Michigan Architectural Foundation Winter 2009 Newsletter

One of the great things about architecture is that once built, it stands up to change, resists the fashion of the day, and represents the values, aspirations and ideas of its time. It is has been said that architecture is "frozen music", but I think it's "frozen values" - the values our institutions represent. In this time of unprecedented change in Michigan and in our Foundation, we need to remember that some things should not change. They should, like the architecture we cherish, resist the fashion of the day.

The Michigan Architectural Foundation, like most Michigan organizations, has had to make difficult decisions to rightsize and streamline our operations. Our staff is fewer, our resources less and our volunteer Board members have had to do more. But what is notable is what we have not waivered on.

We still believe we are the "trust", both financially and spiritually, of Michigan architecture. We have stayed the course in our investments and they are recovering. We have kept our focus on educating the citizens of Michigan about the impact architecture has on the quality of life through a venture with Detroit Public Television entitled "Architreks." This program is in its pilot and will be targeted at the future of our state - students.

Our Evans Grant for historic preservation is needed more now than ever. Other grant sources are drying up, but we continue to support worthy efforts like the Charlevoix Lighthouse Restoration. In fact, we are building an endowed fund to ensure that these needs are met in perpetuity.

Our Scholarship program grew fourfold over the last few years and the money is needed now more than ever as the cost of educating the future stewards of architecture outpaces their means. Our Presidents Scholarship is endowed and, while the national AIA support has disappeared, ours has not. Our Kenneth Neumann Scholarship and the PCIA Scholarship are both funded this year as well.

Probably the most important feature that has not changed has been your support. Despite tough times, and with no solicitation, over a hundred individuals gave generously of their time and money. This Foundation will go on indefinitely as long as this kind of commitment exists.

One thing will change next year for certain. I will be stepping down as President of the Foundation and Randy Case, AIA will be nominated to succeed me. I cherish my relationships with the Executive Committee, Executive Director Rae Dumke, and our Board. That will not change. I believe that everyone should know that architecture is a necessity for quality of life. That will not change. And, finally, the Michigan Architectural Foundation will always be the advocate of Michigan architecture. That, too, will never change.

MAF Presents the
David Evans Preservation Award

By Ralph Graham, Hon. Aff. AIAMI, MAF Trustee

In August, 2009, it was a real pleasure for MAF President Carl Roehling and Trustee Ralph Graham to present the David Evans Preservation Award of $7,500 at the site of the award-winning Charlevoix Historical Society's rehabilitation of the 1867 lighthouse located at the entrance into the Pine River channel in Charlevoix. It was awarded through a competition of non-profit organizations, which are engaged in architecturally significant preservation projects and demonstrate adequate financial resources and member capacity.

This ceremony marked the completion of the renovation, including returning the exterior to the original fiery red color.

The David Evans Presentation Award has, since 1998, been awarded to projects throughout the lower and upper peninsulas of Michigan. MAF, The Clannad Foundation in Bloomfield Hills, Quinn/Evans Architects in Ann Arbor and an anonymous endowment presently fund the annual award.

Qualified non-profit organizations interested in applying for The David Evans Preservation Award in 2010 should contact Lynne Merrill-Francis at AIA Michigan, 313-965-4100 for information and details about how to apply.

Great Architecture of Michigan - A MUST Have!

By Thomas R. Mathison, FAIA, MAF Secretary

The Great Architecture of Michigan book is one of the most unique and valuable collections of images by the great architectural photographer Balthazar Korab, with text by John Gallagher, of 150 significant examples of architecture throughout Michigan. The holiday season is the perfect time to pick up several copies as special gifts for family, friends, colleagues, and clients.

Regular cost is $60.00, but you can take advantage of the 2009 Holiday Book Sale by Wayne State University Press and receive a 25% discount! Receive a discount of 35% for ordering 6-9 copies, and receive a 40% discount for 10 or more copies! See the MAF web site or the Wayne State University Press web site for details on how to order. Sale ends January 15, 2010. And the Great Architecture of Michigan book is also finding its way around the country, including Michigan's U.S. Senator Carl Levin, shown here accepting his copy of this great book from MAF President Carl Roehling, FAIA and MAF Executive Director Rae Dumke, Hon. AIA.

Board Profile

Michelle Saroki, MAF Trustee

Michelle became a board member in 2008 and immediately went to work on the MAF Silent Auction, a major fund raising event held on Mackinac Island during the MidSummer Conference for AIA Michigan.

She has an intimate knowledge of architecture. With her husband they formed Victor Saroki Associates in 1982 in Birmingham. She worked actively in the business for five years before leaving to start a family, but continues to be involved.

With over 25 years experience in running a business, Michelle is well qualified to serve on the Birmingham Bloomfield Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and her 3-year term will begin on January 1, 2010.

She firmly believes that people must stay connected and give back to the community and she has fulfilled that obligation in a number of ways. In addition to her work on the MAF Silent Auction, she and Victor co-chaired the whole MidSummer Conference for two years. She served on the Child Abuse and Neglect Council for 2 years and was
Co-Chair and Chair for their Fund Raising Luncheons that served 400 people.

