Meet our #BUILT2021 Judges

Elizabeth Reiss

Elizabeth Reiss is a life-long arts advocate.  Her career has been guided by the simple belief that the arts belong in everyone’s life.  Raised in LI, Reiss has worked in NYC, Pittsburgh and the Capital Region, in art museums, children museums, arts festivals and now as the CEO of the Arts Center of the Capital Region.

Reiss has worked as a museum educator, education department director, exhibitions manager and development and public relations director, as well as organizational leader.  She is skilled in project development as well as strategic planning and business development.  Her favorite creative projects have been developing Craft in the Classroom, a K-12 craft education curricula developed with the NYC board of education, renovating an empty storefront to become the Children’s Museum of the Arts in SoHo, and, as part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh, presenting public art projects that interacted with the environment.

Reiss has a BA from Bard College and an MS from Bank Street School for Education.  She has played an active role in community and professional service organizations.  In the past, she has served as the Chair of the NYC Museum Education Roundtable, VP of Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance and has served as a grants panelist for Institute of Museum and Library Services, New York State Council on the Arts, Cleveland Percent for Art, and the Pittsburgh Foundation.

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Kevin Kuhne

Kevin Kuhne specializes in watercolor depictions of the Capital region, with a special interest in local architecture and history.  He has a B.S. in Art Education from SUNY New Paltz and continues to teach and conduct workshops locally and regionally.

He is an active member of many local Arts organizations, including the Oak Room Artists and shows regularly in the Capital District and beyond. Kevin is a Signature Member of the Northeast Watercolor Society and has shown in the  Artists of the Mohawk Hudson Regional and the Adirondack National Exhibition of American Watercolors.  One of his sculptural constructions is in the collection of the Albany Institute of History and Art.

In addition, Kevin has submitted work to Historic Albany Foundation’s BUILT since the beginning, and serves as a volunteer helping to organize and hang the exhibit for the auction and event.

#WhereinAlbany - 473 South Pearl Street

This week’s #WhereinAlbany snap was taken on a trip to our wonderful friends at Historic Cherry Hill on South Pearl Street. We walked past 473 and had to take a photo. It is in need of some love, but as you can see the details are stunning.

This beautiful Greek Revival building with Italianate details dates back to before 1854. It was owned by a Patrick Clowry from 1860 until 1885. By 1930 is was the home of a physician Conrad Rissberger who also practised out of the building.

See the inventory form below for more information and photos of 473 South Pearl Street.

Job Opening - ARCHITECTURAL PARTS WAREHOUSE ASSISTANT

The Warehouse Assistant should be an experienced “do-it-yourselfer” type having a construction background, as well as some knowledge of retail and merchandising with excellent customer services skill, with an interest and passion for historic preservation, recycling, and reuse which is part of the mission of the organization.

 

POSITION:   Part time, average of 16 hours / week on Friday and Saturday.  Hours can be flexible and varied based on need.  The Warehouse is open to the public on Friday (11am to 5pm) and Saturday (9am to 4pm) each week. 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Tasks the warehouse assistant would perform:

• assist customers in warehouse, check out customers making purchases, answer the warehouse phone

• help carry items for customers 

• help the manager move heavy items (radiators, sinks, large doors, etc)

• Maintain the social media Facebook posting

• staff the warehouse during open hours when the manager is out of the building

• participate in salvages

• go out on pick-ups of architectural items

• process incoming donations to the Warehouse including doors, windows, plumbing items, lighting, etc.  This may require the removal of nails, cleaning and small repairs, as well as moving items to their proper place within the Warehouse.

• Other duties as assigned

• QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• High School diploma

• Valid NYS Driver’s License and ability to drive a large truck or van

• Skills in one or more of the following fields:  retail sales, construction, architectural history, historic preservation, architectural salvage, recycling, and/or building trades.

• Ability to lift heavy objects.

• Great communication skills, excellent team player, motivated independent worker, flexible schedule.

• Creative and proactive self-starter

Resumes should be emailed to Pamela Howard, Executive Director at phoward@historic-albany.org by Friday, September 17, 2021.  No calls please.

Introducing BUILT 2021 Honoree, Jeff Buell

Dear Friends in Preservation,

On behalf of Historic Albany Foundation, I would personally like to invite you to join me on the Honorary Committee for the Foundation’s 20th Annual fall fundraising event BUILT: Albany’s Architecture Through Artist’s Eyes to be held Thursday, November 4 through Sunday, November 7, 2021.

This event will be a combination of a series of cocktail parties, as well as gallery hours that will be free and open to the public. The event will take place at the newly-opened hotel, The Argus, on Thurlow Terrace in Albany.

At Redburn Development Partners our work focuses on the rehabilitation of historic buildings in the Capital Region, many of them vacant, large-scale commercial spaces that have been left behind. Redburn’s mission of socially responsible development, historic preservation, and sustainability with a commitment to the community mirrors much of the work that Historic Albany Foundation does every day.

I personally know that HAF’s mission to preserve and protect buildings that have architectural, historic or civic value in Albany- in addition to operating the Architectural Parts Warehouse- is no easy feat. Much of the advocacy work they do is unseen and sometimes unrecognized, but they do have a tremendous impact on keeping our built environment relevant, safe and accessible to our community. That is why I am supporting BUILT, and am asking you to support HAF’s good works as well.

Joining the Honorary Committee notes your early support with your name(s) in the event invitation, as well as the opportunity to enjoy first in-person viewing of the artwork, and the ability to bid before the general public. You can join simply by visiting this page no later than Friday, September 9, 2021, or by calling the HAF offices with your credit card. If you have any questions about the event, please contact Pamela Howard at (518)465-0876, or phoward@historic-albany.org.

Thank you for your consideration, as it is the early support of Honorary Committee members, like yourself, who can help to ensure BUILT’s success!

Sincerely,

Jeff Buell, Principal Redburn Development