Frank Harmon – Native Places

WALTER Magazine: “To Be Frank”

July 17, 2024/in Frank Harmon Architect, Media Coverage/by Kim Weiss

Frank Harmon as gardener and host of garden get-togethers with friends. (Photo by Liz Condo)

Frank Harmon’s longstanding Saturday morning tradition of coffee in the garden is an opportunity to chat and connect with longtime friends.

by Addie Ladner | photography by Liz Condo

Behind a muted pink stone wall adorned with jasmine, rich conversations and hot coffee flow. Tall, breezy live oaks shade a sandy courtyard area populated with miscellaneous folding chairs and a round table. Bluebirds sing, crinum lilies bloom and velvety white gardenias perfume the air. Here’s where you’ll find Frank Harmon and his friends most Saturday mornings, partaking in a rare ritual that encourages mindful discussion and connection.

READ MORE…

Distinguished Speaker: Clemson’s Spring Lecture Series Includes Frank Harmon

January 8, 2024/in Author Events, Frank Harmon Architect, News/by Kim Weiss

Frank Harmon, FAIA | Photo by Will Harmon

When Clemson University’s School of Architecture announced its 2024 Spring Lecture Series recently, Raleigh-based architect, author, and educator Frank Harmon, FAIA, appeared as one of the distinguished speakers. He will address participants in the Clemson Design Center, which is located in the Cigar Factory on East Bay in Charleston, SC, on April 3 at 12:30 p.m.

The Series’ theme is “The Third Place,” referring to spaces for socialization separate from the usual environments of home and work, such as churches, community centers, neighborhood bars, and coffee shops. It will examine how the disruption of social, political, and economic structure is reframing society’s relationships with traditional third places.

The series will also discuss the intersection of identity, cultural expression, and social interaction, along with the impact gentrification, displacement, and creative production have on communities.

Frank Harmon has been a professor of architecture at the NC State University College of Design for three decades. He has also taught at the Architectural Association in London and served as a visiting critic at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and Auburn University’s Rural Studio.

Clemson’s School of Architecture Spring Lecture Series will be streamed on Zoom. The lectures are free and open to the public. For details, including how to attend via Zoom, CLICK HERE.

“A Conversation with Esteemed Architect and Special Guest Frank Harmon, FAIA”

August 3, 2020/in Author Events, News/by Kim Weiss

office building Jacobs firm, Arlington, Va

Jacobs in Arlington, Virginia

Jacobs, a global professional services firm, will present “A conversation with Esteemed Architect and Special Guest Frank Harmon, FAIA,” on Thursday, August 6, from 1-2 pm, for its Global Federal Architecture Team.

During this virtual event, Frank will share his book Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See with Jacobs team members across the United States and as far away as Kaiserslautern, Germany; Krakow, Poland; and Seoul, South Korea.

Frank’s talk is part of the firm’s Thursday afternoon Architecture Series that Stephen Wakeman, AIA, Division Vice President and National Design Principal, organizes and conducts from his office in Jacobs’ Arlington, VA, location.

“Frank Harmon has had a long, distinguished career as an award-winning architect, author, illustrator, teacher, public speaker and mentor,” Wakeman writes in his invitation to the international team. “His resume speaks volumes about his remarkable body of work. But when you join us on August 6, you will get an intimate look into who he is.”

Wakeman notes that the Raleigh-based architect and author “is a keen observer of nature and the built environment. His beautiful book is a treasure trove of watercolor sketches and meditations on the places he visits. Frank’s enthusiasm for how humans react with nature through architecture is boundless, and his joy for conveying what he sees and learns is contagious.”

He also calls Frank “a masterful storyteller in a world in need of a good story” and suggests that he “will inspire you to dust off your art supplies and get outside to start sketching, recording, and reconnecting with the world around you.”

Since COVID-19 halted in-person events, Frank Harmon has been in demand for the webinar version of his popular lecture on learning to truly see the world — architecture, landscape, everyday objects, and nature — through sketching. He shares excerpts from his book Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See (ORO Editions, publisher) and answers questions from those in attendance afterward.

For more information on Frank Harmon’s virtual lectures and how to schedule one for your firm or organization, contact his publicist, Kim Weiss: blueplatepr@gmail.com.

Luxe Magazine: “A Modern Raleigh Home All About The Outdoors Is A Leading Architect’s Swan Song”

May 22, 2020/in Frank Harmon Architect, Media Coverage/by Kim Weiss

PHOTO BY BRIE WILLIAMS

By J. Michael Welton

When Raleigh, North Carolina, architect Frank Harmon heard what his client wanted in her new home, it must have sounded like music to his ears. “I told him that light was very important, as was access to the outdoors,” says homeowner Sepi Saidi. “I wanted to feel like I’m living outside, with natural light and greenery that feels like it’s coming right into the house.”

