John S. Kneski, Architect
Associate Dean & Senior Fellow
Research, Curriculum, & Study Abroad
Faculty, FIU School of Architecture & European Studies
The Honors College @ Florida International University
Phone: (305) 348-6360
Email: kneskij@fiu.edu
John Kneski was born in New York in 1964. Before coming to Miami, Kneski worked for six years in his family's construction company on eastern Long Island. During those years he also played saxophone in the Suffolk County (NY) Pre-collegiate Orchestra, part of that time under the direction of Teo Macero, who had previously produced works by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Tony Bennett, and Charlie Byrd for Columbia. A five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree with a minor in fine art from the University of Miami in 1987 was the culmination of studies abroad at Poland's 14th century Uniwersytet Jagiellonski in Cracow, the Istituto Universitario di Architettura in Venice, Italy, and at the Architectural Association in London, England. Associate Dean Kneski received a terminal degree in architecture from Syracuse University after research conducted in Florence on Tuscan vernacular. He then worked in the firm of Norman Jaffe & Associates Architects in New York before establishing a furniture design practice in Miami, which he left in 1997 (for now) to work at FIU. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and is licensed by the State of Florida Board of Architecture and Interior Design.
Associate Dean Kneski teaches in the Honors College, the School of Architecture, the College of Arts & Sciences Liberal Studies Program, and is an affiliated faculty member in the European Studies Program at FIU. Although he has taught almost thirty different courses at FIU, he is most passionate about an Honors College course he created called Aesthetics, Values & Authority in the Mediterranean. He oversees the Honors College study abroad programs - directing the Italy Program - and the Honors College undergraduate research program called SRAI. He has represented the Honors College at the state level as the President of the Florida Collegiate Honors Council, which is comprised of over thirty member institutions; and, currently, FIU at the national level as an elected member of the Council on Undergraduate Research, which represents over 900 colleges and universities.
In his career as an architect and preservationist, Prof. Kneski has been published in various journals including Metropolis, Preservation Today, and Architecture. He is very proud of being the author of the Historic Survey & Contributing Structures Report that lead to the creation of Miami's fourth historic district, Spring Garden. He was the editor of the Architecture Program Report to NAAB, used in the original accreditation of the Master of Architecture Degree Program at FIU, and was the Editor of the Honors Excellence Paper Series, which has included notable lecturers such as the architect Robert A. M. Stern, and the annual university publication With Honors from 2001 to 2007. He is currently completing a book on botanical and anthropological studies conducted in New York by Thomas Jefferson.
Service and Honors: 1997 ~ Present
Chair, University-wide Global Learning Curriculum Committee, 2009
FIU Council for Undergraduate Research and Creative Assessment (CURCA), 2009-present
University Academic Assessment Committee, 2009-present
Working Group on Visual and Material Culture, The Wolfsonian, 2008-present
FIU Quality Enhancement Development Team for Internationalization of the Curriculum, SACS, 2008-present
International Education Committee, National Collegiate Honors Council, 2008-present
Designated Senior Fellow, The Honors College, FIU, 2007
President, Florida Collegiate Honors Council (FCHC) 2007-2008
Elected Councilor, (national) Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), 2007-present
Vice President, Florida Collegiate Honors Council (FCHC) 2006-07
Associate Dean & Fellow, Research, Curriculum, & Study Abroad, The Honors College, FIU, 2006-present
Chair, Curriculum Committee, The Honors College, FIU, 2006-present
Senior Assistant Dean & Fellow, The Honors College, FIU, 2005-06
Director, Student Research & Artistic Initiatives Program, FIU, 2004-present
Director of Facilities, The Honors College, FIU, 2001-present
Assistant Dean, The Honors College, FIU, 2001-2005
Director, The Honors College Italy Program, FIU, 2001-present
Director, The School of Architecture Italy Program, FIU, 1999-2000
Director of Facilities, The School of Architecture, FIU, 1997-2001
Assistant Dean, The School of Architecture, FIU, 1997-2001
Grant Work
2009. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant (through the Wolfsonian-FIU). Beauty, Values, & Power in Twentieth Century United States: A Publishing Project of Undergraduate Research. This grant was designed to encourage faculty to use the museum’s resources to enhance undergraduate and graduate learning at the university. For this purpose, the grant was requested for faculty members to conduct research at the museum during the 2009-10 academic year with the aim of revising the content of an existing course. This opportunity is made possible with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which has awarded The Wolfsonian funding to strengthen the connection between the museum and FIU’s academic community.
