WASHINGTON — January 23, 2008 — The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) will present its 2008 Keystone Award to The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, in recognition of the museum's leadership and educational work in the field of architecture and design. The Keystone Award is presented annually to an organization or individual outside of the architectural profession for their role as a leader in architecture, helping to enhance and promote the public's understanding of the built environment. The award will be presented, along with other national honors, at the 19th Annual Accent on Architecture Gala in Washington on February 22, 2008.
By presenting MoMA with the Keystone Award, the American Architectural Foundation is recognizing and honoring the museum's legacy of educating the public and disseminating knowledge about architecture and design. MoMA established the world's first curatorial department devoted to architecture in the context of a fine art museum in 1932, and has subsequently held numerous exhibitions, acquired extensive collections, and offered educational opportunities to the public. The Keystone Award will be accepted on MoMA's behalf by Barry Bergdoll, who was appointed the Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design in 2006.
The museum's work in architecture is guided by the Architecture and Design Department, a department that has been responsible for exhibits that are now recognized as among the most important of the 20th century, including "Modern Architecture, International Exhibition" (1932) organized by Alfred H. Barr, Henry-Russell Hitchcock, Philip Johnson and Lewis Mumford. Exhibitions on architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright (1940, 1994), Louis Sullivan (1948), Le Corbusier (1951), Eero Saarinen (1961), Louis Kahn (1966, 1992), Richard Neutra (1982) Alvar Aalto (1998), Mies van der Rohe (1948,1986,2001), and others have also helped establish MoMA as a leading authority in the field of modern architecture.
The Architecture and Design Department recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, commemorated in the current exhibition 75 Years of Architecture at MoMA (through July 28). Coming this summer, MoMA will continue its tradition of presenting full-scale houses, as it notably did in 1949 with Marcel Breuer's House in the Museum Garden. The exhibition Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling (July 20-October 20, 2008) will examine prefabrication in the era of digital fabrication and will feature the installation of five newly commissioned pre-fabricated houses on the vacant property adjacent to the museum building.
Since 2000, the Museum has collaborated with its affiliate, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, to present the annual Young Architects Program, which provides emerging architects with the opportunity to create and build installations in P.S.1's courtyard as the setting for a summer music series.
In addition, AAF's Keystone Award recognizes MoMA's role as a patron in commissioning exceptional works of architecture to house its facilities. MoMA's recent expansion by Yoshio Taniguchi thoughtfully engages the original museum, and dramatically expands the museum's exhibition spaces and educational offerings for the public. MoMA's temporary home during the renovation, known as MoMA QNS, is another example of its outstanding architectural patronage.
"The Museum of Modern Art, and its Architecture and Design Department, has long served as a center of knowledge and a leader in educating the public about the importance of architecture. MoMA's exhibitions, symposia, and patronage have helped bring architecture and design to the center of American life and inspire people to consider the significance of our built environment," said Eric Cantor, chair of the AAF Board of Regents.
AAF's Keystone Award was established in 1988. Past winners include Save America's Treasures, the philanthropic Pritzker Family of Chicago, the Office of the Commissioner of the Public Building Service of the General Services Administration, Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago; and Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., of Charleston, South Carolina.
The Accent on Architecture Gala is the nation's preeminent celebration of architecture and design excellence. It is presented each year by the American Architectural Foundation in association with the American Institute of Architects. This year's event will feature the presentation of the AAF Keystone Award, as well as the AIA Gold Medal, AIA Twenty-five Year Award, and AIA Architecture Firm Award. Approximately 1000 guests will attend the black-tie gala at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
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