Newsletter | Jul/Aug 2011

How to Talk About What We Do... - Susan Aitken

What OWA Means to Me - Susan Aitken

American Academy in Rome: Rome Prize 2012 - Caroline Jennings

Annual Retreat at Westerbeke, September 16-18. - Janet Crane

Register for Volunteer Day at Mosswood Park - Cameron White

Developing Effective and Dynamic Marketing Presentations
with Saskia Dennis-van Dijl

Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011 from 6 to 9 PM

Location:
East Bay AIA
1405 Clay Street, Oakland
map
A special joint meeting with the Women of the EB AIA

This presentation and discussion led by Saskia Dennis-van Dijl of the Cameron MacAllister Group will focus on strategies and tools to make your presentations more effective. How should you approach deciding what to say? How can you organize your ideas so that the listener understands your message or your point of view? What should
you talk about first and last? What are prospective clients really interested in hearing about?

Architects struggle to talk about what they do in a way that resonates with audiences. Certainly, this is particularly important in marketing situations where you may be trying to persuade a prospective client to hire you but it also happens when you are asked to talk about your work in front of an audience of non-architects.

Saskia has been consulting to the Architecture, Engineering and Construction Industry on issues of marketing, strategic planning, and communication effectiveness for over twenty years. A principal consultant in the Cameron MacAllister Group, she works with firms to become more effective in developing strategic marketing programs and departments, acquiring new commissions, and improving individual presentation and
business development skills.

Phoebe Bressack of Bressack and Wasserman Architects, was the winner of the free ticket to the August 13 East Bay AIA Home Tours with the following of what OWA means to her:

OWA means I'll never again be the only architect in the room wondering where the ladies' room is.

It means that there is a non-judgmental, deep well of shared information and experience available from one of the smartest, most articulate bunch of women around.

It means that the face of my chosen profession has changed over the 30+ years I've been practicing, from white guys in suits with bow ties, to all of us.

Hallelujah!

American Academy in Rome
Rome Prize 2012
www.aarome.org

Competition Deadline: 1 November 2011
Extended Deadline: 15 November 2011*

The American Academy in Rome invites applications for the Rome Prize competition. One of the leading overseas centers for independent study and advanced research in the arts and the humanities, the Academy offers up to thirty fellowships for periods ranging from six months to two years.

Rome Prize winners reside at the Academy’s eleven-acre center in Rome and receive room and board, a study or studio, and a stipend. Stipends for six-month fellowships are $14,000 and stipends for eleven-month fellowships are $26,000.

Fellowships are awarded in the following fields:

Architecture
Design (including graphic, fashion, interior, lighting, and set design, engineering, urban planning, and other related design fields)
Historic Preservation and Conservation (including architectural design, public policy, and the conservation of works of art)
Landscape Architecture
Literature**
Musical Composition
Visual Arts
Ancient Studies
Medieval Studies
Renaissance and Early Modern Studies
Modern Italian Studies

For further information, or to apply, visit the Academy’s website at www.aarome.org or contact the American Academy in Rome, 7 East 60 Street, New York, NY 10022, Att: Programs.
212-751-7200
info@aarome.org.

Please state specific field of interest when requesting information.

The Rome Prize competition is underwritten in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

* Additional fee applies
**Awarded by nomination through the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

OWA member Leslie Allen is showing a series of large-format oil paintings, which describe (thru realism and evocative atmosphere) the experience and natural history of Limantour Estero, on Pt. Reyes. One weekend afternoon is open to the public for a reception, Sunday, July 31, from 11am-5pm. At other times an appt. is required to view the work in a multi-purpose space called The Red Barn Gallery/Classroom, weekdays from July 8-Sept 30, 2011. The facility is across the road from the Bear Valley Visitors Center in the Pt. Reyes Natl. Seashore, very near both Olema, and Pt. Reyes Station, CA. The address is 1 Bear Valley Road, Pt. Reyes, CA.

It's time to sign up now for a weekend of stimulating conversation, art, music, recreation, swimming, hot tub, good eating and laughter!

By popular request, the theme of this year's retreat will be "Sustainable Places: Less is More", highlighting current thinking on sustainable design.

Topics will include:
New approaches to programming and preliminary design to reduce cost and save energy
Evaluating the benefits of sustainable design concepts from the client's perspective
Exploring designs with a variety of sustainable features by OWA members and others
Brief comparisons of sustainable rating systems

Jean Hansen has offered to reprise her excellent presentation at OWA's April meeting on "Healthy Alternatives for Interior Finishes and Materials" for those who have not yet heard it. This will be an optional event that will be in addition to the main programs.

The retreat will be held at Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma County from Friday late afternoon through Sunday lunch, September 16-18. More details and a sign up form are linked below. The sign-up form can be emailed to you also. Please call Janet Crane at 415 398 4094 or e-mail her at jcrane@f-sc.com to reserve a place.

download the 2011 retreat flier and payment form
more information is here

OWA member and architect, Sandhya Sood, is calling for participants to work with her on a statewide celebration honoring the work and life of California's first architect, Julia Morgan. Sandhya is a member of the JM2012 committee along with California preservationists, historians, architects and Julia Morgan site stewards. She will be working with Mimi Morris, Executive Director of California Cultural and Historic Endowment (CCHE) who is leading JM2012.

Julia Morgan 2012 is the pilot project of a new statewide collaboration (of Landmarks California: the Places of our Diverse Histories and Cultures program) designed to raise awareness and appreciation for historic and cultural preservation in California. Julia Morgan 2012 honors California's first female licensed architect, Julia Morgan through three primary components scheduled for the latter part of 2012:

1) an education component that will include toolkits for teachers to use in elementary, middle school, and high school classrooms to help them introduce Julia Morgan and her work to their students;
2) an elegant yet simple and affordable book on Ms. Morgan's life and architectural works; and
3) a six-week statewide festival of activities in Julia Morgan-designed structures and in other museums and non-profit organizations. Activities may include visual exhibits, performing art exhibits, films, seminars, etc.

The goal of the project is to demonstrate the many positive outcomes of historic preservation: environmental and financial sustainability, a means of telling the many stories that comprise California's diverse history, and a social fabric strengthened by a sense of pride and belonging to the community.

There will be an informational session on Wednesday, August 24th, at the Berkeley City Club. Those interested in this project can contact Sandhya at ssood@accentarchitecture.com

Join Cameron White (senior project manager at the Oakland Medical Center Replacement Project) and her Kaiser Permanente team for a fun day of beautifying Mosswood Park on August 26, Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm
Address: 3650 Webster Street in Oakland

Register at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/mosswoodaug2011

and contact Cami (to let her know you are coming) at: cameron.white@kp.org or 510-752-0559