Piedmont-Palladino named senior curator at National Building Museum
Susan Piedmont-Palladino, associate professor of architecture in Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies at the Washington-Alexandria Architecture Center, has been appointed a senior curator for architecture and design at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
This part-time appointment formalizes her years-long role as a consulting and guest curator.
“Susan brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise, plus a knack for communicating to varied audiences, which I’m sure has been shaped by her professional experience at Virginia Tech,” said Chase W. Rynd, the museum’s executive director. “We are excited that she has joined the National Building Museum’s staff and hope that, with her dual role as curator at the museum and professor at Virginia Tech, rich dialogue and strong scholarship will be fostered to educate more people about architecture and the built environment.”
Created by an act of Congress in 1980, the National Building Museum is a cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and urban planning. A private, non-profit institution, the museum has addressed topical issues, such as managing suburban growth, preserving landmarks and communities, and revitalizing urban centers. The museum’s exhibitions and education programs annually attract more than 400,000 people.
Piedmont-Palladino, a Washington, D.C. resident, has been with Virginia Tech since 1991. She has also taught at the University of Maryland and at the Catholic University of America. She is the former national president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility and served on the design committee for the National Peace Garden Foundation. She was a guest curator for Tools of the Imagination, an exhibit on architects’ drawing instruments at the National Building Museum, and is currently working on a companion book for Princeton Architectural Press. She received her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary and a master’s from Virginia Tech.
The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of two schools and the departments of landscape architecture, building construction, and art and art history. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 22 degrees programs taught by 160 faculty members.
