December AIA-SWO Chapter Meeting Recap

Ho, ho, ho!!! Holiday cheer in abundance at OPUS VII during the December 2010 AIA-Southwestern Oregon chapter meeting. (my photo)

This year’s AIA-SWO Holiday Party took place at OPUS VII, previously the site of the 2010 AIA-Southwestern Oregon People’s Choice Awards display and awards presentation. The space provided a perfectly jolly backdrop during this season of generosity and good will. The holidays are all about being with family; in this case it was over sixty members of the AIA-SWO family that gathered to enjoy the cheerful festivities. We shared the gift of each other’s company, good food, and good design, courtesy of OPUS VII’s proprietor, Kaz Oveissi.

The purpose of OPUS VII is to recognize, reward, and showcase mastery in art, architecture, and design. It is a space built to introduce the community to the creative world and win the hearts and minds of every guest. Kaz’s hope is that visitors will be surprised by what they see at OPUS VII, and leave with a sense of possibility. He envisions OPUS VII bringing to Eugene the power of authentic and creative ideas.

Featured during the AIA-SWO Holiday Party was OPUS VII’s display about the work and process of Ziba, the Portland-based design and innovation consultancy. Ziba is renowned for its cutting-edge design of many inventive products, environments, and interactive experiences. The OPUS VII display lays bare the creative process Ziba uses to design products for companies such as Microsoft, Sirius, Umpqua Bank, KitchenAid, and Memorex. The many parallels between the design processes employed by Ziba and those used by architects are very much in evidence. If you haven’t already done so, you owe yourself a visit to OPUS VII to see the Ziba show before the end of its run on December 31.

On deck at OPUS VII is GO, DESIGN, GO!, an exhibit that will explore cutting-edge design in the transportation industry. This immersive, dynamic, and multimedia-focused installation will showcase nine local and regional experts dedicated to innovation in transportation technology. Kaz describes GO, DESIGN, GO! as a hands-on, interactive exhibit that will continue OPUS VII’s commitment to showcase beautiful design that makes an impact on our everyday life. The new exhibit will open Friday, January 7, 2011 and continue through the end of February.

OPUS VII holds great promise as a vessel for mutually beneficial and productive cross-fertilization between art, architecture, and design. Kudos to Kaz Oveissi for bringing creative people of all stripes together, injecting design energy into downtown Eugene, and producing museum-style exhibits that appeal to a broad audience.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

Our December program sponsor was Summit Bank. Summit Bank is a Eugene-based enterprise dedicated to meeting the banking needs of small businesses and professionals in our community. Led by CEO & President Anne Marie Mehlum, its management team knows that small businesses like AIA-SWO member firms are the bedrock of our local economy. Summit Bank wants to help AIA-SWO members succeed and offers a full range of personal and commercial banking services at the best rates and lowest costs.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *

December marks my last month as past-president for AIA-Southwestern Oregon and as a delegate to the AIA-Oregon Board of Directors. I originally started SW Oregon Architect as a forum for the discussion of items that might be of interest to chapter members when I joined the AIA-SWO Board of Directors in 2008. Even though I no longer will be a member of the chapter board, I’ll carry on blogging about AIA-SWO activities. I will also continue commenting about architecture in general. My hope is that AIA-SWO members will stick with SW Oregon Architect for many years to come. If you haven’t already done so, bookmark SW Oregon Architect or subscribe to the RSS feed.

Happy Holidays everyone! And my best wishes to all of you for 2011!