ABOUT
The mission of The Beaux-Arts Atelier (BAA) is to advocate for beautiful design of important public projects.
We believe that beauty in architecture and design affirms human dignity. We aim to serve the public at large through advocating for beautiful design in public and civic spaces in order to inspire and uplift all those who utilize and enjoy them.
Our goal is to encourage and mentor young designers to become part of this larger public conversation by sponsoring design competitions, supporting the winning teams in designing and illustrating their projects, and presenting their work to the public, the press, stakeholders, and potential funders.
We also aim to educate and delight the public with lectures on Beaux-Arts principles and well-being, as well as immersive retreat-style experiences exploring the impact of Beaux-Arts and classical environments on our psyches and bodies.
As our pilot project for Penn Station and Madison Square Garden in New York has demonstrated, we can influence the conversation around major public projects, and provide inspiring design solutions that can be realized.
Join us in bringing beautiful design to the public realm!
HISTORY
The BAA grew out of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art, of which Richard Cameron was a co-founder, and which supported its first three years of programming.
The students in those years (2011-2013) worked on projects for Federal Hall in lower Manhattan (the site of the inauguration of George Washington as the nation’s first president), Bowling Green, and St. Peter’s in Rome.
The RWC Atelier website also hosts the recorded lectures by senior tutor Michael Djordjevitch to the students of the BAA and the students of the Grand Central Atelier (GCA) where Richard Cameron sits on the Board of Directors.
The New Penn Station/MSG design is the fruit of a project begun over 30 years ago, and which also took hold with the original BAA. Both the BAA and the Penn Station effort have gone through various iterations, as the work of the BAA was maintained on the website of RWC Atelier, and the Penn Station effort partnered with ReThink Penn Station NYC and was brought forth to public awareness at an entirely new level.
The collaboration with ReThink Penn Station NYC to advocate for the redesign of Penn Station and Madison Square Garden in New York is documented on the RWC Atelier website, ReThinkPennStation’s website, on Instagram, and in the press.
Board Members & Staff
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Richard Wilson Cameron
Board President
Richard is the founder and principal designer at the New York firm RWC Atelier and Co. He has worked on some of the largest residential projects in the country and is renowned for his skill as a draftsman and architectural artist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Architectural Digest. He is the co-founder of both the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art and The Beaux-Arts Atelier. He has been passionately focused on the problem of Pennsylvania Station since 1993 and was the originator of the idea that the original Penn Station--designed by Charles McKim and opened in 1910 and demolished from 1963-1967--be rebuilt. Richard has a Bachelor of Architecture from The University of Toronto and a Master of Architecture from Princeton University.
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A. James Isbester, ESQ.
Board Secretary
James Isbester recently retired from his partnership in Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton, LLP, where he specialized in patent litigation and counseling. Mr. Isbester is based in San Francisco but has worked extensively in Tokyo and Shanghai, assisting clients through Asia. Mr. Isbester has tried technology and intellectual property in various jurisdictions around the United States, on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Among the companies Mr. Isbester has represented are Hitachi Data Systems, Motorola Mobility, Abbott, Edwards Lifesciences, Quanta Computers, and Seiko Epson. Mr. Isbester’s non-litigation practice includes advising clients relating to international patent enforcement, IP diligence in various transactions, and licensing negotiations.Prior to joining Kilpatrick Townsend in 2008, Mr. Isbester was the principal of Isbester & Associates, an IP litigation and counseling boutique. Mr. Isbester is registered to practice before the US Patent Office and is a member of the bar of California. He serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association and the East Bay Children’s Law Office, where he heads the Audit Committee. Mr. Isbester holds a bachelors in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and received his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Toronto, Canada.
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Thomas J. Salvatore
Board Treasurer
Tom is the President of TJS Partners, Inc., which is the Investment Manager of TJS Value Fund. From 2004-2011 he was Managing Partner of Security Funding LLC. Tom is also Director Emeritus of the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art. He is a graduate of Fordham University in Business Administration.
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Pia Chaudhari Cameron, Ph.D
Interim Director
Pia Chaudhari Cameron is currently serving as Interim Director of the BAA, responsible for executive oversight and program implementation, financial management, fundraising, strategic communications and partnerships. She brings extensive experience in both entrepreneurial and non-profit organizations to her role, as well as a background in design and in the philosophy and psychology of aesthetics.
Dr. Chaudhari is the Founder and Principal of Pia Cameron Interiors, a bespoke interior design studio and also the Founder of Healing Beauty™ Retreats, a new retreat series which works with participants to explore ways in which beauty can bring healing in different contexts.
Dr. Chaudhari took a doctorate in Theology from Union Theological Seminary, as well as holding an M.Sc. in Politics of Empire and Post-Imperialism from the London School of Economics, and a BA in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. She has undergone extensive training in analytical psychology at the Jungian Psychoanalytic Association.