The Architectural League of New York announced it is renaming its Prize for Young Architects + Designers after Anne Rieselbach, its former program and membership director who has worked at the League since 1986.
The League Prize for Young Architects + Designers is now the Anne Rieselbach Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers.
Rieselbach stepped down from her longtime role of program and membership director at the League this spring. She continues to serve as an advisor to the League.
“One of the most fulfilling aspects of my role at the League has been the opportunity to foster the efforts of architects and firms as they develop their talents as designers and agents for change,” Rieselbach said in a statement. “The League Prize is central to that mission, so I am profoundly honored and deeply grateful for this recognition.”
The prize was founded in 1981 as the Young Architects Forum. Since 1986, Rieselbach has helmed important programs within the Next Generation Fund such as the League’s Mentorship Program, Student Program, and Emerging Voices and League Prize competitions.
The prize’s renaming is meant to commemorate Rieselbach’s contributions to the historic New York City organization and careers of young architects and designers she helped grow.
“Over four decades of dedication and leadership, Anne has had a profound impact on countless architects and designers—encouraging, informing, and enlivening practices at their most formative stages,” League executive director Jacob R. Moore said in a statement.
Committee members at the League are now fundraising in order to endow the Rieselbach League Prize in perpetuity. The League has raised $415,000 so far. The goal is to raise $625,000.
“By naming this prize in her honor and seeking to ensure its issuance in perpetuity,” Moore continued, “the League recognizes and celebrates Anne’s impact, and our commitment to carrying that legacy and care for architecture’s newest and most critical voices forward into the future.”
Rieselbach affirmed, “This newly created fund is incredibly meaningful and expands the League’s potential to ensure that we will be able to provide ways for future generations to have formative opportunities to test and share their work.”