April 19, 2016
Harriet Pattison oral history project and exhibition opening
The fascinating career of Harriet Pattison, landscape architect for the Korman House, is the focus of a 93-minute documentary released on April 19. It is the thirteenth episode of the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design Oral History Project series, produced by The Cultural Landscape Foundation. From the introduction:
“In a career spanning more than 50 years, Pattison worked with leading 20th-century practitioners, including noted Modernist architect Louis Kahn and landscape architect George Patton, with whom she collaborated on the design for the iconic Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Pattison also worked on Kahn’s posthumously realized commission, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island, New York, which opened in 2012. Her oeuvre ranges from residential gardens and public housing, to the 125-acre Hershey Company campus. Pattison is the third woman documented by the series. Her work in post-World War II American cities, in a profession traditionally dominated by men, is an indispensable and inspiring chapter in the history of landscape architecture.”
Watch full series and download transcripts here: https://tclf.org/pioneer/oral-history/harriet-pattison-oral-history
Watch the Korman House clip below:
The oral history is presented in tandem with the opening of a major Pattison retrospective at the Harvey & Irwin Kroiz Gallery (Architectural Archives, University of Pennsylvania School of Design). The exhibition presents over 90 works as well as footage from the Cultural Landscape Foundation series. It’s not to be missed!
Exhibition details:
Harriet Pattison: Gardens & Landscapes
Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2016 — Friday, Jul. 15, 2016
Harvey & Irwin Kroiz Gallery, Architectural Archives
University of Pennsylvania School of Design
220 South 34th Street Philadelphia, PA
More information about the exhibition: https://www.design.upenn.edu/architectural-archives/events/harriet-pattison-gardens-landscapes
From the exhibition opening: Pattison with Carles Vallhonrat and Henry Wilcots (colleagues from Kahn’s office), Nick Gianopulos (Kahn’s structural engineer from Keast & Hood Co.), and her son, Nathaniel Kahn.
Press coverage:
http://philly.curbed.com/2016/4/19/11458260/harriet-pattison-louis-kahn-oral-history