NC Modernist HousesArchitecture You Love
NC Modernist Houses|
Keynote SpeakerGeorge Smart, Founder of NCMH and USModernist
Mr. Modernism, George Smart, is Chair and Executive Director of North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) and USModernist, America's largest open digital archives for Modernist residential architecture. DWELL called George the "Lorax of Modernist houses."
George Smart 's dad was a Raleigh NC
architect for over 40 years who, like many in his generation, was inspired by
brilliance of Frank
Lloyd Wright.
Yet, as a leadership
development consultant and coach,
George showed no interest whatsoever in architecture until 2007. "I was Googling
for modern houses one night and it was like that scene from Alien," jokes Smart.
"Something exploded from my DNA!" One
Google search led to another, then to a list, then to a website, then to local
tours, then dinners, then movies, then design networking happy hours, national
tours, an immense digital archive, establishment of the George Matsumoto Prize,
and other features enjoyed by up to a million people each year on
www.ncmodernist.org and
www.usmodernist.org. George has led NC Modernist Houses to 12 national, statewide, and local awards, advancing preservation and raising public appreciation of Modernist design. He is the producer and host of US Modernist Radio with fascinating guests including Paul Goldberger, Jake Gorst, Alan Hess, Larry Scarpa, Kyle Bergman, Tim Ross, Roberta Leighton, Hicks Stone, Chris Rawlins, Harry Bates, Allison Arieff, Alison Brooks, Eric Lloyd Wright, Kelly Lynch, Michael Hammond, Eames Demetrios, Raymond Neutra, Susan Saarinen, Brad Dunning, Alexandra Lange, Nathanial Kahn, Jim Cutler, Annalisa Capurro, Crosby Doe, Carl Abbott, Frank Harmon, Justin Shubow, Kate Wagner, and Sarah Susanka, among many others. He writes for Atomic Ranch magazine and travels from Raleigh/Durham NC. The Accidental Archivist George Smart is an accidental archivist. He has no degree in art history, architecture, or library science. Yet he built websites, North Carolina Modernist Houses and USModernist, that became the largest online digital archives for residential Modernist design in America.
Our mid-century Modernist architects and their original clients are
almost all dead;
their houses have been sold several times; and the local real estate community
would just as soon market teardowns as find new, caring owners. Despite
many houses aging over the 50-year mark, the design and preservation communities
are typically focused on the same churches, mills and factories, and Victorians
that have occupied their attention for the last 40 years, bless their hearts.
If you’re a local Modernist fan, you often have nowhere to turn for
documentation. “Surely, somebody has done this,” you think. “Surely, some
architect or preservation society has a list of the Modernist houses here.” The
answer is usually no. And fans don’t know what to do.
George
takes The
Accidental Archivist on
the road to design and architecture conferences, libraries, preservation organizations,
and real estate associations, and other groups across America. The keynote
includes Q&A plus George will stay afterwards to talk with audience
members.
Mayberry Modernism: North Carolina's Modernist Legacy Audiences love hearing "Mr. Modernism" George Smart share the story of Mayberry Modernism, how North Carolina became the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in America, some of the most loved, hated, and controversial buildings in the world! During this entertaining and informative 60-minute visual journey, audiences delight in learning why these “livable works of art” are often endangered and discovering how everyone can help save mid-century houses for future generations. The program plays brilliantly to general audiences as well as design, architecture, construction, real estate, museum, and other groups.
One of America's most passionate advocates for Modernist architecture, George
Smart is the founder of North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) and the host of
US Modernist Radio. NCMH is one of the nation's leading nonprofits for Modernist
research and advocacy, honored with 12 historic preservation awards at the
local, state, and national level, including the 2016 AIA National Honors for
Collaborative and Professional Achievement.
George
takes Mayberry
Modernism on
the road to design and architecture conferences, preservation organizations,
real estate associations, and other groups across the nation. The keynote
includes Q&A plus George will stay afterwards to talk personally with audience
members. "George Smart's Mayberry Modernism presentation is entertaining, informative, and inspiring. When the hour is over you are left wanting to know more." -- Mark Allison, AIA "Thank you so much for your exciting presentation to the Winston-Salem Section of the AIA. I got a lot of great comments from several people afterwards and it was one of the most well attended luncheons ever." -- Chad Everhart, AIA, NCARB "I do want to thank you for making the trip to Wilmington and speaking to AIA Wilmington and the Cameron Art Museum. We were pleasantly surprised at the large turnout that we had at the event, especially for a Monday night. Everyone with whom I spoke afterwards said that they were impressed with your knowledge of modern architecture and really enjoyed all of the images that you presented. I hope that you can bring this lecture to all of the AIA sections in North Carolina!" -- Laura Miller, AIA, LEED AP "George Smart gives a fascinating and informative slideshow and presentation about some of our true architectural treasures - the wealth of Modernist homes in our area." -- Mark Zimmerman, Chapel Hill Realtor
Cameron Village Library, Raleigh
/
Chapel Hill Rotary Club,
Chapel Hill Learning Objectives (for CE purposes) Participants learn how thousands of significant Modernist houses were documented and made available to the public online, many for the first time. Participants identify the beginnings of North Carolina residential Modernist design as part of a national movement. Participants learn key differences between Modernist and contemporary architecture. Participants learn why North Carolina is the third largest concentration of Modernist houses in the country. Participants learn the key architects and influencers in North Carolina Modernism. Participants see 60 years of North Carolina award-winning residences. Participants learn marketing methods to preserve mid-century Modernist houses through preservation, occupancy, and sustainable development strategies. Participants discover how documenting, preserving, and promoting residential Modernist design benefits the architecture and construction industries. Participants learn key differences between selling a traditional house and selling a Modernist house. Participants gain free access to a digital archive of over 22,000 photos of over 6,500 Modernist houses, along with profiles on 300+ architects. Participants learn how NCMH became the country's largest open digital archive for Modernist houses and a recognized leader in Modernist preservation with 12 local, state, and national awards. |