2006. U.S. Department of Education Title V Grant, (FIU Honors Component Administrator). This grant allowed the Honors College’s Student Research and Artistic Initiative Program (SRAI) and its ancillary activities to grow and expand, providing a repeatable model for mentoring programs elsewhere at the university. The SRAI Program provides opportunities to Honors College students by pairing them for projects with faculty experts at FIU, and exhibiting those projects at an annual research conference at FIU. The Program provides opportunities for supervised research and formal creative projects to students from all academic areas. The program also provides for funding for national and international conference participation.
Courses Taught: 1989 ~ Present
Florida International University, 1993-present
School of Architecture, Miami, FloridaArchitectural Design 1-8
Graphic Communications II
Design Concepts for Architects
Architectural Design Theory
Architecture for Non-majors*
The History of Design: 19th through 20th Centuries
Materials & Methods of Construction II
Architecture & Landscape of South Florida
Interdisciplinary Design Studio*
Architectural Sketchbook Studies*
Florence ~ Concepts of the Urban Context*
Interior Design 5
Media & Methods of Presentation
Furniture DesignFlorida International University, 1998-present
College of Arts & Sciences, Liberal Studies Program, Miami, Florida
Applies towards the European Studies Certificate ProgramIDS 4920: Interdisciplinary Senior ColloquiumFlorida International University, 1998-present
The Honors College, Miami, FloridaBeauty, Values, & Power in 20th Century United States*
Honors Leadership Seminar*
Aesthetics, Values & Authority I (team taught)
Aesthetics, Values & Authority II (team taught)
Aesthetics, Values & Authority in the Mediterranean I*
Aesthetics, Values & Authority in the Mediterranean II*
Cultural Landscapes of Miami ~ Inhabiting Other Lives*
Italian Culture Past and Present I (in Italy)
Italian Culture Past and Present II (in Italy)University of Miami, 1989-1991
School of Architecture, Coral Gables, FloridaArchitectural Design 1
Architectural Design 2
Architectural Design 3
Architectural Design 4Syracuse University, 1988-89
School of Architecture, Florence, ItalyArchitecture Design 1 (teaching assistant)
* denotes new courses introduced to the curriculum
Edited Journals
With Honors, 2001- 2007 (edited publication).
The FIU Honors College Annual Review of scholarly activities.
Honors College Occasional Paper Series, 2001- 2007 (edited publication). ISSN: 1538-1668.
Florida International University Honors College. Library Call Number: AP2 .H65.
Conference Presentations / Papers
National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), International Education Committee, Washington, DC, 2009
National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), National Conference, San Antonio, TX, 2008
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) National Conference, College of Saint Benedict, Minnesota, 2008
National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Denver, CO, 2007
Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) National Conference, De Paw University, Indiana, 2006
NCUR/CUR Undergraduate Research Institute, James Madison University, Virginia, February 2006
National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), National Conference, Asheville, North Carolina, 2006
Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Ocala, 2006
National Collegiate Honors Council Conference, New Orleans, 2005
The Reinvention Center National Conference, Washington D.C., organized by The Reinvention Center at Stony Brook University in New York, 2005
Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference, Gainesville, 2005
Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference, 2004
Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference, 2003
Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference, 2002
American Collegiate Schools of Architecture, National Conference, University of Tennessee, 1999
Recent Lectures
Architecture as Text: the Obvious & the Obscure. An analysis of contemporary architectural strategies. Delivered in the FIU School of Architecture 2008 Faculty Lecture Series. October 30th, 2008
Conference Opening Address, Florida Collegiate Honors Council (FCHC) Conference, Miami, February 23, 2007.
Conceptions of the European City: Memory, Layering, & The "Sense of Place", The WolfsonianFlorida International University, Wednesday, March 15th, 2006The Art Deco Historic District, Lecture at the National Collegiate Honors Council Faculty Institute, Miami Beach, January 2006
Research as Activism. Part of the Explorations in Research Seminar Series at Florida International University, 2005
The Art Museum as Memorial: Memory Projects. Delivered at the Miami Art Museum as part of the "Museums for a New Millennium" exhibit on January 15th, 2004. A discussion of Aldo Rossi's Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Ricardo Legorreta's Contemporary Art Museum in Monterrey, Rem Koolhaas' Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie in Karlsruhe, Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin, Norman Foster's Carre d'Art in Nimes and Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
Architecture as Text: the Obvious & the Obscure. Delivered in the FIU School of Architecture 2003 Faculty Lecture Series. October 29th, 2003. A discussion which dealt with the way in which buildings communicate.
