work experience. The Canadian Architecture Certification Board (CACB) has agreed to administer the BEFA program for CALA. www.cacb-ccca.ca/befa
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The Canadian Centre for Architecture honours the memory of Melvin Charney.
Over the course of his career, artist-architect Melvin Charney was involved in many projects that united the fields of art and architecture, and his work took both a celebratory and critical perspective of the urban environment. A native of Montreal, Charney studied architecture at McGill and Yale University to work for different firms in Paris and New York in 1961. In 1964 he returned to Montreal to accept a position in the architectural department at the Université de Montréal. Appointed associate professor in 1966, he created and directed the Faculté d’aménagement from 1968 to 1972, and the Unité d’architecture urbaine from 1978 to 1992. He subsequently authored numerous studies in urban design and architecture and was a visiting critic at universities around the world. His work came to international attention following his proposal for the Canadian pavilion at the Osaka World Fair in 1970, and though the proposal was not accepted, it was widely acclaimed. He received the Prix Borduas from the government of Quebec (1996), was named a Chevalier of the Ordre National du Québec (2003), Commandeur of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2006), and received an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters from McGill University (2009). He was chosen to represent Canada at the Venice Biennale both in art and architecture (1986 and 2000). In 1987 he began developing the CCA’s sculpture garden, a process which took two years. His other well-known public works include the prize-winning entry for the Canadian Human Rights Monument in Ottawa. “Charney occupied a prominent place in contemporary art and architecture in a vibrant fusion of disciplines that encapsulates the essence of the urban environment. His work encompassed a vast territory both physically and philosophically, and his contribution was especially appreciated in France,” said his longtime friend and collaborator Phyllis Lambert, CCA’s Founding Director. Charney passed away on September 17, 2012. www.cca.qc.ca/en/collection/1810-tribute-to-melvin-charney-1935-2012
Letters The article in the September 2012 issue about Sing!, the multi-lingual karaoke kiosk in Vancouver, seemed to imply that Urban Republic was coerced into locating the kiosk downtown. The article stated that “The city used funding restrictions to persuade them to relocate downtown.” Although the project was initially conceived as an activity to bring residents of linguistically diverse neighbourhoods together, Urban Republic made the decision to launch the project downtown. We believe the opportunity to obtain sponsorship from the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) and the City of Vancouver through its Viva Vancouver program was critical to the development and realization of the Sing! karaoke kiosk. We applaud our sponsors for backing not just the kiosk, but numerous other public-space projects that have taken place downtown during the last two summers. Urban Republic supports the continuation of the Viva Vancouver program and would encourage more private sponsors to partner with the City to bring thoughtfully designed and programmed public activations to neighbourhoods across Vancouver. In short, the availability of funding from the DVBIA was viewed as an incentive, not a restriction. Sometimes when it comes to funding smallscale design interventions, money not only talks, it can Sing! Peeroj Thakre Co-Director Urban Republic Arts Society
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