May 20, 2015
After a week of neck-and-neck competition with the AIA-Charlottesville Society in which a total of nearly 1400 votes were cast, the AIA-North Alabama Society emerged as the winner of the 2015 Best AIA Local Society Program Contest! Their event, New World Wines and Archaeology, paired a presentation on Native American Feasting and Platform Pipes with a tasting of wines from Chile and Argentina. The North Alabama Society, based in Huntsville, holds a fundraising wine tasting event biannually and sells tickets to members as well as the general public. Members provided food, wine, and their time and the Society brought in a wine expert from a regional distributor to share her knowledge about the wines and histories of these regions. While people mingled, learned about the AIA, and tasted wines, the Society held a silent auction with artwork by university art faculty, ceramics, books, and more to raise funds for speakers that the local society invites. As an award for winning the online contest, the North Alabama Society will receive $200 towards future Society programming and a certificate commemorating their achievement.
Ten AIA Local Societies entered this year’s contest and AIA members were asked to vote for their favorite Society program or event that took place between May 1, 2014, and April 30, 2015. This year’s contest features programs from AIA Local Societies in Athens, Greece; Central Arizona; Charlottesville; Jacksonville; Minnesota; Nashville; North Alabama; Riverside; South Carolina; and Vancouver. A great deal of hard work and creativity went into each event and the AIA would like to congratulate all participating Societies! Click here to view all entries.
