November News

A message from our President, Paul Gunther

The Reconsidering Postmodernism conference starts this Friday and there’s still to time to enroll. Click here to register online. We expect availability for last-minute registration, but please arrive early to guarantee a place. There are 13 AIA/CES LUs available for those requiring them.

If you cannot come in person, follow the press coverage we expect will come from a variety of critical perspectives. We will post them on the Web as it is culled from the broad array of outlets in force today. In addition, there will be a DVD made of the recorded proceedings in their entirety, prepared by the distinguished filmmakers at the Checkerboard Foundation.  A notice will go out when ready for purchase.  Alas, at this juncture, the ICAA does not have the resources for live streaming or podcasts, but we’re aware of that shortcoming and, as always, remain eager to embrace any and all technologies able to increase access to our educational assets.  In any case, this conference has been a huge undertaking and we are grateful to all of you whose generosity makes possible all that we do.

As you review the upcoming nationwide events below, I draw special attention to the Bulfinch Awards in Boston on November 30 as the New England Chapter celebrates regional excellence for the second year. Texas launched its John Staub Awards last month with a successful inaugural event in Houston, where design excellence across categories was duly recognized. They’re off to an auspicious start, which bodes well for a lasting new Lone Star State tradition.

The Southeast Chapter holds its sixth annual Shutze Awards in February 2012 with an application deadline of November 28, 2011.

Applications for the 31st annual Arthur Ross Awards, scheduled on May 7, 2012 are due no later than the close of business on December 15; history and details about the Ross Awards can be found online here. Other regional awards for current achievement are in development at some chapters. Our loyal constituents like you will be the first notified once official.

ICAA College of Chapters Meeting, October 2011, New York

At the annual gathering of the College of Chapters in October (where the 15 current chapter presidents re-elected Atlanta’s Andrew Cogar for a third term as board representative), there was a special focus on recruiting applicants from far and wide, who may not yet be familiar with the Ross recognition program. By all means, help spread awareness to any who fit the competitive bill in one or more of the eligible categories. These awards honor life achievement throughout the United States and occasionally beyond. I was glad to reiterate this message to the Tennessee Chapter at its recent annual meeting in Memphis, where a chilly wind off the Mississippi in no way diminished the heart-warming, determined commitment of a passionate new community of contemporary classicists.

I welcome Michael Mesko to the board as fellows representative. A New York-based architect working internationally, he has taught for the ICAA and led the design studio of the fine Master’s of Architecture degree program with a Concentration in Classical Design offered by Georgia Tech before a new administration there placed it on hold. He will make a fine governance contribution as recent years prove.

I am also glad to announce that Marc Appleton and Alvin Holm have been elected as directors emeriti and have accepted this honor—in both cases measuring years of outstanding service to the Institute and excellence in architectural practice. For starters, the ever-evolving chapter network is their lasting legacy.