Peter C. Papademetriou
EXHIBITS Background
Exhibits are another didactic form through which to demonstrate/advocate/provocate a position e.g./exempli gratia, "Design".
Those with my Work, or just as important, those in which I played a major, more often singular, role in acquiring, assembling, designing and (as needed) soliciting either additional materials or funding support.Each EXHIBIT has a "CLICK" link
The List
Exhibit 1- ALVAR AALTO CENTENNIAL
installed at the Rice University Media Center/Museum, made available by Mrs. Dominique deMenil following her closing of a Magritte installation, for the first venue in the USA after the Cooper-Hewitt Museum/New York. The spaces and layout were "as found", and adapted to accomodate not only the travelling material from the Finnish Museum of Architecture, but also all the Aalto furniture provided by the newly-opened ICF Showroom, as well as several slideshows of both Aalto architecture (featuring 'unique' pieces) and bentwood manufacturing in a small entry room with an array of various Aalto stools in a variety of laminate colors, and an impressive "tower" at the Entrance of a free-standing display, unsupported. The Curators visiting from Finland were impressed by the breadth of our show.
Exhibit 2- WOMEN IN AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE
on the occasion of the Conference of the National Organization of Women, and participation of my female students at Rice and AIA members, chaired by Natalie deBlois, the first female partner at Skidmore Owings and Merrill, work was solicited from around the State to be added to a travelling exhibit with the same title. It was installed on the multi-level Houston Public Library, a few blocks from the NOW Conference. While a number of local museums had been approached a year in advance, interest was pallid, until shortly before there was awareness of the upcoming NOW Conference; we had already committed to the HPL.
Exhibit 3 - miscellaneous
exactly as described: "Miscellaneous" small shows in which personal work was shown, or in which I had a role in preparing. These include:
ASPLUND a small exhibition from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), organized by the then Associate Curator, my Yale classmate Stuart Wrede, who is a Swedish-speaking Finn, was the first venue after New York. The Blaffer Gallery at Rice University was well-suited as a space. I had been introduced to Asplund by Alan Greenberg at Yale, and managed to purchase an first-edition copy of the Asplund monograph from the Swedish Society of Architects, and introduced Asplund to my thesis critic, Robert Venturi. I solicited funding from the Swedish-American Cultural Foundation of Texas (who were thrilled that a Swede was being celebrated), and Nils Seffeldt Volvo, who supplied Finlandia vodka for the Opening event
Tit for Tatlin a take-off/pun of a variety of Invited contributors, with an emphasis on imagery from Russian Constructivism
Why Houston, Why? invited Submissions
CAM: Dreams & Schemes Invited Submissions to speculate on a re-formation of the Gunnar Birkerts design.
Exhibit 4 - Public Education
"Public Education" small shows in which Community Awareness was sponsored by the Public Library, that I had a role in preparing. These include: Signs in Houston; Alfred C. Finn, Architect; La Arquitectura: Spanish Colonial Architecture in Houston and Harwin C. Moore, Houston Architect.
