On Monday, when Wang Shu was named the 2012 Pritzker Prize winner, we leafed through our members’ programming records. Sure enough, Wang Shu made appearances at two AAO member organizations, Rice Design Alliance (RDA) and the Dallas Architecture Forum (Forum) – part of a collaborative, multi-part investigation on Chinese architecture. While there are many ways to demonstrate the merits of the architecture organizations in the AAO network, consistently identifying design talent on the rise – before the big appearance fees – is certainly one indicator.. We caught up with RDA and Forum leaders, Linda Sylvan and Nate Eudaly, to learn more about their fall 2011 programming partnership.

Read our interview with Sylvan of the RDA, and Eudaly of the Forum.

AAO member the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) recently launched a free online educational tool to connect teens, teachers, and architects to project-based learning opportunities. To celebrate, CAF is inviting U.S high school students (at least 13 years old, grades 9-12) to enter its 2012 National High School Architecture Competition. The challenge: redesign your school cafeteria for healthy eating in a sustainable space. Registration and consent forms are due April 4, 2012; final project submissions are due May 23, 2012.

Explore DiscoverDesign.org and learn more about the competition.

In its February issue, Architect, the official magazine of the AIA, highlighted the growing architecture center movement. More and more AIA chapters are building facilities that act not just as as a member club house, but a place for anyone interested in architecture and design. The article features AAO members Margie O'Driscoll, Rick Bell, John Claypool, and AAO Executive Director Michael Wood. Although AIA chapter-based architecture centers are just one facet of AAO, we're delighted to see the increased interest in reaching the public.

Read "Center Stage" in Architect.

Browse AAO's quick index of recent articles on architecture organizations.

On February 9, a reception marked the official opening of the new home of the Boston Society of Architects (BSA). In an effort to foster exchange between the design industry and the public, BSA Space offers exhibitions, boat and walking tours, lectures, films, and other programs about architecture. The building also houses Boston's AIA chapter offices, ArchitectureBoston magazine, and BSA's partner organizations Boston by Foot, Learning by Design, and the Community Design Resource Center of Boston.

Read more about BSA Space in the Atlantic Cities (learn about the current IN FORM exhibit), Arch Daily (great photos), and the Boston Globe.

AAO welcomes new individual member Cheryl Jacobs from Coral Gables, Florida, and new founding member the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, based in Chicago, Illinois.
Learn more about AAO membership.

AAO is pleased to announce that it's been selected as a finalist for the next round of ArtPlace grants. Our proposal seeks support for AAO members starting new architecture festivals. Winner announced in late May 2012.
Read about all the ArtPlace finalists.

Comings and Goings: Mary Fichtner has announced she will be leaving as Executive Director of Boston by Foot to join Boston Society of Architects as Manager of Programs and Exhibits. SPUR welcomes Noah Christman as its new Public Programming Manager; good luck to Gretchen Hilyard, who will be leaving SPUR for a post with the City of San Francisco Planning Department.

What is Pinterest and should you be on it? Pinterest is a new image-based social media site that acts as a virtual bulletin board where users "pin" pictures that interest them. Here are a few reasons to consider it: Pinterest reached the 10 million visitors per month mark faster than any other website. It also drives more referral traffic than YouTube, Linked In, and Google+ combined.
Read "How to Get Your Nonprofit Started on Pinterest."

Check out these AAO members' Pinterest boards:
Chicago Architecture Foundation, Dallas Center for Architecture, and National Trust for Historic Preservation. Also of interest on Pinterest: ArchDaily, Architect Magazine, Architizer, and Design Observer.

SPUR just released its first smart phone app. "SF's Secret Parks and Hidden Oases" reveals San Francisco's privately owned public spaces.
Get SPUR's Guide to Public Spaces on your mobile device.

Dallas Center for Architecture organized a 5k event that took runners past architectural icons while raising money and awareness for the DCFA.
View photos from last week's "Form Follows Fitness" 5k.

Communicating the value of architecture is at the heart of all of our work. In Writing About Architecture: Mastering the Language of Buildings and Cities, Alexandra Lange offers suggestions for writing effectively and critically.
Read an excerpt from Writing About Architecture.

After fifteen years of covering architecture for the Guardian, Jonathan Glancey is moving on. In his final essay for the paper, he reminisces about the inspiring and disheartening architecture on which he's reported since 1997. His closing thoughts? "Architecture endures."
Read Jonathan Glancey's final article for the Guardian.

Boston by Foot, Executive Director

National Building Museum, Director of Corporate, Foundation and Association Relations

National Museum of Public Housing, Development Director

National Trust for Historic Preservation, Associate Director of Government Relations

Salvadori Center, Director of Education

Seattle Architecture Foundation, Executive Director

It's always fun to find celebrities talking about architecture. Even our best programming and marketing efforts reach only a fraction of the audience that their blogs and videos reach. Did you see the viral video of Ice Cube celebrating L.A. and the Eames House? Turns out he had studied drafting and was happy to team up with Pacific Standard Time to promote their Eames exhibition. The latest celebrity to endorse architecture is the techno musician Moby, via his "photo blog of strange and beautiful architecture in Los Angeles." According to the LA TImes, he's giving away the city's best kept secrets!

Read "Moby is Leaking L.A.'s Secrets on his New Architecture Blog."