The terms “modern” and “minimal” are casually applied to public landscapes and gardens today without any deep understanding of what makes them Modern.

If the first wave of Modernism in landscape architecture began in 1929 with Fletcher Steele’s revolutionary application of a bent axis at the Camden Amphitheatre in Maine and quietly ended on the Bicentennial (July 4, 1976) with the ribbon-cutting of such projects as Lawrence Halprin’s Freeway Park in Seattle and Heritage Park in Fort Worth; Hideo Sasaki’s Waterfront Park in Boston; Robert Zion’s Waterfront Park in Cincinnati; and SOM’s design for Constitution Gardens in Washington, D.C., what happened in Landscape Architecture after that? Unlike architecture, which experienced a two-decade romance with Post Modernism, the same did not occur in the landscape architecture profession.

This conference will explore this question by showcasing the ideas and works of leading landscape architecture and garden design professionals to see what makes their work modern and how it is influenced by the earlier movement.

Events

The conference will open Thursday evening, November 13, with a dinner and keynote address. The conference sessions will be held on Friday, November 14 at the Chicago Architecture Foundation. The day will conclude with a reception at the Design Within Reach studio on East Ohio Street. Tours will be held on Saturday, November 15 and will spotlight the work of Dan Kiley, Kathryn Gustafson, Michael van Valkenburgh, and Peter Lindsay Schaudt among others.

Tickets

Space is strictly limited.
Tickets for this event go on sale May 15, 2008.

Sponsors + Supporters

Co-sponsored by

The Chicago Architecture Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public interest and education in architecture and design. CAF presents a comprehensive program of tours, exhibitions, lectures, special events, and adult and youth education activities, all designed to enhance the public’s awareness and appreciation of Chicago’s outstanding architectural legacy

 

with support from
American Society of Landscape Architects, Design Within Reach, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois.