50+ Anniversary Celebration

Join us on April 5-6, 2022, as we put our "plus" on full display in honor of the people and ideas that drive us, then and now

Poster of 50th anniversary alumni celebration with program details and a graphic of "50+".

It was just over two years ago that our plans to mark our 50th anniversary were abruptly postponed as we turned our energies toward a global crisis of historic proportions. 

The pandemic and our nation's reckoning with the legacies of structural racism have underscored the role of the built environment professions in shaping healthier, safer and more equitable places to live, work and thrive. Today we emerge with even greater clarity to mobilize our disciplines on the "wicked problems" of our time - from housing affordability and health equity to the climate crisis and smart cities.  

In this time of disruption and flux, we recall our founding 50 years ago amidst the social, political and cultural upheaval of the late 1960s. Again we find ourselves in a world calling for radical change. Guided by a shared boundary-pushing drive, we ask many of these same questions with new urgency - and possibility.

Plus You = Possibility

The 50+ Anniversary Celebration calls together alumni, faculty, students, staff, friends and partners in the profession to consider the “plus” of our community -  the people, ideas and values that drive the School of Architecture and Planning, then and now. Join us as we take stock of all we have achieved together over 50 years while looking forward with even greater ambition to project into new spheres of influence, engage more deeply with our communities, and build new coalitions and partnerships. 

Program of Events

On April 6, 2022, we'll put our "plus" on full display with a full day of events celebrating the work of our faculty, students and alumni and the collective impact of our program over five decades. The day's program opens with the 2022 Sydney Gross Alumni Symposium featuring alumni on the frontline of practice innovation. We'll also unveil the 50+ Alumni Exhibition, featuring 50 alumni with 50 images over 50 years. Drawing upon our cherished tradition of Atelier, "Open Studio" will cast open our doors to the community for a School-wide display of of faculty and student work. 

Festivities kick off the evening of April 5, when guests are invited to the soft opening of “A City and its School,” an installation of two internationally-debuted exhibitions exploring the urban landscapes of Buffalo and the School’s work within them over the past 50 years. An Alumni Welcome Reception at Duende in Buffalo’s Silo City (6 pm – 8 pm). 

Tuesday, April 5

"A City and its School"
Soft opening of two exhibitions exploring the urban landscapes of Buffalo and the School's work within them over the past 50 years. (Both originally installed at the international Time Space Existence exhibition in Venice, Italy.) 
4 pm - 6 pm
CEPA Gallery
617 Main St # 201
Buffalo, NY 14203
(Exhibition runs April 8 - April 30, with opening reception on April 8)

Alumni Reception
6 pm - 8 pm
Duende at Silo City
85 Silo City Row, Buffalo, NY 14203

Wednesday, April 6

2022 Sydney Gross Alumni Symposium 
Panel discussion with young alumni leading innovations in practice 
1 pm - 5 pm
Hayes 403, UB South Campus
LIVESTREAM LINK AVAILABLE via symposium website

50+ Alumni Exhibition + Open Studio
See the work of 50 alumni over 50 years through 50 images, followed by a School-wide exhibtion of work by our faculty and students
5 pm - 8 pm
Reception in Hayes Hall Atrium Gallery at 5 pm followed by Open Studio tours

Thank you to our organizing committee and support team

Barbara Carlson, Gregory Delaney, Libertad Figuereo, Joyce Hwang, Christopher Romano, Lindsay Romano, Monica Stage and Rachel Teaman, with additional support from Wade Georgi, Daniel Vrana, Miguel Guitart, Rose Orcutt, Samina Raja, Maryanne Schultz, and special assistance from Christopher Saeili of Abasco Inc.

Sponsored by the Dean's Office with additional support from the Sydney Gross Memorial Fund and Abasco Inc. 

sydney gross panel.

See the full lineup of alumni panelists for our Sydney Gross Alumni Symposium!

View the Open Studio listing of exhibitions and displays

The City and Its School exhibitiono is on view at the CEPA Gallery, celebrates the School of Architecture and Planning's 50-year investiment in its host city.

The City and Its School exhibition, on view at the CEPA Gallery, celebrates the School of Architecture and Planning's 50-year investment in its host city. The exhibition opens April 8 and runs through April 30. A soft opening is being held on April 5, 4 pm - 6 pm, for guests of our 50+ Anniversary Celebration.