Architects from around the world will be taking notes and drawing inspiration
from Providence’s homes and buildings for the 19th annual conference, Drawing
from Providence, sponsored by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators
and the American Institute of Architects’ Rhode Island Chapter, running from
Oct. 27 to 31.
The conference is designed to bring together architectural illustrators and architects, and stress important small-business issues they deal with, said Jon Kletzien, president of the Society of Architectural Illustrators and partner at Advanced Media Design, an architectural illustration firm in Providence.
“Certainly, it’s a chance to have some camaraderie with other people who do the same thing,” he said. “We also want to make sure that architects know that as creative professionals, we share a lot of the same concerns, as architectural illustrators.”
Seifert Systems Invests in Energy Efficiency to Strengthen Operations
For manufacturers, energy is more than just another operating expense. It plays a critical role…
Learn More
This year’s conference will be held in Providence; traditionally, it’s held in the hometown of the president, Kletzien said. Last year’s conference was in Pasadena, Calif., and the year before it was in Brisbane, Australia.
A walking tour of Providence will kick off the five-day conference, and will highlight Rhode Island’s “town with a past.” On the second day, attendees can choose from 10 different art and architectural media workshops on a variety of industry software. There is also an exhibition of the Art of Wallace Young. And keynote speaker, illustrator and Rhode Island School of Design alum David Macaulay will talk about his works.
Friday, Oct. 29 will include two sketch tours, where professionals will sketch and paint tour stops. One site is Roger Williams Park Zoo, honored in 2000 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as “a model and inspiration for other urban parks.” The other tour is of College Hill – which is said to contain the best collection of 18th- and early 19th-century wood-frame buildings in America – and the State House.
“Roger Williams is a fantastic park and it certainly has some historical interest,” Kletzien said. As to how he and others chose the locations, he said: “There were too many good ones to decide from, but we wanted a landscape and to focus on the East Side, the origin of the historic preservation movement. The Mile of History is an incredible resource.”
The annual exhibition, Architecture in Perspective 19, featuring some of the world’s best traditional and digital architectural illustrations, is Oct. 29. Kletzien said this year’s exhibit showcases 43 architectural images selected out of 400 to 600 entries.
Workshops and talks, scheduled for Oct. 30, include topics like client relationships, business development advice, taking control of a financial future, emerging design technology and a conversation on getting the best illustrations. Travelers can take a trip to Newport aboard a high-speed ferry on the last day of the conference.
