Committee on Design

I just finished ready a USA Today front page article about the National Museum of African History and Culture ground brakiing.  Of course there was no mention of the Architect, which prompted me to write the following letter to the editor:

"Dear Editor,

I just read your lengthy article about the groundbreaking for the National Museum of African History and Culture.  Your piece spent an inordinate amount of space reporting on the political history of the Museum.  Who cares about politics?  Maybe the design of the building and exhibit has much more to do with the success of disseminating such an important part of our American Culture.  Yet there is no mention of the Architect, Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup or the Exhibit Designer, Ralph Appelbaum Associates.  It's not like you had a space problem since you mentioned everyone and their brother, who might have had some obscure connection to the building.  Again, who cares about all of these people?

There is an old adage about what happens with projects like this.  You proved that "Praise for the Uninvolved" is more than an adage, its fact.

I realize that some journalists lack the enriched background necessary to appreciate the importance of design in shaping the built environment.  To help these culturally challenged individuals, you might want to adopt the following journalistic policy: When you report on the significance of a building, you include the name of the responsible designer.

Maybe next time."

If you concur and want to let USA Today know how, their email address is theforum@usatoday.com 
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David Brotman FAIA
Past AIA Regional Director
Sunset Consultants
Malibu CA
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I agree 100% with this observation. Very seldom have projects I have designed or designed by some firm I know of, been given credit unless a special effort is made to "'educate" the reporters. I had a reporter tell me they don't give the architects name because it is unpaid "advertising", to which I asked why naming the contractor, bank, developer,  etc. was any different from naming the architect? No answer. Just policy.  I continue to cringe when I see photos credited as "artists rendering".   The only answer is to not let them get away with it.

I will send a note to USAToday 

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James D. Smith, AIA
Principal/owner
James Douglas Smith, AIA, Inc. Architect
[Crown Point, Indiana
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David & James,
I couldn't agree with the two of you more. The lack of publicizing the name of the designer in all forms of the media has been one of my pet peeves for years.  To now her that they use the feeble excuse that they don't want to provide free publicity.  They can't be serious? As James says the lending institution and the contractor get a billing and they both profit from the project.  How is it we read and listen to movie reviews book reviews, press junkets and the like?  If there is a high profile trial we all know the attorneys' names.

This is one of those things where I feel the AIA is not earning its' dues.  They should be our watch dog for this sort of thing. They should work to change any policies that prevent the media from informing/educating the public.  They are, after all, our lobbyist and this is something that needs to change.  Our AIA exists to promote the practice of architecture.  The letter to the media outlet is good but the AIA needs to get involved.  Change has a better chance made collectively.

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James Wilson AIA
Bricolage Design
Santa Monica CA
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