Does Race or Culture Shape Design?

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Is design and architecture shaped by a designer's race or culture? Should it be? Frances Anderton talks with architect Steve Lewis and graphic designer Tyrone Drake about efforts to increase the numbers of African American architects in public building design. Then, conversations with textile designer Christopher Farr about a woman who pioneered the art of weaving when she was banned from studying architecture, and Michael Webb, who gives us a look at designers who work in snow. Correction: On today's show, the design of the Bullocks Wilshire department store was inadvertently attributed to Paul Williams. Williams did not design Bullocks Wilshire but he was involved with the design of numerous buildings in LA, including the original Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Beverly Hills. The archived edition of this show has been corrected.
Guests on today's DnA:
A writer on architecture and design, Michael Webb is author of several books, including Brave New Houses: Adventures in Southern California Living. Webb reports on the Snow Show located in the cities of Kemi and Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland and the Arctic Circle.

Steve Lewis is program coordinator at the Office of the Chief Architect at the General Services Administration in Washington, DC, which oversees the design and construction of federally owned buildings. The GSA has established a formal relationship with the National Organization of Minority Architects

Director of graphic design for the Office of Publications for the School of Architecture at USC, Tyrone Drake is a teacher of graphic design at Art Center College of Design and a graphic designer whose clients include Ringo Starr, the Walt Disney Company and 20th Century Fox.

Christopher Farr is a designer and producer of rugs and textiles. His store, Christopher Farr, on La Cienega, has just opened a show of work by Gunta St-lzl, the head of the textile studio at the Bauhaus.

Calendar of Design and Architectural Events

Exhibit of new rugs from original designs by the late German designer Gunta St-lzl
Christopher Farr, USA
748 N. La Cienega Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310-967-0064

Diverse-City: through February 27
A traveling exhibit and competition, organized by the Royal Institute of British Architects.
Deadline for submissions is February 24.
British Consulate in Los Angeles
11766 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Open for public viewing from 9am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday
Call 310-481-0031 in order to arrange entry.

Isamu Noguchi and Modern Japanese Ceramics: through May 30
Japanese American National Museum
369 E 1st St, Little Tokyo
213-625-0414

Dunces: through February 19
Fine art work by Gary Baseman, the illustrator, fine artist and art director of Disney-s new animated movie, Teacher-s Pet
La Luz de Jesus Gallery
633 Hollywood Blvd
Hollywood
323-666-7667

The film My Architect: A Son's Journey by Nathaniel Kahn
is currently showing at the Cecci Gori Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills.

L.A. Homes and Gardens Gallery Show: through February 21
An exploration of Los Angeles' spectacular architecture and real estate community, celebrating LA's unique residential identity through photographic studies of homes and gardens, examples of iconic furnishings and evocative, small-scale sculptures of domestic objects.
NewSpace Gallery
5241 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles
(323) 469-9353

Calendar of events sponsored by the LA Forum for Architecture and Urban Design and Delirious LA.

Credits

Host:

Frances Anderton