Sketch-n-Sip Recap: From Florence to Cleveland

Sometimes the best way to connect the architectural community is simply to open a sketchbook.

On September 23, AIA Cleveland’s Sketch-n-Sip: Mediterranean Plants + Design brought students, professionals, and curious newcomers together at the Cleveland Museum of Art for an evening inspired by Kent State architecture student Garrett Scott’s work. More than 25 Kent students headed straight from studio to the museum, and seeing so many classmates show up to support Scott as he presented was a highlight all its own. A few Cleveland State planning students and members of the public who discovered the event through social media joined us, adding to the evening’s welcoming mix.

*Porosity: Living Infrastructure for Student Life by Garrett Scott, KSU AIAS*

The inspiration began with sketches Scott shared from his time studying abroad in Florence. His drawings caught our eye and sparked an idea: what better way to connect students and the professional community than by gathering around a student’s work?

Scott’s presentation offered a window into his experience of Florence through sketches of its architecture, streets, interiors, and vegetation. His student housing project, Porosity, explored the relationships among architecture, planting, public space, and everyday student life within the city’s dense urban fabric. Together, the work invited us to consider how careful observation through drawing can inform the way we design.

Museum docent Pete Dobbins helped extend those connections with a tour linking works in the museum’s collection to themes in Scott’s studies. Then it was our turn to put pencil to paper, trying our hands at sketching flowers in our own sketchbooks. The shared exercise gave everyone a chance to slow down, look closely, and enjoy making something together.

We hope this fall gathering becomes an annual Sketch-n-Sip tradition spotlighting the work of Kent State architecture students early in the semester, before studio schedules become too demanding. It is one of many opportunities we hope to nurture in the coming years, creating more connections between architectural education and professional practice.

Thank you to Garrett for sharing his work, Pete for enriching the evening, and everyone who joined us—especially the classmates whose enthusiastic support made the gathering so memorable. Look for more programs and more opportunities to connect with Kent’s future architects!