The World of Classicism from the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art

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(Image: Klaus Wagensonner, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Deed)

October 17, 2023

The ICAA is a nonprofit educational organization committed to promoting and preserving the practice, understanding, and appreciation of classical design.

ARTICLES & VIDEOS: NEW THIS ISSUE

In this video, join the participants in the Christopher H. Browne Venice Drawing Tour, which took place this past May, as they explore the historic city's architectural legacy, studying and learning from precedent through the practice of measured and analytical field drawing.

The Christopher H. Browne Drawing Tours form the cornerstone of the ICAA education program. The tours follow in the footsteps of architects journeying abroad and at home to study and document precedents for the purpose of informing the design of new buildings and places. The course is structured around the tradition of measured and analytical field drawing in sketchbook as the primary means of building a compendium of resources for reference in future design endeavors. Each course examines the continuity and vitality of the classical tradition in a paradigmatic city or region that has been instrumental in its development. Drawing subjects cover all scales of design - from the city and its contiguous landscape as a comprehensive work of civic art, to the architectural composition of individual buildings, to the fine grain of architectural details, building craft, materials and the building arts.

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2024 Christopher H. Browne Drawing Tours:

In 2024, the ICAA is pleased to offer the Christopher H. Browne Oxford Drawing Tour taking place from May 25th through June 1st, and the Christopher H. Browne New Orleans Drawing Tour, taking place from October 10th through 13th. Scholarships are available for both tours.

The Christopher H. Browne Drawing Tours honor the generosity, leadership, and legacy of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art’s late Trustee, Mr. Christopher H. Browne.

Dorothy LaPolla-Czarnecki Scholarship sponsored by John LaPolla and LaPolla Designs

Andrea Palladio’s The Four Books on Architecture is unquestionably the most influential architectural treatise ever written. The treatise’s Book IV consists of Palladio’s illustrations and descriptions of twenty-five Roman temples. From his study of their ruins Palladio produced ninety-seven pages of elevations, sections, plans, and details depicting his concepts of the temples’ original appearance. His lavish plates offered for the first time a credible vision of the grandeur and beauty of ancient Roman design. Book IV’s seductive images have served as a primary design source for many great classical works henceforth. This video lecture offers a glimpse of the riches of Book IV and presents numerous examples of structures that drew inspiration from Palladio’s plates. A primary intent of this presentation is to encourage current practitioners to mine Book IV’s many resources for enriching contemporary classicism.

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ARTICLES & VIDEOS: PREVIOUS ISSUE

In June 2023 the Southeast Chapter of the ICAA, in collaboration with the North Carolina Chapter, hosted the ICAA Southeast Bunny Mellon Garden Symposium - An Exploration of Southeastern Landscapes: Mountains to Prairies. Designers, students, and enthusiasts gathered for a three-day conference in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina, enjoying tours and lectures by preeminent experts in garden and landscape design.

The Symposium's second lecture was presented by Dwayne Estes, professor of biology at Austin Peay State University and co-founder of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, a collaboration of leaders in international biodiversity conservation committed to the preservation of the fragile grassland ecosystems in the Southeastern United States. In his lecture, Dwayne first addresses what he calls the "myth of the unbroken forest" - the idea that before white colonists settled North America, the eastern portion of the continent was a vast pristine forest unsullied by humankind. In fact, Dwayne argues, historical evidence proves that much of the Southeastern United States was once dominated by grassy savannahs managed by Native Americans' use of fire and the grazing of bison, before colonists decimated the Native populations and destroyed natural ecosystems. Dwayne demonstrates that in its natural state, the Southeastern savannah exhibits staggering biodiversity and enables hundreds of native species to thrive. He further explains the work that his organization and others are doing to revive Southeastern grasslands - such as restoring savannah ecosystems beneath high-voltage power lines - and encourages a shift in the traditional approach to landscape conservation, to enable the return of the area's natural ecosystems.

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Presented as part of the Bunny Mellon Curricula at the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art. The ICAA is very grateful to the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation for its generous support of this program, along with the Bunny Mellon Curricula

Lead Sponsor: Hollander Design Landscape Architects, Garden Symposium Sponsor: Kathryn M. and Ronald J. Herman Charitable Foundation, Garden Design Prize Sponsor: Harrison Design, Continuing Education and Public Programs Sponsor: Charlotte Moss, Film Series Sponsor: Janice Parker Landscape Architects

Read Veranda's in-depth profile of the ICAA's forthcoming exhibition featuring the works of young artists, designers, and practitioners, Enduring Beauty: Works from Emerging Practitioners of the Classical Tradition. The exhibition will be held at the historic Aiken-Rhett House in partnership with Historic Charleston Foundation from November 3rd through 26th, 2023.

Tour the home of architect and ICAA Board Member Gary Brewer, a partner at RAMSA | Robert A.M. Stern Architects, in this video produced by RAMSA. Learn about Gary's discovery of the home in Yonkers' historic Park Hill neighborhood, the improvements he has made over the years, and the history of the American Foursquare house.

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NATIONAL CALENDAR: MULTI-DAY PROGRAMS

January 6th-13th, 2024 - SOLD OUT

The 2024 ICAA Intensive in Classical Architecture: New York

64 credits towards the Certificate in Classical Architecture | 60 AIA CES Learning Units|Elective and 4 AIA CES Learning Units|HSW

Standard tuition spaces for this program are currently full - contact us at education@classicist.org to be added to the waiting list.

Reserved scholarship spaces for the program are still available; the deadline to apply for a scholarship is October 30.