As a graduate of NC State University—the same school where Harmon teaches architecture—Sepi was aware the architect had been pursuing that grail for most of his 50-year career. Striking up a friendship with fellow professor Harwell Hamilton Harris, a former protégé of uber-modernists Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra, during his tenure left a lasting impact on Harmon, whose own architecture followed suit. His work has come to rely on living in natural light, merging structures and landscape and integrating spatial volumes—concepts he believes enhance the human experience.

The architect’s design for Sepi in Raleigh’s vibrant Cameron Village was no different. A civil engineer at the height of her career, Sepi requested a home that would center her—a retreat from her busy professional life. “Frank endeavored to create privacy in a very dense urban area,” Sepi says. “And he did: The home is simple, with clean lines, and calming.” READ MORE

Book Talks in the Time of Coronavirus: Frank Harmon Goes Virtual

May 20, 2020/in Author Events/by Kim Weiss

FRANK HARMON, FAIA (photo by William Morgan)

On Thursday, May 21, from 5-6 p.m., Frank Harmon, FAIA, will discuss his book, Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See, and his intent to change the way we observe the world around us, via an interactive webinar sponsored by American Institute of Architect’s Washington, DC. chapter.

Architects will receive LU credits by attending.

The virtual event is open to the public but registration is required. To register, click here then click on the red “Attend” button. Attendance fees range from $10 to $25. How to attend Frank’s talk will be in the confirmation email following registration.

During his talk, Frank will read excerpts from Native Places. He’ll also discuss how sketching influenced his architectural work and taught him to truly “see” and appreciate th vernacular, no matter how ordinary.

The AIA | DC event is part of Frank’s year-long book tour. After traveling to book stores and other venues up and down the east coast and as far west as Tucson, Frank’s tour seemed to stop when the pandemic struck — until AIA | DC proposed a virtual version.

Frank will answer questions from attendees following his talk. He can’t sign books after that, but the AIA |DC host will direct everyone to the “Buy Now” button on the book’s website: nativeplacesthebook.com

For all the details on the event, including the Learning Objectives, go to AIA | DC’s calendar.

“And now for a few minutes with Frank Harmon…”

April 25, 2020/in Author Events/by Kim Weiss

FRANK HARMON, FAIA (photo by William Morgan)

Beginning May 4^th at 3 p.m., Frank Harmon, FAIA, will become a recurring guest on US Modernist Radio: Architecture You Love, the popular podcast hosted by George Smart and Frank King.

Once a month, Smart will introduce the Raleigh architect/author with the tagline “And now for a few minutes with Frank Harmon.” Frank will then read excerpts from his book Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See.

“US Modernist Radio is a bright spot in my day,” Frank said. “What a wonderful way to keep in touch with architects everywhere.

About the Podcast:

George Smart, founder and president of the non-profit organization NC Modernist Houses, created US Modernist Radio to appeal to midcentury modern design enthusiasts. In July 2019, it was included in Dwell magazine’s “Top 9 Design and Architecture Podcasts To Tune Into.”

US Modernist Radio “is both entertaining but informative, and hosts George Smart and Frank King spend each episode interviewing architects, designers, historians, preservationists, advocacy experts, museum curators, homeowners, and others—just about anyone who “owns, creates, dreams about, preserves, loves, and hates Modernist architecture, the most exciting and controversial buildings in the world.” Click here to listen via an assortment of apps. The live shows load at 3 p.m.

For more information on Frank and Native Places, visit nativeplacesthebook.com.

WALTER: “Home Grown – Frank Harmon’s Garden”

March 4, 2020/in Media Coverage/by Kim Weiss

Frank Harmon watches his garden fill with plantings—and memories
by Frank Harmon for WALTER magazine | illustration by Judy Harmon

Every spring a lawn care company tosses a flyer over my garden gate. They promise to make my lawn perfect by using herbicides and pesticides. But I think I’ll keep the lawn just as it is, with scatterings of chickweed, withered starflower stems, and the occasional snakeskin.

I live in a small pink stucco house near N.C. State University. My wife Judy and I designed the house and garden in 1989. We broke ground on Valentine’s Day and moved in a year later. Then we planted the lawn.

We’d put down roots. READ MORE…

Frank Harmon Agrees to Show and Sell Original Sketches Through Two Raleigh Art Vanues

December 4, 2019/in Author Events/by Kim Weiss

BROOKS AVENUE, RALEIGH

For the first time, and after receiving many requests, Raleigh architect/author Frank Harmon, FAIA, is about to make a limited number of his original 5” x 7” watercolor sketches available for purchase — drawings lifted straight out of his personal sketchbooks, many of which are published in his new hardback book, Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See (ORO Editions, publisher).

