March 2009

Dear Members of Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture (IFRAA):

We welcome new members as well as those who have been a part of our organization over the years. The membership of the IFRAA Knowledge Community is diverse, and we continue to increase our outreach and relationship with organizations outside the AIA to further build upon the strengths of this multidisciplinary group.

The beginning of 2009 has challenged all of us to be more energy conscious, to find ways to operate our businesses, and live our lives as economically as possible. Creative solutions to these issues are being discussed that have us reviewing our programming, resulting in what we feel will be a great benefit in years to come.

We look forward to our upcoming study tour in San Francisco as part of the National Convention. A reception which will include the presentation of the 2008 Religious Art and Architecture Awards will immediately follow the tour. If you will be in the Bay Area, we encourage you to attend. We will not be holding a fall conference this year; shifting instead to focus on providing Web seminar programs, continued publication of the IFRAA Journal, and development of the IFRAA website as a place for conversation and a resource to anyone interested in religious buildings, people, artwork, and furnishings. We look forward with optimism to next year and are planning for a conference and study tour in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for spring 2010.

As the 2009 Chair, I would like to introduce our Advisory Group members. James F. Williamson, FAIA, is our immediate past Chair. During his tenure as Chair in 2008, he was instrumental in the preparation of the Masters of Light study tour in Rome. His article about the tour can be found at the IFRAA Website. Richard S. Vosko, PhD, Hon. AIA is Vice Chair and will serve as Chair in 2010. We welcome Craig Rafferty, FAIA, who joined our group last year, as well as John K. Justus, AIA, who has just come on board. We must say goodbye this year to Doug Benson, AIA, who is leaving us to serve the AIA as Northwest and Pacific Regional Director. We also thank Paul Harding, FAIA who left our group after many years of service. His continued work on the IFRAA Journal brings us the latest issue on Christ the Light Cathedral in Oakland, CA and Paul's interview with its designer, Craig W. Hartman, FAIA design partner at SOM.

The following is a summary of activities in store for 2009 and events and information from 2008. Please visit the IFRAA home page regularly for additional information throughout the year. If you have any questions or comments or wish to become more involved in IFRAA please email us at ifraa@aia.org.

Sincerely,

Dawn R. Schuette, AIA
2009 Chair, AIA Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art, and Architecture Advisory Group

2009 IFRAA Projects and Activities

• IFRAA Events at the AIA 2009 National Convention
  
  E01 IFRAA Study Tour at AIA Convention: From 1910 to 2008—A Century of Bay Area Sacred Places
  Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
  A pre-convention tour highlighting the new Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland with a panel discussion by the design architect, Craig Hartman, and other members of the design and owner team.
  
  E04 Faith and Form/IFRAA 2008 International Religious Art and Architecture Awards Reception
  Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
  A design awards program will be held in San Francisco following our IFRAA study tour.
  AIA Convention attendees should register through the convention web site for event "E04". If you are not attending the AIA Convention, but would like to attend the reception please register here.
  
  
• 2009 Religious Art and Architecture Awards
  Watch for the call for submissions for the upcoming 2009 Religious Art and Architecture Awards, which will be held in conjunction with Faith & Form magazine.
  
  
• IFRAA Journal and IFRAA Web site
  We are looking at methods of content capture at our San Francisco Tour and Panel Discussion and Awards Presentation for posting to the IFRAA Web site. In these economic times, we realize that one of the best services we can provide to our members are opportunities for those who cannot attend our national events to benefit from the content. We hope to expand our Web site to include a regular blog. A new committee member is assisting with this effort.
  
  
• Webinar Programs will be offered throughout the year. Watch your email and IFRAA Web site for regular updates.
  
  
• Co-sponsorship of an "Educational Issue" with Faith & Form Magazine
  This issue will be distributed to all IFRAA members. Additionally, some content from this issue will be made available on the IFRAA Web site.
  
  
• Allied Organization Outreach
  Expansion of IFRAA membership beyond AIA members to provide the knowledge resources necessary for our interdisciplinary group. This relies on improving our communication and interaction with non-architects that comprise an important part of our Knowledge Community. A primary goal of this year will be to expand Memorandums of Understanding with related organizations that can offer the various perspectives needed for our multidisciplinary group. This goal relies on the ability for our membership to grow beyond the AIA and provide accessibility of information, communication, and conferences to all members.

2008 Highlights and Major Accomplishments

• "Masters of Light" Study Tour
  Held in Rome Italy, this event allowed approximately 40 attendees to experience first hand the masterworks of Bernini and Borromini, as well as those of such contemporary masters as Renzo Piano and Richard Meier.
  
  
• IFRAA Study Tour, "Context, History, Place, and Form"
  Held during the AIA Convention in Boston, this event was well-planned and attended by more than 50 participants. It included Trinity Church, the MIT Chapel, the Harvard Business School Chapel, and the Glavin Family Chapel, as well as a lunchtime panel discussion.
  
  
• Partnership with Faith & Form Magazine
  IRAA hosted a IFRAA/Faith & Form Awards Dinner in Boston with Faith & Form, as well as our second Faith & Form Educational Issue: Sustainable Sacred Space.
  
  
• IFRAA Journal
  2008 topics included an issue devoted to the Megachurch.
  
  
• Local IFRAA Chapters
  Our 2008 goals included the establishment of additional local components of IFRAA. A new Chicago Chapter was followed by a Virginia Society of Architects chapter based in Richmond.
  
  

Images: Cathedral of Christ the Light, Craig W. Hartman, FAIA, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. Photographs by Cesar Rubio: (top) View of the Cathedral from Lake Merrit; (bottom) The concrete reliquary wall and the Douglas fir wood inside the main sanctuary.