Kaley Fought, AIA
AIA Oregon President
A Night of Celebration
I am looking forward to next Thursday, November 9, as AIA Oregon celebrates Architectural and Professional achievements with our night of honors and awards at the Portland Art Museum. This year, we hope members from all over the state will be able to join us again to network, see the exemplary work of our colleagues, and have more than a little fun.
The Awards presentation has changed over the years, and I think one of the most exciting additions is the access to Portland Art Museum Galleries ahead of the evening’s presentation. If you purchase a ticket or table to the evening, you’ll have the chance to view the Black Artists of Oregon, the first of its kind to consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon; as well as Throughlines: Connections in the Collection which embraces wonder and curiosity, bringing together artworks from across the Museum’s collections to explore the range of artistic innovation. Members will have access to these galleries from 5-7pm, so I hope you can arrive early after work and explore before the festivities.
We’ll have drinks and food, of course, and an opportunity to cut loose with a dance floor and a DJ! A bubbly toast goes with dessert, and everyone leaves with a little swag, whether you win an award or not. Our jurors will also be around to mingle and get to know our members. You won’t want to miss this night!
Thank you to all who entered. It is not an easy process to put together your work for presentation, and we appreciate your continued support of the program, as well as your inspiring work. The jurors had 68 entries to deliberate this year and the decisions were not easy. In general, they thanked our chapter for having such a robust set of projects to select from and encouraged more entrants to consider entering the 2030 calculator information. There is a clear indication that projects, moving forward, must be beautiful as well as highly functional and resilient; as architects, we have the responsibility to lead these conversations with our ideas and built work.
I can’t wait to hear all of the other thoughtful words and view the award-winning projects for 2023. We’ll also be honoring our two Professional Achievement Award winners – the President’s Award and the Young Architect Award. Jay Raskin, FAIA, and Nicole Becker, AIA, will be honored for the two awards, respectively, and I have the pleasure of handing them their accolades.
It’s been a humbling and personally gratifying facet of my Presidency to gather the jurors and participate in the presentation of awards and will be looking forward to sharing next Thursday with all of you! As I come to the end of my term as President of the Chapter, I am so grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to serve. I will enjoy the chance to express my gratitude in person on November 9th – I hope to see you there!
Let’s Celebrate!
Kaley Fought, AIA