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Barack Obama and Michelle Obama visited the National Gallery of Art on April 28. The former president and first lady took in some of James Van Der Zees portraits from Harlem in the 1920s and 30s and also visited the Afro-Atlantic Histories exhibit thats on now.

The Obamas had a private visit. They were shown around by the National Gallerys director,Kaywin Feldman. Curator Diane Waggoner accompanied them on their tour of the Van Der Zee photographs,and curators Steven Nelson, Kanitra Fletcher, and Molly Donovan were with them when they viewed Afro-Atlantic Histories. The former first couple ended their tour at Alma Thomass March on Washington, a 1964 painting in which the DC artist depicted her experience at that historic event. The White House acquired Thomass 1966 work Resurrectionwhen Barack Obama was in office.

The Van Der Zee exhibit just closed this past weekend, but Afro-Atlantic Histories runs through July 17. Vice President Kamala Harris and recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson have also taken in the show.

In a statement, Michelle Obama said, We love seeing work by artists of color, and we hope museums across our country continue to accept and display art like this for generations to come.

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PHOTOS: Barack and Michelle Obama Visited the National Gallery of Art - Washingtonian

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Photo: Chuck Kennedy/The White House

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has been announced as the surprise headline speaker on Day 3 of this years A22 Conference in Chicago.

Obama will join for a moderated conversation about a yet-unnamed topic at the close of the conferences Friday session on June 24th at the McCormick Place Convention Center.

His appearance follows that of his wife, First Lady Michelle Obama, who spoke at the A17 conference about the importance of equity and diversity efforts in the world of professional design. The Presidents appearance comes just a few months removed from the groundbreaking of the TWBTA-designed Obama Presidential Center complex in Chicago's Jackson Park which is scheduled to open in 2025 following years of delay.

Obamas legacy and impacts as it relates to the fields of architecture and urban planning are still being examined by scholars, but he was influential in mandating new standards for efficiency in federal buildings as part of his much-publicized vision of winning the future, which included the Better Buildings Initiative and several others.

Obama joins architectural luminaries like Vishaan Chakrabarti, Angela Brooks, and moderator Lee Bey as big-ticket names to grace this years festivities. Registration information can be found here.

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Barack Obama to speak at the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture - Archinect

Throughout the entire time that President Barack Obama was in office, First Lady Michelle Obama had quite the impact on fashion.

Jackie Kennedy may have popularized pillbox hats and capes, but David Yermak of the Harvard Business Review points out that only Michelle Obama was actually able to move markets with her fashion choices.

The stock price gains of the companies whose clothes she wore in public appearances29 brands in allare cumulative abnormal returns. That is, the returns cannot be attributed to normal market variations, he wrote. Some companies that sell clothes that Obama frequently wears, such as Saks, have realized long-term gains.

Further, according to the Harvard Business Review, Michelle Obamas effect on the market is based on a two-fold observation. One, she wasnt paid to wear designers and observers can therefore put more trust into her tacit endorsement than, say, in a fashion spreads tacit endorsement. And two, Mrs. Obama doesnt just wear unaffordable haute couture. Rather, she pairs couture pieces with prt--porter pieces (like, for instance, from J. Crew), which makes it more accessible to the average consumer.

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Inside The Estimate That Says Michelle Obama Drove $2.7B To The Retail Sector And Grew Company Stocks By 2.3 Percent - AfroTech

Happy Thursday and welcome to a late-in-the-day roundup of notable news items. Below are a few need-to know stories as we head into the first weekend of June

The Portland Museum of Art (PMA) in Maine has announced an international design competition calling on architects and design teams to submit qualifications for a 60,000-square-foot expansion of the museums current footprint, which comprises several historic buildings in downtown Portland. Over the last decade the cultural institution has seen record attendance and is looking to double the size of its campus to house new collections, exhibitions event and performance venues, and office space, as well as a rooftop restaurant and sculpture garden.

We are excited to invite experts from around the world to internalize the goals of The PMA Blueprint and turn them into physical spaces that bring them to life, said Mark Bessire, the Judy and Leonard Lauder Director of the Portland Museum of Art. This is no easy task, as our communities have made their expectations clear for open and innovative spaces that enable a flexible range of programs, exhibitions, and art. Beyond that, architects must understand the unique characteristics of Portland and of Maine, while displaying enthusiasm and reverence for this projects long-term impact.

The competition will be carried out in two phases with the winning team and design proposal unveiled in December 2022 and plans to open its doors to the public in 2026.

