REFLECTING ON THE PAST AND LOOKING FORWARD

The Year That Was/The Year To Come In Chicago Design & Development
Thursday, January 20, 2022 at 12:00pm

Join us for a special program with CAC President and CEO Lynn Osmond. Hear about 2021’s most inspired design, development and preservation efforts as Chicago gradually recovers and recalibrates in the wake of the pandemic. Then, consider what awaits us in 2022 and beyond.

This talk will assess the progress made under Mayor Lightfoot’s INVEST South/West and other initiatives helping to drive greater equity. We will also explore big ticket items like local climate resiliency, the creation of a Chicago casino, the redevelopment of James R. Thompson Center and the forces of change reshaping downtown Chicago.

TEEN FELLOWS SHOWCASE

On December 18, 14 high school students from across Chicago showcased the work they’ve accomplished through the CAC's Teen Fellows Program. Along with Harold Washington City College and After School Matters, the Fellows shared their conceptual models, photos and drawings, which they accomplished using hand sketching, Rhino, Grasshopper, InDesign and Photoshop. There was a great turn out of support, and we are very proud of the Teen Fellows. We are excited to continue working with this group after the New Year to further develop their concepts.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEWHOUSE COMPETITION

Be the first to know what's happening in the upcoming 40th annual Newhouse Competition, sign up for notifications. This year's projects will center around participants creating a youth-friendly Chicago. The Newhouse Competition is free to all Chicagoland youth and will culminate in the spring with professional jurors reviewing projects and awarding prizes.

GIRLS BUILD! SPRING COHORT AND SPRING BREAK

We are so excited that our Spring Girls Build! session will be starting at our new home in IIT’s Crown Hall. This location allows our students access to materials, support and mentorship in a whole new way. Our spring session, Take Up Space, will be focused on interior architecture, empowering our students to learn about space planning, color theory and how the interior environment affects behavior.

Once the weather warms, we will be embracing sustainable architecture with our week-long camp, Treetop Designers. The relationship between climate change and architecture is an urgent conversation happening all over the world and affects us all. We will learn about responsibly sourced materials as we plan, design and build a model of a sustainable treehouse. All of our Girls Build! Programs culminate in a showcase of student work. We hope that you’ll join us to learn and celebrate soon!

2021 VOLUNTEER WRAP UP

This year, our dedicated docents, guides and volunteers worked tirelessly to share Chicago's architecture and story. The mission of the CAC would not be possible without their passion and knowledge. Check out some of their achievements from 2021, and please join us in thanking all of our docents and volunteers!

In Remembrance: Richard Rogers (1933-2021) & Chris Wilkinson (1945-2021)

Two giants of architecture passed away recently. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers was a pioneer of high-tech design exemplified by the unforgettable “inside-out” Pompidou Centre in Paris and Lloyd's Building in London. He wasn’t afraid to put a building’s “guts” on display, yet did so with great attention to fostering a sense of place. The public came to embrace his most brazen work after a sometimes chilly critical reception (Pompidou Centre saw more visitors in its first year than the Eiffel Tower and Louvre combined). Famously, Rogers defended modernist design from Prince Charles’s attacks, and the two traded barbs for years. He also helped spark London’s 1990s urban renaissance through dense mixed-use redevelopment of brownfields on the Thames riverfront. Rogers worked with Norman Foster and Renzo Piano before founding Richard Rogers Partnership in 1977, which continues today as Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners.

Chris Wilkinson also contributed a great deal to urban revitalization. With his firm WilkinsonEyre he brought innovative projects to the British capital, such as Kings Cross Gasholders which ingeniously used Victorian-era cast iron columns to frame new park and residential space. Wilkinson designed the iconic Gateshead Millennium Bridge in Newcastle, England, affectionately known as “the blinking eye,” and in Singapore he co-created the Gardens by the Bay waterfront park. Wilkinson was a lifelong painter, and his art influenced his architecture.

YOUR GIFT MATTERS

As a nonprofit, CAC relies on charitable donations to make the world of architecture and design within reach – for everyone. Your tax-deductible, year-end donation provides critical resources so that the CAC can educate, inspire and engage young people about the importance of good design in building the sustainable and livable communities we want, need and deserve.

Interested in making a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) through your IRA? Would you like to make a gift of stock or make an ACH transfer? Contact Emily Dreke, Vice President of Development at edreke@architecture.org or (312) 561-2119.

Updated Center Hours

Please note that the Center closes at 3:00pm on New Year's Eve (December 31) and will be closed New Year's Day (January 1). In January-February, the Center will be open Friday-Monday from 10:00am-4:00pm.

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