The Complex and Multifaceted Work of Leandro Valencia Locsin

"The largely unknown oeuvre of the Philippine architect Leandro V. Locsin (1928-1994) embodies the search for identity in the built environment. Having completed his studies, Locsin opened his practice in 1953 in the capital Manila which, after the aerial attacks by the Allied forces for the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation, had been almost completely destroyed. The reconstruction, as well as technical innovations and favorable political and economic conditions, made it possible for him to design a wide range and large number of projects, including hotels, commercial buildings, churches, cultural venues, and public buildings. His work combines inspiration from modernism with local traditions and comprises a total of 245 projects, of which more than half were completed. 

During his talk, architect Jean-Claude Girard, author of the book Leandro Valencia Locsin, Filipino Architect (Birkhäuser), will discuss the complex and multifaceted work of Leandro Valencia Locsin rooted in the local conditions of the Philippines. Chicago-based architect Geoff Goldberg will serve as a respondent to the talk."

MAS Context

September 27, 2022 | 12:00pm

“The Best Penman of Our Age”: The Lettering of George Salter

"[...] George Salter was a German-born designer, illustrator, and teacher. After emigrating to the US in 1934, he established himself as a talented and coveted book jacket designer – and the first designer in America to sign his covers. He worked closely with publishers ranging from Alfred A. Knopf to serial mystery magazines, and his distinctive work remains highly collectible today.
Despite his success as a designer, Salter considered himself first and foremost a calligrapher and was considered by many to be the best penman of the mid-twentieth century. His calligraphic skill is evident in the hand-lettering he did for nearly all his cover designs.
In this program produced by Chicago’s Caxton Club, Jill Gage, Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing, will discuss the archive of Salter’s work held by the Newberry Library, focusing on the skillful and imaginative lettering that makes his work so distinctive.[...]"

The Newberry

September 27, 2022 | 6:30pm - 7:30pm

Let's Talk Gardens, Cultivating Place - The Many Layers of Invitation our Gardens Offer

"In a world and time of colliding and competing urgencies - environmental, social, economic, physical and spiritual - it can often feel as though Gardening is perhaps superfluous - not important enough, and certainly not enough to solve the world’s problems. And yet, as Jennifer Jewell, creator and host of public radio’s Cultivating Place, Conversations on Natural History & the Human Impulse to Garden will share through her years of experience interviewing gardeners and growers, environmentalists, artist’s and leading thinkers, our gardens - personal gardens & public gardens - are in fact inviting us at every turn to keep engaging, to get started there and keep going as important parts of the ultimate solutions to these crises and callings in our world. Through examples from her nationally syndicated program as well as illustrations and stories from each of her award winning books: The Earth in Her Hands, 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants, and Under Western Skies, Visionary Gardens from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, Jewell will walk us (especially as public facing professional gardeners or garden volunteers) through how at all levels, our gardens are inviting us to embrace our power, agency, and joy in growing the world better - in growing the world we want to live in and pass on to future gardeners."

Smithsonian Gardens

September 29, 2022 | 11:00pm - 12:00pm

Virtual Urban History Seminar

"The Urban History Seminar series feature a scholarly presentation followed by lively discussion. Henry Binford, Professor of History at Northwestern University, presents 'Cincinnati and the Prehistory of US City Planning.'

The Zoom session will open at 6:45 p.m. with the program starting at 7:00 p.m. and concluding by 8:15 p.m. RSVP is required. [...]"

Chicago History Museum

September 29, 2022 | 7:00pm - 8:15pm