Grand Rapids, Michigan-based office furniture heavyweight Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation have teamed up to launch the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection. Using the Foundations archives and Wrights seminal design principles, the series will include chairs, desks, textiles, and wallcoverings, all of which reinterpret Wrights vision with updates for modern comfort. Steelcase has a longstanding working relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright that began in 1939 when the company fabricated original designs for the SC Johnson Administration Building in Racine, Wisconsin.

The Foundation is delighted to work alongside Steelcase in carrying Wrights legacy forward, said Stuart Graff, president and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. While people know Wright for his work in architecture, his passion for creating equitable, inspiring work environments was visionary. We are proud to partner with an organization like Steelcase that shares these values with the Foundation, helping to inspire designers, managers, and associates through Wrights ideas, which have only become more relevant over time.

The collection will be on show at NeoCon in Chicago June 1315.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama is slated to speak in a moderated conversation during the closing session of the 2022 AIA Conference on Architecture. The event will take place in Chicago at the McCormick Place Convention Center on June 24. This is not the first time an Obama has made an appearance on the AIA stage; in 2017, Michelle Obama spoke on equality and diversity in the design industry at the event.

Other scheduled headlining speakers include AIA EVP/CEO Lakisha Ann Woods in conversation with Madame Architect founder Julia Gamolina, and Jeanne Gang, Vishaan Chakrabarti, Rene Cheng and Jeanne Gang in conversation with photographer and architecture critic Lee Bay. A full list of speakers can be found here.

The 2022 AIA Conference will span four days running from June 22 to 25.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Fund heralded the first class of its Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program. The program, launched in February 2022, supports women of color practicing landscape architecture, providing mentoring and assistance with navigating the licensure process. It derives from the ASLAs 2020 Racial Equity Action Plan.

The inaugural class comprises 10 women who identify as African American, Latin, Asian, and Native Hawaiian, the most statistically underrepresented groups in the landscape architecture field. They hail from across the United States, including Hawaii, California, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, and Florida.

Each woman will receive a scholarship of up to $3,500 to cover costs of the Landscape Architectural Registration Exam (LARE), along with exam preparation courses, resources, and mentoring from a licensed landscape architect.

Leaders at Buc-ees are breaking ground next week on a store thats set to be tied for the Texas-based rest stop chains largest location.

The Johnstown, Colorado center at 5201 Nugget Road will be Buc-ees first store in the state. Like other Buc-ees, it will be heavily beaver-themed, and serve food favorites including Texas barbecque, homemade fudge, kolaches, Beaver nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries. Patrons driving between Denver and Fort Collins will get to enjoy the worlds cleanest bathrooms, as well.

With 115 fueling stations and 74,000 square feet of interior space, the Johnstown store will be the same size as a location under construction in Sevierville, Tennessee. When the latter is complete, it will take the crown as the worlds largest travel center. (For motor vehicles, at least. Airports apparently dont count.) The groundbreaking is set for June 7, 2022.

H/t to GlobeNewswire

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Daily digest: Obama to speak at AIA Conference on Architecture 2022, the Portland Museum of Art launches expansion competition, and more - The...

Sen. Eric Lessers Obama-era colleagues are getting back together Tuesday evening for a virtual fundraiser in support of the state lawmakers bid for lieutenant governor, an event Lesser described as getting the band back together.

The gathering of Lessers former White House and campaign bosses comes as his campaign has raised over $648,000 between January and the end of May for a total of $1.07 million in cash on hand, according to the states Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

On the ticket for Tuesday evening: former senior advisor to President Barack Obama, David Axelrod; former economic policy advisor Austan Goolsbee; former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Alyssa Mastromonaco; and former Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe.

Lesser said he has turned to the group for advice on state policy and during campaigns for state Senate and lieutenant governor. Lesser said he looked to Goolsbee for guidance as his legislative team helped craft a COVID-19 recovery bill earlier in the pandemic.

Austan, who is one of the most well-regarded economists in the country, actually helped and did a call with my team when we were writing that legislation, Lesser told MassLive. Its an inspiring team that, frankly, helped change the world with the election of Barack Obama. So really, really excited to get everybody back together.

Following his time at Harvard, Lesser joined Obamas 2008 presidential campaign where he traveled across the country during the primary and general elections. The senator then joined Obamas White House staff, first as a special assistant to Axelrod and later at the White House Council of Economic Advisors.

A clearer picture of the lieutenant governors race is set to emerge later this week at the Democratic Partys convention in Worcester where candidates must secure the support of 15 percent of delegates to make the ballot.

Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll raised $259,087 through the end of May, Bret Bero hauled in $234,850, Rep. Tami Gouveia raised $159,089, and Sen. Adam Hinds raised $126,730, according to the states campaign finance office.

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Sen. Eric Lesser is getting the Obama-era gang back together for virtual fundraiser - MassLive.com