American Academy in Rome Partners with Longwood Gardens on Designing Water

Press Release

NEW YORK, May 3, 2018 — The American Academy in Rome (AAR) and Longwood Gardens are pleased to announce that registration is now open for Designing Water, a two-day symposium that explores the relationship of design and water across time, space, and scale. Created for professionals involved in the designing, planning, and managing of water systems, Designing Water brings together academic leaders and world-renowned design practitioners from Asia, Europe, and North America. Each presenter will bring their local perspectives to truly global interests and concerns—such as ecology, aesthetics, meaning, and public space—as they assemble at Longwood Gardens in the picturesque Brandywine Valley, immediately preceding the 2018 annual meeting of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in Philadelphia. Information and details on sessions, speakers, and registration can be found at designingwater.org.

“The Academy is pleased to collaborate with Longwood Gardens on this timely symposium, which presents a range of critical ideas about landscape and water,” said AAR President and CEO Mark Robbins. “Partnerships such as this reflect the Academy’s role as an academic and cultural institution; strengthening the voice of the arts and humanities through the annual support of artists and scholars”

Among the confirmed speakers at Designing Water are Julia Czerniak, Professor and Associate Dean, Syracuse Architecture (and chief curator of Designing Water), and several Rome Prize Fellows, including Anita Berrizbeitia (2006), Mary Margaret Jones (1998), Catherine Seavitt Nordenson (1998), and Charles Waldheim (2007).

“We are pleased to join with the American Academy in Rome to convene the world’s foremost experts to present Designing Water,” said Longwood Gardens President and CEO Paul B. Redman. “This conference’s unique focus assembles leading scholars and practitioners in garden design, landscape architecture, urban design, and ecology to discuss and advance the integral role of water in the built environment. Professionals involved in designing, planning, and managing water will find it an informative and inspiring experience,” Redman said.

Longwood Gardens
In 1906, industrialist Pierre du Pont (1870–1954) purchased a small farm near Kennett Square, PA, to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, Longwood Gardens continues this spirit of stewardship and innovation. As one of the great gardens of the world, Longwood is home to the most significant fountain collection in North America, the jewel of which is the recently revitalized 1,719-jet Main Fountain Garden. Encompassing 1,083 acres, Longwood combines horticultural artistry with natural lands, grand architecture with diverse garden design, and the performing arts with informal and formal education programs to create an extraordinary experience. Open daily, Longwood welcomes more than 1.5 million guests each year and is located in the sublime countryside of the Brandywine Valley, 30 miles from Philadelphia. For more information, visit longwoodgardens.org.

American Academy in Rome / The Rome Prize
Founded in 1894, the American Academy in Rome is the leading international center for independent study and advanced research in the arts and humanities. A not-for-profit, privately funded institution, AAR annually offers the Rome Prize Fellowship and Italian Fellowships to a select group of artists and scholars, after an application process that begins each fall. The winners, selected by independent juries through a national competition process, are invited to Rome the following year to pursue their work in an atmosphere conducive to intellectual and artistic experimentation and interdisciplinary exchange. Fellowships are offered in the following categories: Literature, Music Composition, Visual Arts, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Design, and Historic Preservation and Conservation, as well as Ancient Studies, Medieval Studies, Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, and Modern Italian Studies. To date, AAR has fueled critical thinking, research, and work for over 1,700 artists and scholars who are leaders in their fields and whose rich and significant output continues to fill museums, concert halls, libraries, and universities across the United States and around the world. AAR also invites a select group of Residents, Affiliated Fellows, and Visiting Artists and Scholars to work within this exceptional community in Rome.

To learn more about the Rome Prize, the Italian Fellowships, or other programs at the American Academy in Rome, please visit aarome.org.