Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, Christopher Hawthorne, and Frances Anderton headline forum about architectural commissions in Los Angeles

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LOS ANGELES — SHORTLISTED! Los Angeles cultural institutions are ringing the changes — and tapping design talent from around the world to bring those plans to life. How do architects make the cut for these career and culture-defining projects?

Dr. Lori Bettison-Varga, head of the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County, and Christopher Hawthorne, LA’s Chief Design Officer, will join a line-up of architects, design journalists and teachers for an all-day forum at A+D Museum.

The topic is LA architecture and what’s involved in making the cut for high profile cultural institutions.

Invited speakers and attendees will have an open dialogue about philanthropy and procurement; cultural, political and community leadership; and the role of local architecture schools and media in the creation of our museums and civic landmarks.

The forum was prompted by the realization that no LA architects had made the cut for any of the recent redesigns of buildings on Wilshire Boulevard’s Museum Row.

“The spirit of Los Angeles is open, cosmopolitan and welcoming,” said the organizers. “But we do want to ask how architects working, teaching and studying in this epicenter of innovation get to make their mark on the buildings that define contemporary culture. We want to discuss this in the context of architectural language and whether there is a case to be made for nurturing a contemporary regionalism in our fast globalizing cities.”

The dialogue will take place against the backdrop of the current exhibition at A+D Museum: The Los Angeles Schools.

In addition to Hawthorne and Dr. Bettison Varga, participants include, SCI-Arc Director/CEO Hernan Diaz Alonso, Woodbury University School of Architecture Dean Ingalill Wahlroos-Ritter; David Pakshong, Design Principal at Gensler; LA-Más Co-Executive Director Elizabeth Timme; critic and curator Mimi Zeiger and other luminaries.

Shortlisted! is co-produced and co-hosted by A+D Museum Executive Director Anthony Morey, Archinect managing editor Antonio Pacheco, architectural designer and SCI-Arc instructor Rebecca Fitzgerald, and Frances Anderton, host of KCRW’s “DnA: Design and Architecture”.

The forum is free and open to all.

Where: A+D Museum, 900 East 4th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

When: 9:30 – 4:00pm

Information: https://aplusd.org/event/shortlisted/

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