by Eveline Chang Center for Architecture Foundation
Center for Architecture Foundation
2012 was major year of growth for the Center for Architecture Foundation (CFAF), which kicked off the year with its 20th Anniversary Celebration. The Foundation grew to add Alice Stryker as Development and Operations Coordinator; she was instrumental in launching the organization’s first annual drawing competition and benefit, Guess-A-Sketch. The architecture-themed Pictionary-style tournament featured Hugh Hardy, FAIA, Charles Renfro, AIA, Ronnette Riley, FAIA, and Robert Rogers, FAIA, as honoree sketchers, and Walter A. Hunt, Jr., FAIA, as emcee.
Programs@theCenter also saw significant expansion. Attendance for summer architectural studios doubled, ranging from Olympic stadium design for Grades 3-5 to a two-week intensive for high school students. Student workshops, family days, and school-break programs at the Center were also consistently popular. CFAF was highlighted in the New York Times for its increasing work with home-school populations, and selected by New York Magazine as one of NYC’s Best Teaching Centers for its youth workshops and summer programs.
The Foundation also developed a number of programs and resources in tandem with the Center for Architecture’s major exhibitions. Exhibition tours, interpretative guides, family and school workshops, and public discussions enhanced the Center’s galleries.
In partnership with NYC-area classrooms, CFAF’s award-winning in-school residency program, Learning By Design:NY, was honored in 2012 with several grants, including the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Paul and Bay Foundations. The Foundation also received a grant from the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership, in conjunction with the AIANY Architecture for Education Committee, to fund an exchange between U.S. and Japanese architects and schools.
In response to Superstorm Sandy, which impacted the area in the fall, CFAF partnered with the AIANY to organize a fundraiser and timely discussion between experts in disaster resilience design. Proceeds were donated to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City.
The most notable increase in the Foundation’s work was through its outreach to the general adult public, engaging architecture enthusiasts of all levels. CFAF offered several exhibition and neighborhood walking tours, beginning and intermediate courses in Trimble SketchUp, insider tours of the Brooklyn Navy Yard and Signature Theatre, and public programs ranging from arts town halls to presentations of innovations in design.
The Foundation is proud to announce that in 2013, its Adult Programs will add three new series for the public. Throughout the year, “What to Expect When You’re Renovating” will walk participants through the process of renovation by a licensed architect and lawyer. In addition, the four-part series, “Architecture and the City,” will explore how architecture and design have shaped the city. Sessions include “The Role of Structure in Architecture,” “Reading the Cityscape,” “Landscape Design in NYC,” and” How Urban Planning Shapes the City.” Finally, “Sketching the City” will teach the basics of freehand sketching of buildings and streetscapes.
For more information on the Foundation’s various programs or to see its 2012 Annual Report, please visit www.cfafoundation.org. To support the Foundation’s ongoing work in design literacy, you may contribute to the Foundation’s end-of-year campaign at www.cfafoundation.org/annualcampaign.