New AIA-TAMIU Lecture Series Presents Famed Architect Thursday
A first -ever Lecture Series presented jointly by The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Laredo and Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) launches Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013 in TAMIU’s Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, Room 101 at 6:30 p.m.
The event is free of charge and open to the public.
The lecture, the first of a planned annual lecture series, will present Professor Thomas Gordon Smith, a professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame and practicing architect with a national profile on classical architecture.
Smith’s lecture, "Origins & Current Classical Architecture" efficiently describes the origins of architecture in Greece, development in Rome, and the revival in Renaissance Italy to demonstrate some models that propel current practice in Britain and the United States.
Mario Peña, AIA Laredo president, said the lecture series is a fulfillment of AIA Laredo’s mission.
“As part of its mission, AIA Laredo endeavors to promote excellence in design through world-class educational programs while nurturing the importance of excellence in design in Laredo and Webb County,” Peña said.
He noted that AIA Laredo has adopted “ORIGINS” as its 2013 theme in celebration of AIA Laredo’s birth as a formal association and the launch of the AIA Laredo-TAMIU Lecture Series.
"We're excited to reach out to the academic community, to encourage an appreciation for architecture and to spark interests in a career for which AIA Laredo members share a passion," Peña affirmed.
Dr. Ray Keck, TAMIU president, lauded AIA Laredo’s initiative.
“We are very impressed with AIA Laredo, its zeal for passion and its commitment to sharing that passion with others. The AIA Laredo-TAMIU Lecture Series is a commendable initiative and we know that it will resonate powerfully with our students and members of the community at large,” Dr. Keck said.
Most recently, Laredo AIA awarded scholarships to two Laredo students, Rafael Vásquez, Texas A&M University School of Architecture, and José Alfredo Terrones, University of Texas at San Antonio College of Architecture.
Guest lecturer Smith received a B.A in Art and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. He won the Rome Prize in Architecture at the American Academy in Rome in 1980. That summer, his façade and architectural designs were exhibited on the Strada Novissima at the renowned Venice Biennale.
He taught at UCLA, Sci-Arch, Yale University, and the University of Illinois, Chicago before his appointment as chair of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, 1989-1998. His publications include Classical Architecture: Rule and Invention, Vitruvius on Architecture, and much of his writing focuses on early 19th Century American architecture and furniture.
AIA Laredo is also available online at www.aialaredo.org
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu