AIA Grassroots 2012 Recap
AIANY joined colleagues from across the nation at the 2012 Grassroots Leadership and Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Conference participants convened for three days to empower our collective voice, speak with members of Congress, and share a vision of what America can be – through design. The theme of this year’s conference was Leadership Advocacy Communication, and featured keynote speakers Dr. Richard Jackson, MD, author of Urban Sprawl and Public Health, and former Marine Vernice Armour, the first African-American female combat pilot. ArchiPAC, the AIA’s bipartisan political action committee, raised over $50,000, a new record, with more than 400 donors.

At the conference, AIANY received the 2012 AIA Grassroots Excellence Award for Component Outreach Communications – Outstanding Overall Program for “Archtober,” the first ever month-long festival of architecture and design in New York City, which took place throughout October 2011. The award was conferred by Mickey Jacob, FAIA, First Vice President of the AIA, on March 9, 2012, at the AIA Grassroots Conference at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. Pictured here, AIA National President Jeff Potter, FAIA, stands with AIANY Managing Director Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, LEED AP; Laura Ann Trimble, Partnership Programs Coordinator; Daniel Fox, Office Manager & Liaison to the Landmarks Preservation Commission; Nicole Friedman, Communications Director; Vicki Long, CAE, Hon AIAFL; and Robert Ivy, FAIA, AIA Executive Vice President & CEO, for the award presentation.

AIA New York State was the recipient of two Grassroots awards at the 2012 conference in Washington, DC; the first, conferred on Thursday, March 8, was for the Government Affairs Overall Program. On Friday, March 9, the AIANYS “Every Building Has an Architect” postcard program was honored with a communications award. Here, Russell Davidson, FAIA, Vice President, AIA National, stands with David Businelli,  AIA, AIANYS Immediate Past President; Stephanie Quirini, AIANYS Communications Director; Edward Farrell, AIANYS Executive Director; Burt Roslyn, FAIA, AIANYS Past-President; and Eric Goshow, AIA, LEED AP, Acting President and President-Elect, AIANYS, after the communications award was presented.

The AIANY delegation held meetings in the Rayburn House Office Building with Congressman Jerrold L. Nadler, as well as with senior legislative staff in the offices of Congresswoman Nydia M. Velazquez, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney, and Congressman Charles B. Rangel. Here, AIANY President Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP leads a conversation with Congressman Nadler. AIA Brooklyn Chapter President Giuseppe Anzalone and AIA Queens President Michael Cosentino joined AIANY for the meetings.

In the meetings, AIANY presented the AIA’s Plan for Economic Recovery and asked our elected representatives for their support on a number of initiatives. The plan calls for action on four items to create jobs in the hard hit design and construction industry: Removing Barriers to Private Sector Lending, Saving Energy, Creating Jobs, Helping Small Firms Grow and Thrive, and Revitalizing America’s Neighborhoods by passing a transportation bill. Read more about these agenda items here

AIANYS Acting President Eric Goshow, AIA, LEED AP, similarly led the state delegation meeting in the Hart and Russell Senate Office Buildings with senior legislative staff in the offices of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Charles Schumer. The state delegation was accompanied by President of AIA UK Etain Fitzpatrick, AIA, and President of AIA Europe Thomas Bitnar, AIA, RIBA, CKA.

AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, right, visited the Capitol with Thomas Bitnar, AIA, RIBA, CKA, President, AIA Europe, and Etain Fitzpatrick, AIA, President, AIA UK.

Debra S. Kunce, FAIA, 2012-2013 AIA Vice President, announced that AIA National is embarking upon a repositioning led by Pentagram in partnership with LaPlaca Cohen.

2012 AIA First Vice President and President-Elect Mickey Jacob, FAIA and 2012 AIA President Jeff Potter, FAIA, announce that ArchiPAC had set a new fundraising record. Over $50,000 was raised from more than 400 donors.

AIA DC hosted the annual Grassroots Big Sibs dinner at their spectacular new District Architecture Center, located at 421 7th Street, near Gallery Place. The “big sibs” are comprised of the 15 largest AIA Chapters; those attending included Board Members and component staff from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington DC and New York. AIA DC President Jon Penndorf, AIA, LEED, and Executive Director Mary Fitch, AICP, Hon. AIA, welcomed guests, including AIANY’s Venesa Alicea, AIA, LEED AP BD+C; AIANY President Joseph J. Aliotta, AIA, LEED AP; Illya Azaroff, AIA; AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA; AIANY Policy Director Jay Bond; Mary Burke, FAIA; AIANY Communications Director Nicole Friedman; AIANY Managing Director Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, LEED AP; and AIANY Partnership Programs Coordinator Laura Trimble.

“How to create and operate a Center for Architecture” was the topic of a pre-conference workshop that drew almost 50 participants on Wednesday, 03.07.12. Local and State Component Presidents, Presidents-elect and Executive Directors from Sanibel to Hawaii were on hand to compare their aspirations, intentions and plans with examples presented by Lisa Richmond from AIA Seattle, David Crawford, Hon. AIA of AIA North Carolina, and Rick Bell, FAIA representing AIA New York. Seattle’s storefront at 1911 First Avenue near Pike Place Market has greeted designers and the general public for 30 years. AIA North Carolina’s “green and grand” new center, designed by Frank Harmon, FAIA, opens to the public on St. Patrick’s Day, this coming Saturday, 03.17.12. Presentation was also made of all 17 AIA Centers – ranging from AIA San Francisco’s Center for Architecture & Design, to the newly opened Boston Society of Architects’ BSA Space at Atlantic Wharf. The program was reprised by Mary Fitch, Hon. AIA of AIA DC and John Claypool, AIA from AIA Philadelphia on Saturday, 03.10.12.

The Accent on Architecture Gala, benefitting the American Architectural Foundation, took place on Friday evening, 03.09.12 at the Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue. Honorees for 2012 included Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Haworth, Inc., and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Representing the AIA New York Chapter were Regional Directors Susan Chin, FAIA and Anthony Schirripa, FAIA and AIANYS Board Member Mary Burke, FAIA, along with Cynthia Kracauer, AIA, Laura Trimble, and Rick Bell, FAIA.

eCALENDAR
eCalendar includes an interactive listing of architectural events around NYC. Click the link to go to to eCalendar on the Web.