She was the Parent Representative for The Academy of The Sacred Heart on the Birmingham Bloomfield Community Coalition, a non-profit collaborative organization whose Mission is to raise awareness and mobilize the entire community to prevent the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs while working with the public and private schools, local law enforcement and other community groups.

Michelle is passionate about architecture education and is proud of MAF's long tradition of scholarships for deserving architectural students. She recently worked on a fund raising event to raise awareness of barrier free design for handicapped people called "Freedom by Design" at Lawrence Technological University. She worked closely with Dean Glen LeRoy, FAIA of the School of Architecture and the AIAS Student Chapter President.

She lives in Birmingham with her husband Victor and their two grown children. Their son is in college at U of M Ann Arbor and their daughter is a senior at The Academy of The Sacred Heart. " I am now able to devote more time through volunteering to become more connected to my community and the business community."

Ralph Graham, Hon. Aff., AIAMI, MAF Trustee

Ralph is currently serving his second term on the MAF Board of Trustees. He was born in 1931 in a farmhouse outside of Williamston, Michigan. He attended a one-room rural school which taught 8 grades. After graduation from Williamston High School, he attended the University of Michigan on a Regents Alumni Scholarship. Ralph says he has always had an uninformed fascination for buildings and had decided to study to be an architect, even though he had never met an Architect, read an Architecture Magazine, or understood the requirements for pursuing a degree in architecture.

At U-M he enrolled in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and later decided to transfer to MSU, where he found success in art classes, where he excelled. After a year at MSU, he transferred back to U-M into the Art Department in pursuit of a design degree, graduating in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science in Design degree.

After graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent a year in Alaska. After his discharge, he found a job at Kern's Department store in Detroit, working in the advertising department. This was followed by positions in most of the larger retail production departments in Detroit. Tiring of the low pay, he quit retail and found a job at Darcy McManus, a large advertising agency in Bloomfield Hills, where he worked for 7 years, achieving posts as the Agency Rep. for a number of large advertisers.

Following his advertising career, Ralph started a film production company, where he headed the firm until 1980 when he and his wife, Jeanne, bought the Birmingham retail store, Orthogonality. That business was a joy and a challenge and the Grahams closed the store and decided to retire. Almost immediately Ralph was asked to take over the Oriental Garden at Cranbrook, where you can find him yet today, now the Lead Volunteer in Charge, working under the Landscape Department.

Presently , in addition to his gardening duties, Ralph is Vice Chair of the Museum Committee at Cranbrook's Museum of Art, Vice Chair of Cranbrook Academy's Board of Governors and is a member of the CEC Board of Trustees. He serves on the Trustees Collections Committee and their Properties Committee, which supervises all building activities on the Cranbrook Campus. He also serves on several ad hoc Committees including chairing the Awards Committee for the David Evans Preservation Award for the Michigan Architectural Foundation.

Several years ago, the Grahams founded the Clannad Foundation, which funds numerous health, shelter, and food distribution organizations in Oakland County, Detroit and Wilmington, North Carolina. Ralph and Jeanne have two adult sons, and 3 grandchildren.

Silent Auction is a HUGE Success

by Douglas W. Kueffner, AIA, MAF Trustee, 2009 MAF Auction Chair

Gracious friends and supporters of the Foundation donated items of Artwork along with Resort Getaway Accommodations, Fine Dining and other unique entertainment experiences. In spite of the current economy, spirited bidding by the Architect members and our AGC partners helped raise an amount close to our highest record for this event.

This year's list of Auction items consisted of new offerings as well as repeat favorites from previous years. A sampling of these offerings included the following:

� An acrobatic ride in a WW2 T-6 training aircraft

� A historic piece of the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Stands

� A sailing cruise of Lake St. Clair

� One week at an exclusive Beaver Creek condominium

� Three nights at the Grand Hotel

� Original artwork

The MAF Auction was created to raise funds to help grow the Foundation endowment. This year's event furthered that cause by raising over $10,000 for the Foundation.

We would be remiss if we did not pass along a special note of thanks and appreciation to Michelle Saroki, MAF Trustee and Auction Co-Chair. Her tireless solicitation efforts filled the Auction with fresh new items that we believe was the primary reason why we did not see a decline in our revenue even with a conference attendance that was 50% of last year. Her enthusiasm continued throughout the event, urging attendees to bid or increase their bid for a host of reasons.

Finally, we need to acknowledge one last note. The success of the Auction relies purely on the generosity of our donors. We would like to take this opportunity to personally and publicly thank those individuals and companies who so graciously donated to the Foundation. Thank you so much for your contributions!

