Filmmaker
James Venturi to Provide Insight
on Noted 20th Century Architects at Nov. 19 Lecture
10-20-08

WEST
WINDSOR, N.J. -- Filmmaker James Venturi, the son of leading 20th century
architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, will present a synopsis
of his feature-length documentary, "Learning From Bob & Denise,"
at a lecture on Wednesday, November 19 at 12 noon at Mercer County Community
College (MCCC). The talk takes place in the Communications Building, Room
107, on the college's West
Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road, as part of the Distinguished
Lecture Series. It's free and open to the public.
Based in New York City, Venturi studied documentary film at NYU and Columbia
University, and previously managed several technology businesses. He will
discuss the process of creating the film from his unique perspective.
The film is scheduled for release in early 2009.
According to MCCC Professor of Art and Art History Mel Leipzig, "Bob
Venturi and Denise Scott Brown are considered among the most influential
designers of the 20th century. They launched a critique of architectural
modernism that led to the development of alternative strategies for urban
design during the 1960s and 1970s."
Robert Venturi was awarded the Pritzker Prize in Architecture in 1991,
and is the founding principal of the firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates.
He has been described as one of the most original talents in contemporary
architecture, and credited with "saving modern architecture from
itself." He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University,
where he received his M.F.A. He furthered his studies as a Rome Prize
Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. Shortly after his return to the
United States, he taught an architectural theory course at the University
of Pennsylvania, School of Architecture.
A native of South Africa, Denise Scott Brown attended the University of
the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and then studied at the Architectural
Association in London. She immigrated to the United States with her first
husband, the late Robert Scott Brown, and earned a master of architecture
degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Marrying Robert Venturi in
1967, she has since taught urban planning at various prominent universities,
experimenting with interdisciplinary studio courses for architects, social
scientists, and urban designers. She has played a pivotal role in pioneering
preservation planning for historic districts in Galveston, TX, and Miami
Beach, as well as the schematic design for the Denver Civic Center Cultural
Complex, just to name a few projects. She was awarded the Vilcek Prize
for Arts and Humanities in 2007.
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