Docomomo US/MN is excited to announce new officers to its Board of Directors. The board elected Ashley Bull as President, Patrick Moe as Vice President and Peter Barile as Secretary. All three new officers have been dedicated Docomomo US/MN board members and together will be stewards of the organization as they advance the mission to document and advocate for Modernism in Minnesota. Jamie Heilicher remains as Treasurer and continues to serve as both founder and lodestar for Docomomo US/MN.

Ashley Bull, President, is a self-proclaimed house nerd with a passion for interior design. She brings to the board many years of corporate leadership experience. Ashley is the owner and founder of Novella Design House, a firm that specializes in Mid-Century Modern design and restoration. Ashley and her husband have spent the past several years thoughtfully restoring their 1956 architect-designed home in Wayzata – which was featured in 2023 on the Docomomo US/MN fall home tour.

Patrick Moe, AIA, Vice President, is a registered architect, Project Designer and Associate with the Minneapolis Studio of Perkins & Will focusing on Higher Education projects across the country. A graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Master of Architecture program, Patrick’s architectural education began as a visual arts student at St. John’s University in Collegeville, exploring the forms and materiality of Marcel Breuer’s work on the campus through sculpture, drawing, and painting and as an assistant in the campus woodworking shop.

Peter Barile, Secretary, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where at age nine, he fell in love with a friend's house – an Eichler home in Marin County. He has been obsessed with Modernism ever since. Peter and his husband are currently restoring their Mid-Century Modern home, the Ronald Balazs House I, in the Prospect Park neighborhood of SE Minneapolis. Peter is a realtor with Anderson Realty in Minneapolis. 
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Docomomo US/MN is excited to announce the 2025 merch collab partner… Bekah Worley @bekahworleyco!

Bekah is an illustration artist in Minneapolis, MN. Her work puts the color story first, and draws inspiration from the forms and connections of folk art. She works mainly in acrylic, and loves incorporating found objects into her art. 

We married Bekah’s mastery of color and shape with our passion for Mid-Century Modern design to bring you three iconic Mid-Century objects reimagined.

Stickers, notecards, limited edition signed prints, and more are all available now in the Docomomo US/MN Online Store!

We are also thrilled to be partnering with Craft Made Aprons @craftmadeaprons to apply Bekah’s designs to hand-made custom tote bags and aprons.

This is a limited-edition collab. When it’s gone, it’s gone!

All items from the 2025 Bekah Worley collection will be available for in-person purchases one night only – Thursday, November 20 at Golden Age Design during A Very Merry Mod Mixer!
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Docomomo US/MN is happy to announce their recent decision to join the Friends of Yamasaki as a Partner Organization. Friends of Yamasaki is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization dedicated to preserving the Pacific Science Center in Seattle by renowned architect Minoru Yamasaki. 

Minnesota is lucky to have many Yamasaki works still standing. Mary Dahlman Begley breaks down Yamasaki's career and impact in her research, "Minoru Yamasaki in Minnesota," commissioned by Docomomo US/MN. Read more about the Yamasaki buildings at Carleton University in Northfield (scroll to "Education") and the former Northwestern National Life Insurance Building in Minneapolis. 

There is no cost to join the Friends of Yamasaki. Joining simply means supporting their mission. Friends of Yamasaki’s outreach is local, national, and international as his architecture is admired worldwide.  Become a friend today. 

​Join Docomomo US/MN for a special evening celebrating the life and work of Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman at the Goldstein Museum of Design on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, from 5:30–7:00 PM.

The program includes:
Film Screening – In Tandem: The Life and Work of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman
Presentation – A Life and Legacy of Design: Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman, presented by Laura Ackerman-Shaw

The evening will conclude with a raffle benefiting Docomomo US/MN. 

Raffle tickets are $5 each, with one free ticket for each current member of Docomomo US/MN in attendance. Raffle tickets are only available in-person at the Goldstein Museum. Winning tickets will be drawn at approximately 7:15pm On April 23, 2025.

Raffle prizes include:
– A special edition DVD of In Tandem
– Limited-edition event posters
– A handcrafted wood carving, Foliage #1 (1976) designed by Evelyn Ackerman (!)

The DVD and wood carving were generously donated by Ackerman Modern. Winners can take these prizes home at the end of the evening. Posters will be available for pickup or shipping after April 26, 2025.

Don’t miss this inspiring celebration of two mid century icons—and a wonderful opportunity to support Docomomo US/MN.

More Information and Tickets:
https://www.docomomo-us-mn.org/film-screening-and-presentation-a-life-and-legacy-of-design-evelyn-and-jerome-ackerman
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​Item 1: Foliage #1 [Wood Carving]
Item Description: Carved in ash in Southern California for ERA Industries. Natural finish. Designed by Evelyn Ackerman, 1976.
Size: 16” x 2-3/4”
Quantity: 1

Item 2: In Tandem: The Life and Work of Jerry and Evelyn Ackerman [DVD]
Item Description: Special Edition DVD of In Tandem by filmmakers Margaret Halkin and Katie Nartonis.
22 minutes; 2015
Quantity: 1

Items 2-10: Docomomo US/MN Spring 2025 Ackerman Events Posters [Inkjet Prints]
Item Description: Promotional posters used for the Docomomo US/MN Spring 2025 Ackerman Events. Each unique poster features one of the many mediums used by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman: Ceramic, Mosaic, Tapestry, Wood, Hardware, Hooking, Silk Screen and Finger Puppets!
Size: 20’ x 30”
Quantity: 8

In celebration of the 2025 Minnesota lectures and book launch of Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman: California Mid-Century Designers by Laura Ackerman-Shaw, Docomomo US/MN is proud to present a limited-edition collaboration with Ackerman Modern.