“At some point during nearly every stop along my book tour this past year, from Charleston to Austin, I’ve been asked when I’m going to sell some of my sketches,” Harmon explained recently. “Friends and colleagues have been asking the same question quite persistently. I’m delighted to finally do so, on a limited basis, through two of my favorite Raleigh art venues.”

VAN GOGH’S WINDOW

Abie Harrie Studio

On Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8, from noon until 6 p.m., 10 of his original sketches will be part of a special event in architect/artist Abie Harris’s studio at 222 Hawthorne Road, Raleigh. Harmon’s drawings will be shown and sold alongside original work by four well-known Raleigh artists: Drew Deane, Corey Mason, Bert Sultz, and the show’s host Abie Harris.

Rebus Works

Also on December 8, from 1-5 p.m., Rebus Works in Raleigh’s Boylan Heights neighborhood will display 21 original sketches published in Native Places during the 2019 Boylan Heights Art Walk. Presented in related groups of three, the drawings will remain in the gallery and for sale from the 8th through, and after, an official Opening & Gallery Talk that Rebus Works is planning for January 23rd (details to be announced soon).

NC architect, author Frank Harmon, Native Places

RURAL STUDIO

Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh’s leading independent book store, will make copies of Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See available at Rebus Works throughout the run of Harmon’s exhibition before and after the January Opening. Rebus Works is located at 301-2 Kinsey Street, Raleigh.

And where’s Frank?

That Sunday, Frank Harmon himself will be on hand for the two shows – at one time or another. “It will be very interesting,” he said with a smile. “And I can’t wait to see everyone at both.”

AIA Austin Welcomes Architect/Author Frank Harmon, FAIA, and His New Book “Native Places”

November 5, 2019/in Author Events/by Kim Weiss

Austin Central Library

Frank Harmon, FAIA, a multi-award-winning architect from Raleigh, North Carolina, and the author of the critically acclaimed book Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See, will be in Austin Tuesday, November 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a lecture and book-signing event hosted by the Austin chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Austin).

As the architect of the modern, thoroughly sustainable AIA NC Center for Architecture & Design building in Raleigh, he will also address AIA Austin’s plans for a similar structure.

Frank Harmon’s appearance is part of AIA Austin’s “Design Talks” Luncheon Series held in the Lake | Flato-designed Austin Central Library.

“AIA Austin is thrilled to welcome an architecture and drawing master like Frank to Austin,” said Ingrid Spencer, Executive Director of AIA Austin and the Austin Foundation for Architecture. “Because Frank designed the only ground-up Center for Architecture in the country, and we’re striving to create such a place in Austin, we are extra excited for his visit.”

After a brief AIA Austin Annual Meeting, architect and professor Lawrence Speck will introduce Harmon, who will then discuss and read excerpts from Native Places and share his reasons for writing it. One of those reasons is his lifelong belief that drawing offers the opportunity “to transform the way we see” the world around us.

“Sketching allows us to see what we might not have noticed,” Harmon says. “It allows us to be present.”

Frank’s tiny watercolor set sits on the counter with ‘Native Places’

Published by ORO Editions, Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See is a collection of 64 of Harmon’s watercolor sketches paired with brief essays he’s written about architecture, nature, everyday objects, and ordinary places. The pairs first appeared in his popular online journal NativePlaces.org.

The sketches in Native Places, some of which are 30 years old, convey the delight the architect finds in these places and things. The short essays, inspired by the sketches, offer his fresh interpretations of what most people take for granted.

Seattle architect Tom Kundig, FAIA, calls Harmon’s book “a masterful legacy on all levels.” Architect Marlon Blackwell, FAIA, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, offers this:

“Native Places provides a reflective pause in my busy day to consider the humanity of buildings and places. I find my sense of hope and possibility renewed in these simple, evocative drawings and the wisdom that accompanies them.”

BookPeople, the leading independent bookstore in Texas since 1970, will make copies of Native Places available for purchase so attendees can get them signed by the author.

Advance tickets for the November 12 “Design Talks” event are $30 for AIA and Allied AIA members, $15 for Associate members and students, and $40 for non-members. Tickets purchased at the door November 12 will be $40 for AIA and Allied AIA members and $20 for Associate members and students. To register and secure advanced tickets click here.

Austin Central Library is located at 710 West Cesar Chevez Street, Austin, TX 78701 (512-452-4332). For more information on the November 12 event and AIA Austin, visit aiaaustin.org.

For more information on Frank Harmon and Native Places: Drawing as a Way to See, visit nativeplacesthebook.com.

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