Zaha Hadid’s untimely death has triggered a global conversation surveying her work and status in the history of the discipline. A wealth of former educators, partners, and colleagues has illuminated Zaha’s professional body of work with deeply personal tributes. Their words help to break down her mystique for the rest of us, and perhaps add another dimension to a body of work that spans over three decades.
Adding to the conversation is an upcoming event at the Hadid-designed Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. The building is notably her first project in the United States, and has been called the first major museum in the United States to be designed by a female architect.
Part panel discussion, part celebration, the event will be, according to CAC Director Raphaela Platow, an “afternoon of storytelling.” The program will survey Zaha’s work to the present, speculate on her firm’s future projects. Beyond this, a discussion of the CAC’s commission and construction promises to share stories of the famed architect’s working process. “Equity in Architecture—Zaha Hadid’s mentorship,” presented by Associate Dean of DAAP Patricia Kucker, will explore Zaha’s influence to architects worldwide as a woman that broke through barriers and challenged perceptions.
Platow said Hadid’s selection to design the CAC was aligned with their mission to celebrate cutting-edge work: “When our committee selected Zaha as the architect of The Rosenthal Center she had only successfully finished one building but her ideas, plans, models, and competition submissions where beyond remarkable; they were back then already showing a future path for architecture.”
“Celebrating the Life and Work of Zaha Hadid” will be held at the Contemporary Arts Center on May 7th from 1:00-3:30pm. Free and open to the public.
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:
- Raphaela Platow—Director & Chief Curator, Contemporary Arts Center
- Michael McInturf—Interim Director, School of Architecture & Interior Design, DAAP
- Heather Wehby—AIA Cincinnati Equity in Architecture committee & Architect, Emersion Design
EVENT SPEAKERS:
- Robert Benson—Professor Emeritus, Architecture & Interior Design, Miami University
- Richard Rosenthal—Arts Philanthropist, Name Donor of Lois and Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art
- Mark Stedtefeld—Architect and Principal, Emersion Design
- Patricia Kucker—Associate Dean, Faculty & Academic Affairs, DAAP
- Christoph Klemmt—Assistant Professor, Architecture & Interior Design, DAAP and former designer with Zaha Hadid Architects
