Adrian Smith, Venturi and Scott Brown, Victor Margolin, Thomas Jefferson, Columbia College Media Center and Urban China - it's the first week of November events!

Since it's not yet Thanksgiving, it's way too early to expect the November Calendar of Chicago Architectural Events.  However, there are so many great events just this first week, we wanted to bring them to your attention:

On Monday, November 1st at 6:00 p.m., at the Graham, co-curator Martino Stierli will be talking about their new exhibition, Las Vegas Studio: Images from the Archives of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.  (click images for larger view)

On Tuesday, the 2nd at 6:00 p.m., at Columbus Auditorium of the Art Institute, Victor Margolin will be talking about Design and the Risk of Change.  At CAF's lunchtime lecture at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, the 3rd, John H. Waters will be discussing Thomas Jefferson, Architect of Private and Public America, and at 6:00 p.m. at Crown Hall at IIT, Adrian Smith will be lecturing on Towards the Zero-Energy City.

Thursday, November 4th has Alica Berg talking about Columbia College's new Media Center, designed by Studio/Gang, at 12:15 p.m. at the Cultural Center, for Friends of Downtown, and on Saturday, November 6, 10:00 a.m., to noon - UIC professor Alexander Eisenschmidt will be conducting coffee and conversation after taking participants through the Museum of Contemporary Art's new Urban China: Informal Cities exhibition.

There are already nine events on the calendar for this week, and you can get the details on all of them - plus everything else we've got in the calendar in its nascent state - here.  Or, if you're  really impatient, you can check out the Blueprint's monthly calendar of events here.

Opening Reception Tonight - Las Vegas Studio: Images from the Archives of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown

 click image for larger view

Tonight, Thursday, October 28 from 6:00 to 8:00 there will be an opening reception for the Graham Foundation's new exhibition, Las Vegas Studio: Images from the Archives of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, which runs at the Graham's Madlener House home, 4 West Burton Place, through February 19, 2011.

The exhibition looks back at the 1968 investigation of Las Vegas by Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown, Steven Izenour and students from Yale . . .

Their fresh way of looking at the city: the influence of popular culture, advertising, film and the experience of the built environment from a moving automobile extended the categories of the ordinary, the ugly, and the social into architecture. Their use of photography and film as a research methodology became as revolutionary as their findings, which were published in the legendary 1972 book, Learning from Las Vegas. Offering great insight into the creation of this groundbreaking publication, the exhibition . . . curated by Hilar Stadler and Martino Stierli in collaboration with artist Peter Fischli, presents original research materials from the archives of Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.

Next Monday, November 1st at 6:00 p.m., co-curator Martino Stierli will give a talk, Las Vegas, Film, and the Mobilized Gaze.  The event is free, but reservations are required.  RSVP here.

Information on the exhibition, Thursday's reception and RSVP here.