Collaborations

Partners in Life, Architecture, Art & Design

September 26 and 27

11 AIA CEUs (7 for Saturday, 4 for Sunday)

Architecture and design are collaborative arts. And often, female/male partnerships have driven innovation, blending distinct viewpoints to reshape how we experience the world. Historically, design duos, like Charles and Ray Eames pioneered mid-century modern living, while Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin brought a visionary organic approach to international city planning. Antonin and Noémi Raymond seamlessly blended Western modernism with Japanese craft, just as the iconic Finnish practice of Alvar Aalto relied on his deep, consecutive partnerships with Aino and Elissa Aalto. And Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi fundamentally altered urban theory and how architecture functions symbolically and socially. While history has often unfairly credited the male partners alone, these relationships reveal deeply integrated ways of working in which philosophy and execution were entirely shared, proving that our most enduring creative achievements come from a union of minds.

This Symposium will celebrate the creative process in a day of presentations and lectures on historic and contemporary collaborations between couples (husband & wife, and others) in the arts, design, and architecture. Special emphasis will be on the women’s essential roles in design, research, leadership roles, which have often been overshadowed in past and even current histories. Artists and scholars will share presentations, followed by a Q&A Panel Discussion.

Schedule

Day 1 : Collaborations Symposium

9:00 am- 5pm

Includes a light breakfast of coffee, fruit, and bagels, picnic family style lunch, and wine and cheese reception

Presenters and Panelists

Noémi Pernessin & Antonin Raymond— William Whitaker

Nakashima Woodworkers— Mira Nakashima & Jonathan Yarnall

Aino, Elissa & Alvar Aalto — Robert Cody & Angela Amoia

Denise Scott Brown & Robert Venturi— John DeFazio (pending)

Maria & Fred Bentel and Their legacy— Carol & Paul Bentel

Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture (YCE+A) & SHoP Architects—Anna Dyson & Christopher Sharples

Panel Discussion & Q & A— Moderator: Caroline Rob Zeleski

7:00 pm-9:00pm

Family Style Dinner with the Speakers and Panelists after Symposium (Additional Registration Required)

Day 2 : Historic Tours of the Raymond Farm Center and Nakashima Woodworkers Complex (Additional Registration Required)

10:00 am- 3:30pm

10:00am- 12pm

Tour of the Raymond Farm Center for Living Arts and Design

12:00 pm- 1:00 pm

Picnic Family Style Lunch at the Raymond Farm Center (included)

Drive to Nakashima Woodworkers

1:00pm- 3:00pm

Tour of Nakashima Woodworkers

2 0 2 6 S P E A K E R S