Celebrating Bucky

A week-long series of events has been scheduled in New York next week coinciding with the official presentation of the first annual Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize to ecological designer Dr. John Todd.

Within the past week two writers (Elizabeth Kolbert in the New Yorker and James Sterngold in the New York Times) have taken advantage of this opportunity to re-examine Bucky's legacy. Both attempt to deconstruct the "Bucky myth" primarily by pointing out that few of his inventions were successful by conventional standards.

Very true. Bucky was, of course, anything but conventional. He recognized that conventional thinking is not capable of solving the growing list of problems that threaten humanity's continued existence aboard Spaceship Earth.

By the way, that is not Bucky tripping the light fantastic in the above photo but Joe Spano who stars in "The History (and Mystery) of the Universe", a one-man play based on Fuller's life. (GW)

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge

The Buckminster Fuller Challenge - SEE THE MOVIE! from Buckminster Fuller Institute on Vimeo.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute invites you to attend a week of gallery openings, panel sessions, film screenings, and celebrations taking place June 23rd through June 28th in New York City.

Monday, June 23rd

• Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize conferring ceremony
  Presentation by Dr. John Todd (winner), followed by symposium including design pioneers Dr. John Todd, Hunter Lovins, Greg Watson, and Jay Baldwin moderated by Susan Szenasy, Editor in Chief, Metropolis Magazine.
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 2:00pm - 5:00pm.
  Please RSVP: rsvp (at) bfi (dot) org. Suggested donation $25.
• Reception and opening of Dymaxion Study Center and Fly's Eye Dome
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 5:00pm - 7:00pm
  Please RSVP.

Sponsored by:

Tuesday, June 24th

• Reception and exhibition of Fuller sculpture and prints
  Carl Solway Gallery and Sebastian + Barquet Gallery, 544 West 24th St. 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Wednesday, June 25th

• Dialogue, Fuller's architectural partners Shoji Sadao and Thomas Zung with Fuller expert and author Amy C. Edmondson, moderated by Branden Joseph, Associate Professor, Modern and Contemporary Art, Columbia University
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 12:00pm - 2:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.
• Dialogue, Fuller associates Edwin Schlossberg and Michael Ben-Eli, moderated by Paola Antonelli, Curator, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 2:00pm - 4:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.

Sponsored by:


• Opening reception, exhibition of drawings and sculpture by Buckminster Fuller
  Max Protetch Gallery, 511 West 22nd St. 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Thursday, June 26th

• Author roundtable, Dymaxion Study Center
  Meet and talk to renowned Fuller colleagues and authors including Fuller archivist Bonnie DeVarco; inventor and author of Buckyworks, Jay Baldwin; and Synergetics expert and design science innovator, Joseph Clinton.
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 5:00pm - 8:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.

Sponsored by:

Friday, June 27th

• Fuller film series and discussion
  Join filmmaker and producer Jaime Snyder and Buckminster Fuller's daughter, Allegra Fuller Snyder, for an evening of film and discussion.
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 6:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.

Sponsored by:

Saturday, June 28th

• Dymaxion Map Intergenerational Workshop: One Earth Island - One Earth Ocean
  An experiential workshop that explores how interconnected we are using Buckminster Fuller's giant Dymaxion world map. Jointly produced by the CFA Foundation and Earth Voyage
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 11:00am - 1:00pm and 2:00pm - 4:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.

Saturday, July 12th

• FamilyDay @ the Center: Bucky's Ge-Odyssey
  Buckminster Fuller was an architect, author, designer, futurist, inventor, poet and visionary. Join us on Buckminster Fuller's birthday for a hands-on journey through the geometries of the universe and find out how they inspired his design science.
  Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place. 10:00am - 12:00pm and 1:00pm - 3:00pm.
  Please RSVP. Free.