Wednesday September 1, 2010
Tags for: New Yorker Critic Paul Goldberger to Discuss Why Architecture Matters at Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Press Release

New Yorker Critic Paul Goldberger to Discuss Why Architecture Matters at Cleveland Museum of Art

exterior of the CMA building

Goldberger's lecture on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m. is presented by the Speakers Series of the museum's Womens Council

CLEVELAND (Sept. 1, 2010) — Renowned architecture critic and scholar Paul Goldberger will focus on how buildings affect our lives both physically and emotionally when he visits Cleveland on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Womens Council of the Cleveland Museum of Art Speakers Series. Goldberger's lecture, titled "Why Architecture Matters," will take place in the museum's Gartner Auditorium.

"Architecture begins to matter," Paul Goldberger writes, "when it brings delight and sadness and perplexity and awe along with a roof over our heads." Goldberger's September lecture is drawn from themes in his recent book of the same title, which was published in 2009.

In a recent interview on television's The Colbert Report, Goldberger noted, "Architecture is part of culture. It tells us what we are, what we're about, where we've been. It's a way that generations speak to each other over time." A book signing will follow Goldberger's speech.

Goldberger is the architecture critic for The New Yorker, where he has written the publication's acclaimed "Sky Line" column since 1997. He began his career at The New York Times and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism in 1984. Goldberger has also been honored with the President's Medal of the Municipal Art Society of New York and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission's Preservation Achievement Award in recognition of the impact of his writing on historic preservation in the city.

Alain de Botton, author of The Architecture of Happiness, called Why Architecture Matters "a succinct, lyrical and heartfelt essay that celebrates the best works of architecture and points the way to being able to build more of it in the world today." Goldberger's other books include Building Up and Tearing Down: Reflections on the Age of Architecture and Up From Zero: Politics, Architecture and the Rebuilding of New York. He most recently authored the text for the book Christo and Jeanne-Claude, designed by Christo and released in June 2010 to commemorate the artist's 75th birthday.

Tickets for the event are $30 for the general public and $25 for museum members. A limited number of $5 tickets are available for students with a valid I.D. Tickets are available through the museum's box office in person, by phone at 216-421-7350 or 1-888-CMA-0033, or online at www.ClevelandArt.org.

This lecture is sponsored by Bostwick Design Partnership and is supported by the American Institute of Architects, Cleveland Chapter.

About the Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 40,000 objects and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. Currently undergoing a multi-phase renovation and expansion project, it is a significant international forum for exhibitions, scholarship, performing arts and art education. Admission to the museum is free.

The Cleveland Museum of Art has a membership of nearly 21,500 households and is supported by a broad range of individuals, foundations and businesses in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The museum is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Additional support comes from the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund the museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. For more information about the museum, its holdings, programs and events, call 1-888-CMA-0033 or visit www.ClevelandArt.org.

Contact the Museum's Media Relations Team:
(216) 707-2261
marketingandcommunications@clevelandart.org