Palm Springs Modern Committee is Proud to Announce That the American Institute of Architecture Recently Honored Palm Springs Modern Committee by Awarding it the 2013 AIA Institute Honors for Collaborative Achievement Award
Palm Springs, CA (PRWEB) July 16, 2013 -- Palm Springs Modern Committee was honored by the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) for its works across individual, corporate, political and educational lines to make outstanding contributions to the field of architecture, through education awareness and preservation. Awards were announced earlier this year and presented at the National AIA Conference in Denver, CO., June 20-22, 2013. Palm Springs Modern Board member Barbara Cain accepted the honor on behalf of the organization, stating what an honor it was to be recognized by the AIA.
The award was nominated by the AIA Committee on Design (COD), and supported by the City of Palm Springs, The California Preservation Foundation, The Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, the Palm Springs Art Museum and other Art and Design organizations and personalities such as Iconic Mid -Century Architect, Donald Wexler FAIA.
Since its inception, Palm Springs Modern Committee has dedicated itself and its membership to the appreciation and preservation of Desert Modern architecture and design. Founded in 1999 as a volunteer nonprofit, membership-based organization, Palm Springs Modern Committee works across individual, corporate, political and educational lines to make outstanding contributions to the field of architecture through education awareness and preservation. As Palm Springs Modern Committee has matured as an organization, grown its membership and achieved real success in community education, it has become a model for other organizations seeking to protect modern architectural heritage across America.
This is accomplished through education programs, advocacy for threatened building, promotion of architectural tourism, and the celebration of successes in preservation and adaptive reuse. Palm Springs Modern Committee has also developed products and programs that celebrate and educate the public about mid-century modernism and the benefits of preservation. Palm Springs would not be the mecca of modernism that it is today without Palm Springs Modern Committee’s contribution. Today modernism is embraced by the City of Palm Springs as a means of building tourism.
In honoring Palm Springs Modern Committee the AIA sighted a number of examples of how the organization has contributed to the advancement of architecture through research, dissemination, and education through their publications, Institutional and non-institutional programs in educational and public awareness Including:
The creation and expansion of a website, newsletters and social media that now reaches over 5,000 people monthly.
The Annual Preservation Awards which celebrate members of the community who have contributed towards preservation through individual projects and lifetime achievements.
Educational projects such as Public Library exhibits, high school scholarship program and multi-media kiosk at the Visitor Center which engages and informs visitors and residents.
The Palm Springs Modern Committee is a founding member of Modernism Week, an event which began in 2000 and now brings over 40,000 participants and over $12 Million in economic impact.
The Palm Springs Modern Committee has recently launched a content rich App for smart phones that allows users to tour many of the important architectural sites in Palm Springs. The App features vintage Julius Shulman images, new photography, audio and video content all integrated into a mapping system of site locations. Available at: http://psmodcom.org/index.php/app/. ;
Palm Springs Modern Committee has seriously cultivated a design appreciation and preservation dialogue with their community. This is unique and supports an architect’s work years after its construction when no one may be around to protect it. It conveys the message that architecture of excellence is worth discussing, saving and appreciating.
About Palm Springs Modern Committee
The Palm Springs Modern Committee (PSMODCOM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of Desert Modern architecture and design. We accomplish this through education, advocacy for threatened buildings, promotion of heritage tourism, and the celebration of successes in preservation and adaptive reuse.
For additional information about PSMODCOM, please visit: http//http://www.psmodcom.org.
Contact: Nickie McLaughlin
Palm Springs Modern Committee
760-835 5628
Nickie McLaughlin, Palm Springs Modern Committee, http://psmodcom.org/, 760 835 5628, [email protected]
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