ARCHITREKS!

by Randy Case, AIA, MAF Vice President

MAF has recently embarked on a plan to partner with Detroit Public Television ("DPTV") to create an enhancement of the original K-5 program "Architecture: It's Elementary". The new program is called Architreks and is intended to air during the morning breakfast time. DPTV has found this to be a productive time slot for its math/science programming. In a 1 minute spot a young adult, or high school student, acts as the host and excites the watchers and on-site participants about an activity involving a scientific principle that leads to a short explanation or experiment. At the end of the spot, a link to a website allows watchers to log on and get further info via a 2-5 minute web segment. The segment explains an idea for a fun activity that can be accomplished at home, or in the community, with parents or friends. The hits on the website are monitored to gauge interest, which have shown this to be very successful. Architreks

The Architreks spot will use the same format utilizing a recent graduate intern architect and/or a high school student who is interested in pursuing architecture as hosts, catapulting each into instant stardom (in OUR minds of course). DPTV will provide the Michigan Architectural Foundation with the DPTV Services and Facilities necessary to produce two 1-minute Architreks broadcast vignettes, accompanied by two 2-5 minute Architreks web segments. These produced segments will serve as pilot segments for a larger production run. The intention is to make these segments available to Public television across the state and eventually across the country. Nothing is being done like this for Architecture any where that we know of.

The MAF committee working on this project is presently updating the original "Architecture: Its Elementary" lesson plans to make them more relevant to today's educational models and to increase information related to environmental sustainability, in order to be ready for the production of up to 50 more segments.

Armed with a DVD of these initial segments, as well as its website, MAF will target and engage funding sources to underwrite production of all segments. This process will fulfill both the missions of MAF and DPTV utilizing the expertise of both effectively.

The goal of MAF is to enable others to fulfill their passions by fulfilling our mission "Promote How Architecture Enriches Life".

If you have interest in this cause, please contact Randy Case AIA at 269-966-9037.

We will try to enable you to fulfill your passion!

A Word About 2010 MAF Scholarships

The MAF awards four scholarships annually to students who are completing their Bachelor Degree program and who have been accepted or are currently enrolled in a professional program leading to a Master of Architecture degree. Money has been raised from many activities and sources over many years to underwrite these scholarships, and the four awards have been named for the primary donors and/or supporters. The four awards for 2010 (shown with 2009 award amounts) are as follows:

� AIA Michigan President's Scholarship ($4,000)

� American Institute of Architect's Scholarship ($2,000)

� Kenneth Neumann Design Scholarship ($1,000 plus

a summer internship with the firm Neumann Smith Associates)

� Professional Concepts Insurance Agency Scholarship ($1,000)

Each student applicant is required to submit a completed application form, a full college transcript, a personal statement describing leadership, design, or community accomplishments, a copy of the student's design portfolio, three letters of reference, and a school cost and personal financial budget. The jury must take all information into consideration, but has discretion as to the weight of the categories of information.

Letters and posters are sent to all of the Schools of Architecture in Michigan in an effort to solicit applications from deserving students. The Deans are contacted to strengthen the communication between MAF and the schools.

Looking Forward to 2010....

by Randy Case, AIA, 2010 MAF President

Health Image Hello Architecture Aficionados,

When I signed on to be the new President of the Michigan Architectural Foundation I realized that I had been entrusted to lead a very exciting organization in a very exciting time. The word "exciting" can be taken two ways based on how the economy has treated world of architecture, and especially, in Michigan.

Luckily, in the use of the word "exciting" in regards to the MAF, I can say that the future of this organization is truly exciting and mean it in the best sense! We have had to streamline how the MAF is run like everyone else. Because of the board members that we have there is always a wealth of information and expertise available to pull from. That will allow us to pursue our mission in a very passionate way.

My intention is to continue the work of the MAF in a way that will honor the efforts of all of its former Presidents and work to raise it yet another level. The MAF will be entering its 58th year of existence soon and Carl Roehling has certainly spent a lot of effort on behalf of this organization in the past 3 years in his term of president. Thankfully, he has agreed to chair the development committee. It is one of our key focus areas in order to allow the MAF, through funding, to enable others to fulfill their passions while also fulfilling our mission to "Promote how Architecture Enriches Life". (Check out the New "Architreks" program mentioned elsewhere in the newsletter).

We will greatly miss long time trustee, good friend and past president Phil Lundwall FAIA for his efforts through the years. Doug Kueffner AIA also has spent quite a bit of time on our board and our loss will be AIA Michigan's gain as he moves up to VP, President elect. We will also miss Jeff Hausman AIA, Cynthia Radecki AIA, Steve Smith AIA, and our Secretary and newsletter editor Tom Mathison FAIA.

MAF will be joined by newly nominated trustees Gene Hopkins FAIA, from HopkinsBurns Studio, Mike Cosgrove, from PCIA Companies, and John Bailey of John Bailey & Associates Public Relations, as well as two new appointments by the AIA Michigan Board.

Also, as a late breaking news alert, Park Smith AIA has agreed to serve as MAF VP Pres Elect and Dennis King FAIA, of Harley Ellis Devereaux , has agreed to take the office of Secretary and newsletter editor. My thanks go out to both of you for your commitment and I look forward to serving with everyone on this Board.

Best Regards,

Randy