Three-Day Symposium Examines Legacy of Eero Saarinen, Modern Master of Architecture
The three-day symposium
Eero Saarinen: Beyond the Measly ABC
on October 10–12 at the University of Minnesota College of Design, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center, and Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, examines the legacy of this Finnish-born American architect whose work is showcased in the landmark exhibition Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future, jointly presented by the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts through January 4. The three-day event begins with a conversation with Saarinen associate and noted architectural photographer Balthazar Korab and features presentations by architectural historians and curators—both local and national—on the reassessment of Saarinen’s work and its impact on contemporary design practice.
Organized by the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, and the National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., with the support of the Yale University School of Architecture, Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future features never-before-seen sketches, working drawings, models, photographs, furnishings, films, and other ephemera from various archives and private collections. Exploring more than 50 of Saarinen’s built and unbuilt projects, the exhibition provides a unique opportunity to consider his innovations in the use of new materials and construction techniques within the larger context of postwar modern architecture.
Eero Saarinen: Beyond the Measly ABC
Friday–Sunday, October 10–12
University of Minnesota College of Design, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center, and Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis
$40 ($25 Walker/MIA/AIA members)
Fee includes lunch and admission to the Walker and MIA on Saturday. Friday and Sunday events are not ticketed.
For tickets or more information, call 612.870.6323 or visit artsmia.org.
Friday, October 10
Rendezvous with the U: A Conversation with Balthazar Korab
Lecture, 7 pm
Bell Museum of Natural History Auditorium, 10 Church Street SE, Minneapolis
Reception, 8:30 pm
Ralph Rapson Hall, 89 Church Street SE, Minneapolis
Sponsored by University of Minnesota College of Design, AIA Minneapolis
Free.
For more information, call the College of Design, 612-624-4743 www.design.umn.edu.
Balthazar Korab is an architect and photographer who worked with Le Corbusier before coming to the United States in 1955 to join Eero Saarinen and Associates, where he began experimenting with the use of photography as part of the design development process. In 1964 Korab received the prestigious AIA Medal for Architectural Photography, recognizing his worldwide coverage of architects such as Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Mies van der Rohe. Korab is joined in conversation by John Comazzi, Assistant Professor of Architecture, College of Design, who is currently working on a biography of Korab.
Saturday, October 11
Morning session
Location: Minneapolis Institute of Arts
2400 Third Avenue South
Minneapolis
8:30–9 am
Registration, MIA Third Avenue Entrance
Coffee, Fountain Court
9 am
Conference sessions, Pillsbury Auditorium
Welcome
Jennifer Komar Olivarez, Associate Curator, Architecture, Design, Decorative Arts, Craft, and Sculpture, Minneapolis Institute of Arts
9:30 am
Donald Albrecht, Curator of Architecture & Design, Museum of the City of New York, curator of Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future, with an overview of this groundbreaking exhibition.
10:15 am
Jennifer Komar Olivarez, Associate Curator, Architecture, Design, Decorative Arts, Craft, and Sculpture at MIA, and essay contributor to Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future on Saarinen’s architecture of sacred spaces.
10:45 am
Coffee break, Fountain Court
11 am
Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, Assistant Professor, Yale School of Architecture and co-editor of the publication Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future, on Saarinen’s search for form.
11:30 am
Q&A with Donald Albrecht, Jennifer Komar Olivarez, and Eeva-Liisa Pelkonen, moderated by Victoria Young, Associate Professor of Architectural History, University of St. Thomas.
11:45 am
Lunch in Reception Hall, Target Wing, MIA
Afternoon Session
Location: Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Avenue South, Minneapolis
Welcome
Andrew Blauvelt, Design Director and Curator, Walker Art Center
1:30 pm
Nancy Miller, Center for World Heritage Studies and Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota College of Design, on Saarinen’s corporate campuses.
2 pm
Beatriz Colomina, Professor of Architecture and Founding Director of the Program in Media and Modernity at Princeton University, on Saarinen’s use of the media.
2:30 pm
Q&A with Beatriz Colomina and Nancy Miller, moderated by Andrew Blauvelt
2:45 pm
Break
3 pm
Christopher Monkhouse, Eloise W. Martin Curator and Chairman, Department of European Decorative Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago, and essay contributor to Eero Saarinen: Shaping the Future, on the design of the Miller House.
3:30 pm
Tom Fisher, Professor and Dean of the University of Minnesota College of Design, on Saarinen’s legacy in contemporary architecture.
3:45 pm
Q&A with Christopher Monkhouse and Tom Fisher, moderated by Andrew Blauvelt
4 pm
Reception
Cargill Lounge
Sunday, October 12
Christ Church Lutheran
3244 34th Avenue South, Minneapolis
612.721.6611; christchurchluth.org
2 pm
Welcome
Kristine Carlson, Pastor, Christ Church Lutheran
Ozayr Saloojee, Assistant Professor of Architecture, University of Minnesota College of Design, presents new research on Christ Church Lutheran accompanied by an exhibition at the church.
2:40 pm
Timo Tuomi, Head of Research at the Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, on the connections between Eliel and Eero Saarinen’s work.
3:30 pm
Reception
Luther Lounge