These exclusive items – designed as both tributes and keepsakes – honor the joyful, modernist spirit of the Ackermans’ work. Featuring reimagined designs from Evelyn Ackerman’s original tapestries, each piece in this capsule collection offers a tactile connection to mid-century California design.

Whether you're picking up a vibrant Blossom Tote for your next museum visit or sending a bold Launch Pad Blank Card to a fellow design enthusiast, these pieces celebrate timeless form, craft, and color.

Quantities are limited—don’t miss your chance to own a piece of this meaningful collaboration.

The items will be for sale during the in-person events at the Goldstein Museum of Design, the Champagne Reception in Prospect Park, and the Weaving Studio Open House. 

Docomomo US/MN is excited to announce the inclusion of Saint John's Abbey Church as one of only 10 sites in the United States to be featured in a new book to be published by Docomomo International.

Joining national Modernist treasures such as the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis and the Glass House in New Canaan, the Marcel Breuer-designed Abbey Church in Collegeville, MN places Minnesota Modernism in the international spotlight.

Succeeding the 2000 publication The Modern Movement in Architecture: Selections from The Docomomo Registers, Docomomo International is working to produce an upcoming book that celebrates a new cross section of member nations’ most eminent Modern heritage sites. Publication is scheduled for 2025.

​Special thanks to MN Photographer, Pete Sieger for contributing images of Saint John's Abbey Church for the new publication.

Read more about the upcoming book and site selection process at Docomomo US.
See more about the Saint John's Abbey Church.

The accompanying exhibition, both physical and digital, broadens the reach of this important narrative, engaging diverse audiences and fostering a deeper appreciation for Close’s work. “Given the lack of scholarship on women architects, the book and exhibit are to be applauded. The biographic information was stunning,” commented jury chair Gail Kennard.

Watch recording of Docomomo US/MN event: Women in Architecture: Lisl Close and the Legacy of Modern Design
View exhibition materials at the Goldstein Museum
Elizabeth Scheu Close: A Life in Modern Architecture at University of Minnesota Press
List of 2024 Modernism in America Award winners

Project Team: University of Minnesota Press (Publisher); Jane King Hession (Author and Curator); Joan Soranno (foreword); Pieter Martin (Senior Editor); Laura Westlund (Managing Editor); Eric Lundgren (Development and Outreach Manager); Anne Carter (Editorial Assistant); Rachel Moeller (Assistant Production Manager and Art Director); Emily Hamilton (Associate Director for Book Publishing); Heather Skinner (Publicity Director); Matt Smiley (Senior Sales Manager); Maggie Sattler (Digital Marketing Manager); Jeff Moen (Rights, Permissions, and Contracts Coordinator); Jena Sher (designer); William B. Olexy (Photographer); Goldstein Museum of Design, University of Minnesota (Exhibition Host); Lin Nelson-Mayson (Museum Director); Soo Jin Kang (Exhibition Designer); Rolf Anderson (Nominator)

Donors: Georgia Bizios; Lynda and Darel Jacobsen; Edward J. Kodet, Jr., FAIA; Mark Larson and Jean Rehkamp Larson; Michaela Mahady; Rosemary McMonigal; Lea Babcock Scherer and Jeffrey Scherer; Anne Close Ulmer, Roy M. Close, and Bob Close; James and Megan Dayton; Dale and Jan Mulfinger; Gladys and Roger Reiling

Grant Support: Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation; Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts

New York, New York, September 10, 2024 – Docomomo US today announces 16 recipients of the 2024 Modernism in America Awards. Now in its 11th year, the Awards celebrate the documentation, preservation and reuse of Modern buildings, structures and landscapes built in the United States or on U.S. territory and recognize building owners, design teams, individuals, and preservation organizations that have made significant efforts to retain, restore, and advocate for the aesthetic and cultural value of such places. 

Inventory/Survey Award of Excellence:
Docomomo US/MN Minnesota Modern Registry

Location: Minnesota
Project Team: Bobak Ha'Eri (Creator, Developer, and Researcher), Docomomo US/Minnesota

The Docomomo US/MN chapter’s Minnesota Modern Registry receives an Inventory/Survey Award of Excellence for its achievement in documenting Modern architecture across an expansive regional landscape. This project meticulously catalogued over 9,000 properties, distilling vast amounts of data from diverse sources into a user-friendly, evolving resource. Its centerpiece, the Registry Map, provides a rich, interactive platform showcasing structures, districts, architects, and photographic documentation of properties built from the 1920s through the 1980s.

The Registry's comprehensive Works Cited, featuring more than 5,300 entries, underscores the depth and breadth of research involved, highlighting the exceptional dedication of board member Bobak Ha’Eri, who brought this ambitious vision to fruition. This initiative serves as a critical foundation for future scholarship, preservation, and public engagement with Minnesota’s Modern resources. By employing Google Maps, the Registry ensures accessibility, ease of use, and adaptability, while also facilitating future expansions and contributions.

With nearly 150,000 views as of June 2024, the Registry is an invaluable asset for researchers, enthusiasts, and the public alike. “An impressive amount of work was done here, and it is evergreen – accessible and expandable for future additions or revisions,” jury chair Gail Kennard highlighted. “Excellent pre-planning; I love that it is serving as a template for others – they have already helped Wisconsin start their version,” added jury member Rocío Aranda-Alvarado. 

Explore the Minnesota Modern Registry
List of 2024 Modernism in America Award winners
2024 Modernism in America Press Release