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Press contacts:
Katie Klapper -(323) 874-9667
Lynn Kozasa - (310) 798-8121

(Los Angeles) In 1972, after three-and-a-half years as professor and
chairman of the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, Ray Kappe and
a group of faculty members and students resigned to start their own
educational experiment, "an inquiry into the very nature of existence
through the medium of architecture." Today, SCI-Arc—the Southern California
Institute of Architecture—is world renowned for its integrated approach to
design education and the creative achievements of its faculty and graduates.

The SCI-Arc Alumni Association celebrates this history at 30/30 Vision, its
annual fundraising event featuring an exhibition of 30 years of thesis
drawings. Set for Saturday, November 9, 2002 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., 30/30
Vision honors founders Ray and Shelly Kappe for their long-standing
commitment to the school. To be held at the Pacific Design Center’s hot new
Astra West restaurant, the festivities include food prepared by celebrity
chef Charlie Palmer, wine and creative cocktails, and dancing to eclectic
sounds provided by KCRW’s Tom Schnabel. Highlights of the evening include a
silent auction of framed drawings on napkins by well-known architects and a
live auction of items as diverse as classic Eames furnishings and Oscar de
la Hoya’s boxing gloves. Proceeds from the event benefit the SCI-Arc Alumni
Association Scholarship Fund and outreach activities.

From its inception, SCI-Arc positioned itself as a radical alternative to
conventional architectural education, an ever-evolving laboratory for
experimental design, research and practice. Students and faculty run the
school in an active collaboration and work with an emphasis on hands-on
participation. SCI-Arc imbues a global perspective and its student body
hails from some 34 countries. Studies integrate the liberal arts and
disciplines of physical sciences, structures and technology into
architectural practice, providing for broad thinking and multiple
viewpoints.

In its 30 years, SCI-Arc has enjoyed the leadership of prominent practicing
architects. From Ray Kappe to Michael Rotondi, Neil Denari and now Eric
Owen Moss, the school chooses Directors who think "outside the box." And
SCI-Arc consistently plays a major role in Los Angeles urbanism. Each of
its three locations—a warren of artists studios and workshops in industrial
Santa Monica, a former telecommunications facility in Playa Del Rey, and now
the quarter mile long Freight Depot in downtown Los Angeles—has been sited
in developing areas which provide an immediate urban laboratory
complementary to studio work. Recent community service projects include a
study for the L.A. River School, restoration work for the Skidrow Housing
Trust, benches and banners for Chinatown and bicycle racks all through
downtown. The 30/30 Vision exhibition presents the school’s history in a
120-foot graphic timeline featuring student thesis projects from across the
30-year spectrum. Currently on view at SCI-Arc, the exhibition will be seen
in its entirety at the PDC on November 9th.

The caliber of architects and artists contributing napkin drawings to 30/30
Vision speaks to SCI-Arc’s reputation in the worlds of architecture, art and
design. Among many others, this year’s napkin donors include Ed Ruscha,
Thom Mayne, Daniel Libeskind, Richard Meier, Steven Holl, Antoine Predock,
Jean Nouvel, Tadao Ando, Michael Maltzan, James Turrell, Billy Al Bengston,
Moshe Safdie, Cesar Pelli and Pierre Koenig. Several furniture and
accessories manufacturers and showrooms will also be represented at auction,
including Delray Lighting, Forms & Surfaces, Lampa & Möbler, Capellini and
the Scheffey Group, whose donation includes a new chair redesigned by BMW!

30/30 Vision will be held Saturday, November 9 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the
Pacific Design Center, 8687 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. The 30/30
Vision exhibition is presently on view at SCI-Arc’s Freight Depot campus,
350 Merrick Street in Los Angeles. Public hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
daily. There is no admission charge. Advance tickets for the party are $60
for Alumni Association members and $75 for the general public. Tickets
purchased at the door are $75 for members and $90 for the public.
Association memberships are available for $25. For more information about
the event or tickets, the public may call (213) 613-2200 ext. 322 or log
onto www.sciarc.edu.

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