1.10.13 | Princeton, NJ | Internationally recognized architect and designer Michael Graves and his two firms - Michael Graves & Associates and Michael Graves Design Group — will be featured in an exhibition at The Virginia Center for Architecture in Richmond, VA, opening on Jan. 17. Towers & Teakettles: Michael Graves Architecture & Design highlights work ranging from architecture, interior design, and master planning, to product design and graphics. The exhibition opens with a Reception on Jan. 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. with remarks by Karen Nichols, FAIA, principal with Michael Graves & Associates.
 
The exhibition includes iconic objects, including the Whistling Bird Teakettle designed for Alessi and a life-size rendering of the Prime TC Transport Chair for Stryker Medical. Among other featured projects is Resorts World Sentosa, a recently completed integrated resort in Singapore designed top to bottom by Graves and his team. Other projects on view include the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, VA, St. Coletta School of Greater Washington, and the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, DC.
 
Of particular local importance is the Wounded Warrior Home project at Virginia’s Fort Belvoir. The project improves the quality of life for wounded soldiers returning to active duty by making universally accessible homes available on base, with the eventual hope that the homes will become models for other military bases and beyond. “As a paraplegic myself,” says Graves, “I was inspired to rethink how the design of comfortable, well-functioning living spaces could better meet the unique needs of our wounded military.”
 
The exhibition will be on view through March 31, 2013.
 
About Michael Graves
 
Largely credited with the “democratization of design” through his partnership with Target, Graves is among the most widely recognized contemporary architects in the country. Michael Graves and his firms have received over 200 awards for design excellence. In 2001, the American Institute of Architects awarded Michael Graves its Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed upon an individual architect. He also received the 1999 National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. Graves was selected by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the American Institute of Architects as the recipient of the 2010 Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architectural Education. Most recently, he was named the recipient of the 2012 Richard H. Driehaus Prize from the University of Notre Dame.
 
A native of Indianapolis, Graves received his architectural training at the University of Cincinnati and Harvard University. In 1960, he won the Rome Prize and studied at the American Academy in Rome for two years, of which he is now a Trustee. In 1962, Graves began a 39-year teaching career at Princeton University, where he is now the Robert Schirmer Professor of Architecture, Emeritus. He has received 13 honorary doctorates and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.
 
About the Firms
 
Michael Graves & Associates has been in the forefront of architecture and design since Michael Graves founded his practice in 1964. Today, the practice comprises two firms run by 8 Principals. Michael Graves & Associates (MGA) provides planning, architecture and interior design services, and Michael Graves Design Group (MGDG) specializes in product design, graphics and branding.
 
About the Virginia Center for Architecture
 
The Virginia Center for Architecture is located at 2501 Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia's historic Fan District. The Center is dedicated to developing the understanding of the power and importance of architecture through programs, exhibitions, and its stewardship of an historic landmark. The Center is open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Learn more at www.virginiaarchitecture.org.