Lectures explore social accountability in architecture and design

Lectures explore social accountability in architecture and design

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

Architecture and social activism may not immediately connect in some people’s minds. However, the Rice Design Alliance (RDA) is working to change that by bringing nationally known designers to Houston whose work integrates civic-mindedness with design practice and education for the lecture series “Design Activism: Agents of Change.”

Lectures take place each Wednesday through Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), Brown Auditorium.

The Sept. 26 lecture will be delivered by John Peterson, principal of Peterson Architects and founder of Public Architecture. Peterson will talk about the pro bono work that led him to become a nonprofit leader.

In founding Public Architecture, Peterson said his goal was to address issues that would have an impact on a larger segment of the community. The organization grew out of the unorthodox pro bono practice of Peterson Architects, which had initiated and proposed an open space strategy for San Francisco’s South of Market Area.

The organization uses architecture to identify and solve practical problems of human interaction in the built environment and encourages public discourse through education, advocacy and design of public spaces.

This week’s lecture (Sept. 19) was given by Bryan Bell, founder and executive director of Design Corps. Known for focusing on socially responsible design, he discussed his experiences as a design activist. He also talked about thoughts and movements explored in the book that he edited, “Good Deeds, Good Design.”

Bell founded Design Corps in 1991 to create positive change in communities by providing architecture and planning services. With the motto “Good design should be accessible to all,” the agency primarily serves small rural communities of low-income families who do not have access to the technical services needed to shape their physical needs.

Single tickets are $7 for RDA and MFAH members, senior citizens 65 or older and students with ID. Single tickets are $10 for others.

Series tickets are $25 for RDA and MFAH members, $20 for senior citizens, $10 for students and $40 for the general public.

Find more information on the lectures on RDA’s Web site.