PRESS RELEASE
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, MAY, 2008

HUGH FERRISS MEMORIAL PRIZE
Architecture In Perspective 23
Frank Costantino is honored to announce his selection as the 2008/09 Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize winner, awarded by the distinguished jury of the Architecture In Perspective 23 (AIP 23) international drawing competition for his Best of Show watercolor illustration.  AIP 23 is the world's pre-eminent forum for architectural drawing, sponsored by the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI).

As the recipient of the Hugh Ferriss Memorial Prize, it is a singular distinction for Mr. Costantino to be associated with the enduring and aesthetic legacy of one of America's most notable artists.  The painting's unusual on-stage vantage point conveys a dramatic performer's perspective of the new hall's design features, with a restrained representation of the audience. 

Jon Kletzien, one of three jurors observed that - “The painting is what architectural illustration strives to attain. It clearly explains the materials, and use, but beyond that conveys what few canvases do – volume and space. The courageous palette, the slightly unconventional perspective, the casual ease of the figures, all defer to the proposed space, the music within, and point to an artist firmly in control…a subtly powerful painting, well deserving of the Ferriss Prize.” 

With this year's Ferriss Prize, Mr. Costantino will have had twenty-five juried illustrations exhibited and published by this illustrators’ Society (www.asai.org).

ASAI will showcase his superb painting of a concert hall at Adelphi University’s new Performing Arts Center as the signature image for ASAI’s annual exhibition and catalogue.  AIP 23 is a full color catalogue of ASAI's annual competition featuring Mr. Costantino's Ferriss Prize painting, together with the Formal & Sketch Category prizes, three Juror Award winners and fifty-four exceptional architectural images from around the world.

The premiere exhibition opening of AIP 23, and other special events will be held in Bozeman, Montana, and at Yellowstone National Park in September 2008.
As one of the Founders of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators (ASAI), Mr. Costantino has helped establish a global network of delineators throughout the US, Canada, England, Europe, Japan, Korea, and other countries.  On behalf of the Society and with his co-founders, Mr. Costantino received AIA Institute Honors from the American Institute of Architects in 1995. 

He was also recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from ASAI, for his exceptional contributions to the organization since 1986. He has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Boston Architectural College, as well as guest-lectured at other institutions across the U.S. and overseas. Mr. Costantino is also a Founding Director of the American Society of Illustrators Partnership (ASIP) in New York City, a consortium of national illustration organizations that advocate for the collective rights, royalties and business issues for thousands of artists from varied disciplines and professional practices.

His firm, F.M. Costantino, Inc., (www.fmcostantino.com) located in Winthrop, MA, has provided illustration services to the architecture and design professions for more than thirty-five years. His architectural drawing commissions, for a clientele including Cesar Pelli, Moshe Safdie, Robert Stern, SOM, and I.M. Pei & Partners, span a wide range of projects around the world, including skyscrapers, office buildings, museums, concert halls and aquariums, among others. 

The distinctive artistry of his perspectives is expressed in black and white graphite pencil or pen and ink, color pencil, and watercolor mediums, ranging from impressionistic concept sketches to finely detailed watercolor renditions.  He has also designed five post cards for the US Postal Service’s Historic Preservation series.  Since 1994, he has been listed in annual editions of Who’s Who In America. 

Mr. Costantino is regarded as one of the world’s most respected practitioners in, and vigorous proponents for, the field of architectural illustration.

Contact:
Frank Costantino or Marilyn Goldberg
t: (617) 846-4766 
e: frankmc@fmcostantino.com

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