‘If You Build It, They Will Nest’ Fun Birdhouse Competition for All Ages Mixes Architecture with Art

Have a birdhouse idea that needs to take wing? Want to give your feathered friends a little leisure lair?

The AIA Pasadena & Foothill Chapter of the AIA (PF-AIA), in partnership with the Pasadena Community Garden (PCG), is accepting entries for a birdhouse competition to be judged on October 4, 2014 at Pasadena Community Garden.

The fun design-and-build contest is open to area residents of all ages, regardless of skill level, with winners named in seven categories, including:

• Children (up to age 12)

• Family

• Architect

• Adult

• Adult team (of two or more)

• Sustainable (using 100 percent recycled materials)

• Senior (age 65 or older)

The deadline for contest entries is October 1, 2014. To enter, amateur and professional avian visionaries can register to build a birdhouse at the PF-AIA website (aiapf.org). The entry fee is $25, and proceeds from the birdhouse competition will go toward the PF-AIA’s young-architect education scholarship and PCG’s education and beautification programs.

“The Pasadena & Foothill Chapter of the AIA is excited to partner with the Pasadena Community Garden for our first-ever Birdhouse Competition. Everyone is invited to build a birdhouse and come out to join in the fun of this great family event,” said Mitch Sawasy, chapter president. “It’s a great way for everyone to design and build a
functional piece of art.”

“This is the second time we’ve partnered with the local chapter of the AIA,” said Pasadena Community Garden Board President Ron Garretson. “Initially, AIA architects helped us design our garden, which now enables our more than 100 members to grow healthy, pesticide-free vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers. This second collaboration — `Tweet Treats … and All That Jazz’ — will help us expand our community education programs, intended to promote health and well-being, and continue developing the garden by planting water-wise and drought-resistant California natives and succulents.”

The final judging takes place at the Pasadena Community Garden, 721 S. Pasadena Ave, Pasadena, from 11:00 a.m. ­ 3:00 p.m. on October 4. The event will feature music, food and other garden entertainment. Awards will be given out in all seven categories, and builders have the option to donate their birdhouses to a silent auction, which will benefit both organizations’ causes.

For more information, visit aiapf.org.