Architectural propaganda is the use of architecture for the purpose of propaganda. Throughout history, significant architectural works have been used to convey ideas, including many intended to command respect and obedience. Architectural propaganda on the Metro subway system in Moscow is the topic of Club Member Victoria’s presentation. Many of the underground stations on the Moscow subway were built in the 1930s, during the Stalin era, and feature statues, murals, and elaborate designs to forecast a bright future for the Soviet Union. Victoria is an established architect and has an architectural diploma (1972) and PhD in Architectural Theory (1982) from Moscow. She had an architectural practice and academic rank in The Academy of Architecture in the Ural region of Russia (23 years) and immigrated to Maryland in 1995.

For more than 60 years, Larry Heilman has been deeply interested in the electoral process in Mexico. He worked in Mexico for USAID helping to create democracy and governance interventions and contributed to the design of Mexico’s current electoral system. Larry just recently spent two weeks in Mexico getting a feel for what is happening regarding the presidential election. He will share his sense of where Mexico is going regarding the electoral process.  

This is a follow-up to Larry’s presentation on Mexico that he gave to our club last year.