SCI-Arc Main Event 2021: ‘Acts of Optimism’ Spotlights Creative Luminaries

SCI-Arc is delighted to announce the return of its annual gala, Main Event 2021: Acts of Optimism on May 1, 2021.

Inspired by Director and CEO Hernán Díaz Alonso’s affirmation that “architecture is an act of optimism,” Main Event 2021 will present an evening of unique programs with artists and creative innovators across disciplines, centering on the role of optimism in our collective future. The liveliest affair of the academic year, Main Event 2021 will benefit the SCI-Arc Scholarship Endowment, with net proceeds providing support for more students to access the world-renowned school of innovation and architectural thinking.

The vibrant virtual program promises to be an evening that is at once spectacular and inspiring, featuring a stunning lineup of influential guests such as architect and SCI-Arc alumna Barbara Bestor, Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, LAXART executive director Hamza Walker, film director and educator Kordae Henry, SCI-Arc design faculty member Mira Henry, and photographic artist and writer Janna Ireland. Conversations on the intersections of optimism and invention will inspire and engage a global audience of alumni, friends, designers, business leaders, arts supporters, and creative professionals.

For the first time ever, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, this remarkable program will offer free admission with registration. SCI-Arc sincerely thanks our sponsors including Spotlight Sponsors Lise Strickler and Mark Gallogly; Sustaining Sponsors Tom Strickler and Ellen and Dan Strickler; and Contributing Sponsors Barbara Bestor/Bestor Architecture, Suzanne Boda and George Grindahl, Florencia Pita and Hernán Díaz Alonso, Abby Sher, Margaret Griffin and John Enright/Griffin Enright Architects, Steven Song/SCAAA, Perkins + Will, and Wurstküche.

Main Event 2021 invites audiences worldwide to join SCI-Arc in celebrating the optimistic possibilities envisioned by architectural thinking. Supporting Main Event 2021 directly benefits the most talented and committed students from around the globe, supporting scholarships so students can experience SCI-Arc's incomparable educational opportunities.

SCI-Arc is dedicated to empowering students to challenge the rules, push the limits, and redefine architecture as a discipline. Main Event 2021 will revel in the rigorous, unparalleled architectural thinking for which SCI-Arc has always been, and continues to be, known.

To RSVP or donate, please visit sciarc.edu/mainevent.

For additional information, contact development@sciarc.edu.
To become a sponsor, please contact Natasha Neufeld at natasha_neufeld@sciarc.edu.
For media inquiries, contact Stephanie Atlan at stephanie_atlan@sciarc.edu.