Modernism Transformed: From the Salk to the Geisel and Beyond
Feb. 21, 2015
We continue our series on the Panama-California Exposition Centennial with Part 4: Spanning the Oceans: A War Brings the World to our Shores.
Dirk Sutro has made a career providing his expertise on both music and architecture.
Working at the University of California San Diego for ten years, Dirk Sutro, Arts Communications Manager, Division of Arts & Humanities, has been surrounded by beautiful scenery and outstanding architecture. He has a long list of responsibilities for the Theatre & Dance, Music and Visual Arts Departments—but he has also found time to write a guidebook titled University of California San Diego Campus Guide celebrating UCSD’s 50th anniversary in 2010. It tells a story of UCSD which covers both the academic history and the architectural history. Compact in size, it is ideal for carrying around and exploring the unique campus with its oceanview setting, amazing collection of modern buildings and spectacular public art.
Dirk grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, but he has spent much of his life living, writing, and talking about art and architecture in the San Diego area. From 1988-1992 Sutro shared his expertise and knowledge of music and architecture as architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times, San Diego edition and a weekly jazz column and review. While editor of San Diego Home/Garden (1993-1997), Dirk published West Coast Wave: New California Houses, a spectacular tour of 27 houses designed by gifted contemporary architects. Dirk Sutro has made a career providing his expertise on both music and architecture.
Sutro has had an avid interest in jazz since a friend introduced him to it in high school. In 1999 he wrote Jazz for Dummies with a second edition published in 2006. He likes all kinds of music and delights in being an advocate for little-known artists or a new creative form.
Many of you will recall Dirk hosting The Lounge, a nightly hour-long arts and culture program on KPBS-FM with guests ranging from locals to celebrities–Julia Child, Amy Tan, Daniel Libeskind, and others. It ran for five years and shocked the public when it was dropped from the KPBS schedule.
In 2002 Dirk edited his first guidebook, San Diego Architecture: From Missions to Modern for the San Diego Architectural Foundation. The format was the same as the UCSD guidebook– hundreds of colored images in a compact size for carrying around and exploring the sites.
Dirk Sutro is a man of many talents—a writer, editor, author, jazz musician, radio host—and, most of all, a communicator. He communicates in a way that helps the public better understand what they are hearing and seeing. Join FSDA as Dirk takes us on an architectural adventure of UCSD from Irving Gill’s little cube of a building to the contemporary buildings of today.
