​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
​

​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

Docomomo US/MN is excited to announce our first ever merch collab with John Doessel of House Logos! 
 
John is a Midwest artist out of Chicago who shares our passion for Mid-Century design and architecture. You have likely seen his work all over Instagram. If not, you’re in for a real treat. John has perfected the art of reimagining architecture as minimal artwork. He has created thousands of House Logos for homes all over the world.
 
We’ve partnered with John to bring to life 5 iconic Minnesota Mid-Century gems. The Northwestern National Life Insurance building, the Shepherd House, the Elam House, an original Soft Serve Stand, and of course, the Lindholm Service Station. Totes, hats, stickers, magnets, and a limited edition signed poster are all coming your way.
 
The merch will launch at the 2024 Mid-Century Fall Home Tour and only be available in person during fall events. 
 
This is a limited-edition collab. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Don’t miss out.
 
Still don’t have your Fall Home Tour tickets? No problem, there are still some left! Grab yours today.

​Two extensive lakeshore properties featuring mid-century cabins designed by Close Associates have recently come up for sale in Northern Minnesota. Both properties have large acreage and private lakeshore; and have been in the same families for decades.

The Whitefish Chain Estate is located near Pine River, MN and includes more than 100 acres of forest, and 2000 feet of shoreline on Lower Whitefish Lake. The 1956 cabin designed by Close Associates is about 1500 square feet and features floor-to-ceiling windows, a wood-burning fireplace, a screened-in porch and wraparound deck overlooking the lake.
Article: Lake estate kept in the same family for over 100 years listed for $3.5M
See the Listing Here

Designed over a 2-decade period, the property that Lisl Close named 'Thunderhead' was completed between 1957 and 1959. Situated on a peninsula on the North shore of Lake Vermillion, the secluded property is only accessible by boat. It includes a boathouse/ workshop and a 2400 square foot, L-shaped cabin which features original fixtures, finishes and color palette. Multiple Conversation Areas unite the cabin and outdoor spaces.
Article: ​Wanna Buy a Mid-Century Modern Cabin Designed by a Pioneering Architect?
​See the Listing Here
Thunderhead was featured on the Docomomo US/MN Cabin Culture! tour in 2021 – fast forward to 1:04 to see the interview!
​

A Civic/Institutional Design Award of Excellence is given for the rehabilitation of Peavey Plaza, originally designed by M. Paul Friedberg and Associates and completed in 1975.

Landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg conceived the Peavey Plaza as the “living room” of downtown Minneapolis. The result was an iconic sunken plaza that balanced the tranquility of a central reflecting pool with a cascading concrete fountain and active programming that filled the plaza.

By the late 2000s, the Brutalist fountains had run dry and were slated for demolition. A consortium of local and national advocates, including M. Paul Friedberg himself, successfully convinced the city that the site was worth saving (this effort was recognized with a Docomomo US Advocacy Award of Excellence in 2014).

The renovated plaza opened during the summer of 2019. One of the biggest changes, raising the basin of the sunken plaza from 10” to ¼”, not only created a more welcoming and flexible space, it also reduced water usage by tens of thousands of gallons. Additional improvements include a new, fully accessible entry experience placed along Nicollet Mall, with select terraces converted to permeable pavers. All this was accomplished through a consensus-building process while negotiating many layers of review.

Today, the plaza stands restored to its original splendor with issues of universal access resolved and infrastructure challenges addressed while still retaining the Plaza’s character defining features.

Read More about Peavey Plaza
List of 2022 Modernism in America Award winners