AIA Baltimore’s Excellence in Design Awards Celebration is one of our chapter’s most iconic and popular events. On Friday, October 18, at the Columbus Center at the Inner Harbor, we will be hosting our favorite party. It will be another super fun evening, as it has been in previous years when, in addition to a terrific celebration together, we acknowledge the talent, hard work, and dedication of our design community and the contributions of our industry partners. In addition, I am excited to highlight presentation models constructed by undergraduate students from Morgan State’s School of Architecture and Planning. I hope this will further encourage you to attend the celebration, introduce yourself to an architecture student, and to join us at the party.
There are several exceptional events coming up this month as part of Baltimore Architecture Month. This week is the Door Open Baltimore Kick-Off Lecture presented by our own Jerome Gray, AIA. His presentation is entitled “Finding the Love: How to Appreciate Baltimore’s Curious Empty Buildings.” How profound… and romantic, no? I like the title so much that I stole it for my letter!  I hope to bump into many of you this weekend at a Doors Open Baltimore site. There’s a terrific roster of buildings to explore this year!
A few days later, AIA Baltimore’s Lecture Series celebrates the design competition submissions with an exhibit at the Baltimore Visitors Center. “Edge: Harbor and City” opening is on Thursday evening, October 10.
AIA Baltimore is such a unique chapter. That’s cause enough for celebration, but the fact that all our members can gather and experience firsthand our camaraderie and congratulate one another for our impressive design achievements is the extra-special thing about presenting excellence: There’s always a rapt audience ready to celebrate.
All my best, 

Suzanne Frasier, FAIA
Morgan State University School of Architecture + Planning