Acclaimed architect Alfred Browning Parker, B.Arch. 1939, who passed away in 2011, would have turned 100 on September 24, 2016. Randolph C. Henning, B.Des 1976, wanted to recognize and celebrate Parker’s legacy by curating an exhibition for Florida’s most respected and revered architect. The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker in Florida exhibition on Parker’s birthday and will run until February 12, 2017, located at the HistoryMiami Museum.
We talked with Henning about the exhibit.
Name: Randolph C. Henning
Year of Graduation: 1976
Degree: Bachelor of Design
Work Title: Owner/Architect
Company: Randolph C. Henning, Architect, Inc.
- Describe the highlights of the exhibition The Discipline of Nature: Architect Alfred Browning Parker in Florida that opened in September at the HistoryMiami Museum in Miami.
The exhibition presents the architecture of Alfred Browning Parker in the context of his philosophical approach of designing within the discipline of Florida’s natural environment. Chronologically arranged, it graphically presents an overview of his entire oeuvre as a journey from his early years of experimentation and exploration to his later more mature years of confident and refined solutions. Parker was an early pioneering proponent of an architecture that was in concert with its environment, not in opposition with it. The exhibition’s theme addresses the outcome of his architecture as appropriate and organic solutions that, by example, provide relevance in today’s more energy conscious society.
- What inspired you to create this exhibit about Al Parker?
In early 2013, when this idea began to formulate, I felt that Parker’s upcoming centennial anniversary of his 100th birthday (on September 24, 2016) needed to be publicly recognized and celebrated. It dawned on me that what better way to celebrate Parker’s life work than through an exhibition that would also sustain his legacy as arguably Florida’s most respected and revered architect.
- What could someone wanting to visit the Al Parker exhibit expect to find?
The exhibition presents a visual symphony of the creative genius of Alfred Browning Parker through the display of original drawings, vintage photographs, three dimensional architectural models, ephemera, furniture and architectural artifacts as well as sketches, student work, art and sculpture by Parker.
