Preserving African American History

• "The Fight to Preserve African-American History" in the New Yorker profiles the work of Brent Leggs, the director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Only 2% of sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places focus on the experiences of black Americans and he is working to make the Register more representative the entire country's history. Pictured above: a Rosenwald School.
• The American Planning Association tells the story of Andrea Roberts' mission to document every black settlement in Texas in "Putting Freedom Colonies on the Map" (February issue of Planning magazine).
• Atlas Obscura brings us "Meet the Iowa Architect Documenting Every Slave House Still Standing." Jobie Hill has surveyed hundreds of structures for the Saving Slave Houses project, using Historic American Building Survey (HABS) photos and oral histories as a starting point.

Member News Roundup

• Phineas Harper (pictured above), a 2018 AAO Design Matters Conference speaker, has been appointed director of Open City, the nonprofit that runs Open House London. He was formerly the deputy director of the Architecture Foundation (London).
• The American Planning Association has curated a list of 100 essential planning books in celebration of the organization's 100 years. The PDF at the end provides an overview of planning history that educators and students may find useful. 
• The National Building Museum will reopen March 13 after a three-month-long renovation project that included replacing the Great Hall floors, converting classrooms to exhibition space, and creating a new ticketing gallery.
• Stephen Ayers, former Architect of the Capitol and 2014 AAO Design Matters Conference speaker, was tapped to lead the AIA through the renovation of its headquarters building. Learn more about his career in "Former Architect of the Capitol, Stephen T. Ayers, Leaves Legacy of Leadership on Capitol Hill." 
• AAO welcomes new organizational member Actar D / urbanNext.

Exhibiting Architecture

• The Canadian Centre for Architecture published The Museum is Not Enough, an introspective book that explores the role of architecture museums. Topics covered include making archives relevant, digital media in museum practices, and display strategies for architecture exhibitions. The publication is conceived as the first volume of a yearly magazine.
• Rem Koolhaas' Countryside, the Future opened at the Guggenheim on February 20. The major exhibition looks at how landscapes are altered on the 98% of the earth not covered by cities.
• MoMA announced plans for the upcoming exhibition Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America, “an investigation into the intersections of architecture, Blackness and anti–Black racism in the American context” through ten newly commissioned works.

General News Briefs

• "Public meetings are broken. Here’s how to fix them." in Curbed features the public engagement work of Damon Rich, a speaker at the last AAO Design Matters Conference. Pictured above: a flowchart of the planning process in Newark.
• The Smithsonian released 2.8 million hi-res images into the public domain as part of its Open Access initiative, removing copyright restrictions on many materials from its collections.
• Organizers announced on February 27 that the Venice Architecture Biennale will open in May as scheduled despite coronavirus fears. The Salone del Mobile furniture fair in Milan, Light + Building fair in Frankfurt, and Design Shanghai have all been postponed.  
• The Architecture and Design Film Festival announced that new this year the New York City festival will feature screenings in all five boroughs as well as a day of screenings at the United Nations related to global housing issues. 
• In other film news, a new PBS documentary "Hollywood's Architect" chronicles the life and work of Paul Revere Williams, the first African American architect to be admitted to the AIA. 

Jobs and Opportunities

• American Institute of Architects, Manager, Component Communications & Engagement and Senior Manager, Advocacy & Training
• Chicago Architecture Center, Director of Exhibitions
• National Trust for Historic Preservation, Public Affairs Manager and Content & Curatorial Assistant
• Van Alen Institute, Development Coordinator

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