: Creating an Architecture Center
For the next AAO Webinar, we’ll have speakers from three architecture centers that have either recently opened or plan to open soon: Seattle Center for Architecture & Design, Architecture Center Houston, and the Lipsey Buffalo Architecture Center.
AAO Webinar: Leveraging Local Networks
Thursday, May 4, 2017
11:00 AM CDT
The next AAO webinar is about the power of collaboration. Six nonprofits in Pittsburgh offer K-12 architectural education programs of one stripe or another, so they joined together to form the Architecture Learning Network (ALN) to help high school students navigate their options. What began with a shared calendar listing grew into a system of learning pathways and digital badges thanks to a grant from the Sprout Fund.
AAO Webinar: The Value of Docent-Led Architecture Tours
Thursday, March 2
11am-Noon CST
The next AAO webinar will feature newly published research by AAO member Jason Nu, PhD, documenting the process of creating docent-led architecture tours, the emotional impact they make on pubic tourgoers, and why it’s such a powerful tool for promoting design. For his dissertation in the field of geography, Nu conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork on architecture tours using the Chicago Architecture Foundation as a case study.
2016 Design Matters Conference: Miami Rising
2016 DESIGN MATTERS CONFERENCE: Miami Rising
Presented by Association of Architecture Organizations
Nov. 2-4, 2016 · Miami, FL
AAO Webinar - Case Study for Public-Private Partnerships
Join us April 30, for the latest installment in our monthly webinar series. This month we will be investing the Market Street Prototyping Festival, an innovative partnership between the San Francisco Planning Department, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and dozens of artists and designers from across San Francisco. If you're interested in gaining practical tips about forging public-private partnerships, this is a helpful case study. Guest presenter for this webinar is Neil Hrushowy, Manager of the City Design Group within the San Francisco Planning Department.
2014 Design Matters Conference
Many thanks to everyone who traveled to Washington, DC last week to participate in this year's DESIGN MATTERS CONFERENCE! We enjoyed some terrific architecture tours, memorable keynotes, and valuable time networking and sharing insights with peers from across the country. A full event wrap-up will be published soon.
2014 A+DEN Symposium
This inaugural event held in summer 2014 saw AAO bring together K-12 Architecture and Design Educators from across the United States for 2.5 days of shared learning and networking. Activities included workshops, presentations, tours, and special receptions. The gathering was hosted by the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum outside Detroit, Michigan.
2014 Members Weekend
Ever since roots for Modernism Week in Palm Springs were set down nearly a decade ago, architecture buffs and cultural tourists have been placing this destination on their proverbial bucket lists – a mecca for mid-century architecture and design and contemporary scholarship in these fields. And with this year’s AAO Members Weekend just days away we're excited to get the event underway!
2013 Conference
Making and Measuring IMPACT: The Value of Architecture and Design Organizations
BOSTON, MA – September 26-28
2013 Members Weekend
July 18-20, 2013 in Columbus, Indiana
Local Host: Columbus Area Visitors Center
Left to right: Large Arch (Henry Moore); North Christian Church (Eero Saarinen); Miller House Interior (Eero Saarinen and Alexander Girard). Photos: Columbus Area Visitors Center.
AAO 2012 Conference
More than 130 delegates came to Dallas, TX to discuss connecting people and place for the AAO 2012 conference. We covered topics from the impact of urban parks to community change through design partnerships to toolkit sessions that offered information on strategic planning and fundraising. We hope all participants left with a renewed sense of energy and new ideas to apply to their work.