The School of Architecture at the College of Design is pleased to present The Making of an Avant-Garde: The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies 1967-1984. The film and Q&A with director Diana Agrest will take place Monday, Nov. 6 from 5-7 p.m. at Woodward Hall in the Gatton College of Business.

The Making of an Avant-Garde: The Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies 1967-1984 presents the creation and existence of the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (IAUS) in the architectural, cultural and political climate of the time – from the anti-War riots, the Women’s Movement to the Paris May ’68 revolution and the crime-ridden and bankrupt New York City of the ‘70s – through rich and abundant footage portraying the period.

IAUS, founded in 1967 with close ties to The Museum of Modern Art, was the most important American and International center of architectural debate and development of new critical ideas. It was the fertile ground where the Avant-garde was being produced becoming the most significant crossroad in the path of rethinking architectural discourse.

This film documents and explores the Institute’s impact and enduring significance as a locus for the architectural avant-garde. The story is told through rich and abundant footage portraying the period, the director’s own archival footage and 27 new interviews including some of the most renowned architects today, that were active participants and leaders and hardly known then, telling compelling stories about the place and about their own personal experiences that were never made public before.

Following the film screening, a panel of architects will discuss how the Institute influenced the history and theory of architectural education and the impact on architectural design throughout the world. The panel will discuss the salient features of the Institute that are relevant to today’s educational framework, its impact on a global society, and the unique design characteristics of the distinctive approaches to design education that took place at the Institute.

The event is free and open to the public. AIA HSW/LU are available.