MAF is pleased to announce it recently awarded Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grants to help fund three initiatives, as part of its second round of the grant awards for 2024. The grants provide financial assistance to organizations and individuals that organize, sponsor, and promote events, lectures, publications, and experiences that increase awareness of architecture.
The three grantees and their projects follow:
Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy | Frank Lloyd Wright & The American City Today 2024 Conference
The grant will help support the conference, which will feature educational talks and tours that explore how Wright’s concept of ‘the Living City’ developed across the decades. Detroit and experiences with its urbanized landscape offer the opportunity to examine the relationship of Wright’s work and legacy to historical and contemporary issues of American landscapes, cities and suburbs through a critical lens. The conference takes place Sept. 27-29 in Detroit, as an official part of the 2024 Detroit Month of Design Festival.
AIA Huron Valley | Architecture AWARDS Publication No. 8
This year’s publication theme will be ‘city places’ and feature short reviews and observations about notable, designed gathering places in the community, written by chapter members and friends, along with an article on the evolution of Ann Arbor. The booklet, which is published each year by AIA Huron Valley, also features the year’s Honor Awards entrants and winners. (see past AIAHV AWARDS publications on the chapter’s website )
AIA Grand Rapids | 2024 AIA Grand Rapids Honors Awards Program Video and Media Production
The grant will help cover the costs of professional video and media production for the chapter’s annual awards celebration. The intention is to bring the project stories to life, creating a deeply immersive experience that allows viewers to become immersed in the emotion, energy, and heart of each project. The video also will serve as a tool to promote and educate about architecture and the value of good design. Visit the AIA Grand Rapids website.
“Since the grant program’s inception, MAF has awarded over $300,000 for programs that creatively connect people with architecture and raise awareness regarding the value that architecture brings to our lives and our communities,” said Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grant program chair Alan Cobb, FAIA. “We are increasingly receiving applications for a wide variety of project types, showcasing imagination, initiative, and passion for architecture from our grant applicants.”
The program was renamed in April 2023, in honor of the program’s long-time chair Damian Farrell, who passed away earlier that year. Applications are judged by the MAF Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grants Committee and approved by the MAF Board of Trustees. Grants are awarded each January and July.
MAF also awarded three Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Grants earlier this year, during the first round of 2024 awards: (read the full story from the MAF February 2024 newsletter).
The Damian Farrell Architecture Awareness Committee is comprised of AIA Michigan Members, Alan Cobb, FAIA (Chair), Randy Case, AIA, Todd Drouillard, AIA, Lisa Demankowski, AIA, and Lis Knibbe, FAIA.
For more information on the grant program, including criteria and how to apply, visit https://michiganarchitecturalfoundation.org/grants/awareness-grants/.