For Immediate Release: September 15, 2010
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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A Behind the Scenes Look at the Building Arts
Learn what it takes to envision, build, and beautify the world around us at the National Building Museum
WASHINGTON, DC — The National Building Museum’s annual Festival of the Building Arts is a celebration of the tradespeople and craftspeople that work daily to build the world in which we live, work, and play. This year’s Festival takes place on Saturday, October 9, 2010 from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm and explores the specialized trades that go into creating everything from houses to skyscrapers. Held rain or shine, the annual free, one-day festival will allow visitors of all ages to participate in and observe the full spectrum of building crafts. Demonstrations and hands-on activities will be ongoing throughout the day.
Visitors can discover the skills and secrets necessary to build a brick wall, thatch a roof, and finish dry wall. They can work side by side with building professionals to learn the art of surveying, woodworking, plastering, and nail driving. Young builders will be invited to visit the National Building Museum’s exhibition Designing Tomorrow: America’s Worlds’ Fairs of the 1930s and then encouraged to design their own buildings from recycled craft materials to create a city of the future. Budding artists and designers can help create a mural or design a mobile to take home as part of Art for Public Spaces. Our younger visitors can climb aboard construction equipment at the outdoor “construction vehicle petting zoo” or watch craftspeople such as woodworkers and gilders while parents get tips from professional landscape architects, roofers, masons, carpenters, plumbers, and contractors, among others.
The Festival of the Building Arts is the National Building Museum’s longest running festival. “The Museum started the Festival of the Building Arts to help introduce people to the many and varied building arts professions out there,” says Ellen Jacknain, the Festival’s coordinator. “The public, and children in particular, are fascinated by the act of creating and the Festival of the Building Arts not only allows them to learn about creating the built environment, but also allows them to take an active role in the process.”
The Festival of the Building Arts is free and appropriate for all ages. A $5 donation is suggested. Individual registration not required. To receive a badge worksheet in advance, Scout groups should rsvp at go.nbm.org/FOBA. Further details about the Festival will be posted on the Museum’s website at www.nbm.org.
Sponsor Information:
The Festival of the Building Arts is presented by The Associated General Contractors of America. Additional support is provided by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. FAMILY Magazine is the official media partner of the 2010 Festival of the Building Arts.
The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is the leading association for the construction industry. AGC represents more than 33,000 firms, including 7,500 of America’s leading general contractors, and over 12,500 specialty-contracting firms. More than 13,000 service providers and suppliers are associated with AGC through a nationwide network of chapters. Visit the AGC website at www.agc.org, or contact Brian Turmail at (703) 837-5310.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
