Dedicated to inspiring the exploration and appreciation of architecture and how it can shape individuals lives, a new non-profit organization known as the Buffalo Architecture Foundation Inc. (BAF) has been formed.
This new non-profit group is made up of strictly volunteers with the goal to help the community become educated about architecture and advocate for design excellence. With the generous support of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Buffalo/Western New York Chapter, BAF provides educational activities for school-aged children and public awareness events for citizens of all ages in order to accomplish their mission.
Two of the programs that are at the forefront of the BAF include Architecture + Education and Building Stories. Architecture + Education is a collaboration between architects and educators which utilizes architecture to teach students about math, science, art and technology within the NYS curriculum. The latter of the two programs is a multimedia personal history project that documents and shares profound individual’s experiences with architecture, construction, landscape and planning through the Western New York area.
Using architecture as a teaching mechanism for a variety of school subjects is a novel idea in my opinion. Some school-aged children find architecture interesting and may pay more attention and can lead to better grades if they are actually listening. I also think the Building Stories program is a great way for Western New Yorkers to network with each other and create a bond within the city.
Denise M. Juron-Borgese is the President of BAF and is very appreciative of the support from the community and the AIA. Not everyone can become a member but everyone is invited to support the BAF.
“While BAF does not offer membership because of the type of not-for-profit classification that we have, we welcome the public to become more involved with our organization by attending our events, becoming a volunteer or keeping in touch with us on Facebook,” Juron-Borgese said.
The group began with a soft-launch to the public with the help of Buffalo Spree and Design NY by distributing postcards at the recent Buffalo Home & Garden Show.
Following that up was a collaboration between Architecture + Education and Young Audiences of Western New York which brought architectural design concepts to over 250 children at three Buffalo Schools. Since January Lovejoy Discovery School #43, Buffalo Public School #81 and Dr. Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence #89 all benefited from it by allowing Kindergartners to Eight graders to build, weave and design with intern architect Linsey Graff. An exhibit at the Starlight Studio and Art Gallery will run from April 26th until May 20th with a reception taking place on May 6th. The exhibit should prove to be fun and beneficial for all the students who are involved.
Students will have another chance to benefit from the program in the fall by allowing them to explore the multi-disciplinary nature of architecture through Math, English, Social Studies, Science, History and Art. This program begins with a two-day Workshop Symposium with architects and teachers on September 30th through October 1st to prepare for two months of the In School Program, the student’s work will be on display at the CEPA Gallery in early January 2012.
Lastly, this hardworking organization will be awarding the Pro Bono Publico Award for the first time at the 2011AIA Buffalo/Western New York Design Awards in November. This award recognizes “pro bono” services provided to non-profit clients by architects or allied practitioners in the construction industry, engineering, interior design, landscape architecture and planning.
To donate or make charitable gifts or for more information on BAF you can visit their website at www.buffaloarchitecture.com.