AIA Houston Design Collection at the MFAH Grows by Three
At the annual holiday party, Chapter members selected three objects for inclusion in the AIA Houston Design Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, increasing the size of the three year old collection to ten (10) objects. A part of the collection is scheduled for exhibition at the MFAH in the spring.
Objects selected for purchase on December 10 were:
The Modernique Clock (1929), designed by Paul Theodore Frankl; a Coffee Table (1929) also by Frankl; and a Hunting Chair, (1950), Berge Mogensen. During the 1920's and 30's, the architect and designer Paul Frankl was described by the press as "the foremost exponent of modernism in the decorative arts." Equally celebrated for his furniture and objects designs and his writings on modernism and the interior, he was one of the most prominent designers working in the art deco style. His importance as a furniture designer stems from a line of bookcases, desks, tables, vanities, and chairs known as "Skyscraper Furniture." His goal with these designs was to free the American public from imitating period styles and encourage them to respond to the architecture of the city. Morgensen worked in the office of the Danish architect Kaare Klint before becoming head of the Department of Furniture Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. His belief in the concept of good design for everyone pervaded his furniture designs and he is credited with the development of component based form. The Hunting Chair emphasizes simple construction and natural materials.
The AIA Houston Design Collection is financed by the proceeds from the Sand Castle Competition and additional contributions from individuals and firms. Augmenting the Chapter's budget were donations from Caton Consulting; WHR Architects; Haynes Whaley; Powers Brown Architects; Hall Barnum Lucchesi Architects; John Hawkins, AIA; Michael Morton, AIA; Brown Penland McGregor Stephens Architects; Carolyn and Ben Brewer, FAIA; Glassman Shoemake Maldonado; Louis Skidmore, AIA; Dan Searight, AIA; and Christina Graham, Associate AIA. When objects from the Collection are exhibited, the identification tag includes the names of AIA Houston and all other contributors to the Collection.
Dues Are Due
You should have received your 2003 dues invoice in the mail. As we did last year, we ask you to use the return envelope enclosed to mail your check and copy of the invoice to AIA Houston. We will forward it to Washington after reviewing it for accuracies in billing. Official deadline for payment is January 15, 2003.
Coming in April
April is Architecture Month -- a public relations focus on events and ideas that feature architecture and design. While a number of the events will be produced by AIA Houston, we will include those supported by our many sister organizations in the design world. Many more details are forthcoming, but just to whet your appetite (and your imagination), here is a partial listing. (In some cases, the month of April is extended in order to capture some really good events.)
March 21, Opening of Exhibition, A Charles Tapley Retrospective
March 29 - 30, Rice Design Alliance Home Tour
March 29, Departure, Architecture Tour of Berlin
April 1, Gallery Talk at Tapley Exhibition (these talks will occur each Tuesday evening in April)
April 3, Openingunda Show, Memorial City Mall
April 9, Sally Walsh Lecture: Billie Tsien and Todd Williams
April 12, Celebrate Architecture
April 24, RDA Civic Forum
April 25 - 26, TSA Board Meeting in Galveston
April 26 - May 4, Houston International Festival: Architecture Activity for Children
AIA Works For You
Update your firm's presence on the Web. Our new and improved website will attract more hits and your firm will be one of the prime destinations. Find a Firm is already the most popular part of our site. Visitors to the site who are looking for architectural services can select a list of firms with the kind of experience they are looking for, read a brief description of the firm, view a photograph of one or more projects, choose to examine a detailed description of the firm and its staff in e-Profile, and visit the firm's home page. They can do that if you have kept your information up to date. Forgotten your password? Give us a call and we'll send it to you along with instructions for editing your site.
The enhanced listings and links are a member service to those firms paying supplemental dues; no other firms will be listed. Affiliate Firms are listed in three categories: Engineers and Specialty Consultants; Contractors; Suppliers. Project photographs may be added for a fee. These improvements elevate the presence of architecture firms before the electronically literate public (an ever-growing segment) and capitalize on the national advertising campaign to develop brand identity and name recognition for AIA architects.
Log onto aiahouston.org. Review your firm's presence. Change the text of your description if you like. Add a new project to your listing. Examine your areas of specialization and make modification if you have changed the focus of your work. Be sure the link to your own website is there. Add a logo; there's no charge for that. If you want to take advantage of the opportunity to post images of your work, we can activate up to five spaces for only $30 per posting. Just call us at 713-520-0155.
aiahouston.org Has a New Look
Check out our site's new look and new features. Designed and implemented by Archimage, the new site represents the results of evaluation and discussion of the Board and Committee Chairs during the past year. Chief among the goals for the new look were to make communication with the membership more effective and to engage the public in a discussion about design.
A new feature, Houston Matters, will introduce "Outrage and Delight," an opportunity for members and the public to identify buildings or public spaces that they find especially wonderful or not and to enter into conversation about the ways in which design matters to Houston. There will also be a space, "Design Zone," for broader commentary about, what else?, design.
ePerspective will be easier to navigate; late breaking news will be highlighted; award winning projects will be featured; and Find a Firm will retain its prominent place on the site. Further refinements, including links to committee pages and committee discussion groups are planned for this year. Suggestions and comments are welcome. Call Martha at the Chapter office or Wendy Heger, Director for Public Relations.
AIA. What's in it for me?
Information: publications, seminars, conferences
Access: to industry standard contracts, a network of job leads, civic and business leaders
Recognition: design and service awards, national television and radio advertising, appointments to public boards
Influence: on public and Institute policy
Mentoring: one-to-one, firm to firm, professional to student
Representation: before legislative bodies, regulatory agencies
Advocacy: for the health, safety and welfare of the public, qualification-based selection for public projects, comprehensive planning and design excellence
Fellowship: with architects, with colleagues in related fields, with industry and political leaders