Bibliography of Authored, Edited & Cited Works, 1989-Present
Garden Voices, by Jim Broton [two chapters]. Includes an interview I conducted of Marjory Stoneman Douglas at her home in 1998 regarding her father's home in Spring Garden and an interview of me regarding the Historic District Designation Report I wrote for the City of Miami’s 4th historic district. 2009.
Letters to Pliny the Younger II [editor], Contents: An analysis of the Letters of Pliny the Younger through creative essays. Pliny scholars address his position on social issues such as immigration, ethnicity, gender, slavery, religion, and entertainment. Library of Congress PCN: 2009931965, ISBN: 0-9753452-2-2, LC: PN6131.K54 2009, Dewey: 808’.869’ – 086
Mediterranean Works at the Frost [edited by] John S. Kneski. Selected research projects that examine the historic connection between aesthetics, values & authority in Mediterranean cultural history using art objects from The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, Miami, Florida (AAM/ Smithsonian Affiliate). This project was featured in a paper accepted to the 2008 (national) Council on Undergraduate Research conference. ISBN: 0-9753452-0-8. Release date: November 2008.
Beauty & Power in the Mediterranean: Artifacts from the Wolfsonian-FIU Collection / [edited by] John S. Kneski.
Contents: Sixteen research projects that examine the historic connection between aesthetics, values & authority in Mediterranean cultural history using selected artifacts from The Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach, Florida (AAM/ICOM). Accepted for presentation at the 2007 National Collegiate Honors Council conference in Denver. ISBN: 0-9753452-0-7. Library of Congress Card Number: 2007927088. LC Classification: N6758.5.M63 K54 2007, DC: 701.18 -45. Publication date: April 2007.Florida's Wacky History & Why You Should Care (edited academic paper). Eliot Kleinberg, Journalist, Palm Beach Post. Lecture delivered Monday, April 3, 2006, Wolfe University Center Ballroom ~ Biscayne Bay Campus, Florida International University. Honors Excellence Occasional Paper Series, Volume V, Number Two
Conceptions of the European City: Memory, Layering, & The "Sense of Place" (lecture by invitation). March 15th, 2006, European Studies Spring Colloquium at the Wolfsonian Museum, Miami Beach. What is the collective experience that defines public space in & how are these collective experiences revealed in European Cities in the creation of sense of place?
Lessons from the Schiavo Experience (edited academic paper). Jay Wolfson, Dr.P.H., J.D., Distinguished Service Professor, Public Health and Medicine, Associate Vice President, Health Law, Policy and Safety, University of South Florida, Director of the Florida Health Information Center. Lecture delivered November 10, 2005, Graham Center 140 Auditorium ~ University Park, Florida International University. Honors College Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.V - number 1
Research as Activism (lecture by invitation). Delivered in the Explorations in Research Seminar at FIU on April 4th, 2005. The use of research involved in historic preservation at the component, human, and urban scale.Shark Diversity, Evolutionary Success & Vivaparity (edited academic paper). José Castro, Ph.D., Resident Scientist, The Center for Shark Research, Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida. Lecture delivered March 31, 2005, Wolf University Center 155 ~ Biscayne Bay Campus, Florida International University. Honors Excellence Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.IV -number 2
Stem Cells for Brain Repair (edited academic paper). Paul Sanberg, Ph.D.; Director, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair; College of Medicine, University of South Florida; Chairman and CEO, Saneron-C Cell Therapeutics. Lecture delivered November 3rd, 2004, Graham University Center Auditorium ~ FIU University Park Campus. Honors College Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.IV - number 1
From Miami to the Mediterranean : Letters to Pliny the Younger / [edited by] John S. Kneski.
Contents: Analysis of the Letters of Pliny the Younger through creative essays. Pliny scholars address his position on social issues such as immigration, ethnicity, gender, slavery, religion, and entertainment. Presented at the 2004 Florida Collegiate Honors Council Conference. Library of Congress PCN: 2004 -104201 / ISBN: 0-9753452-0-6 / LC: PN6131.K54 2004 / Dewey: 808.86 20.Mandela, Mobutu, and Me (edited academic paper). Lynne Duke, Author Staff Writer ~ The Washington Post. Lecture delivered: Tuesday, March 30th, 2004, Mary Ann Wolf Theater ~ FIU Biscayne Bay Campus. Honors College Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.III - number 2
The Art Museum as Memorial: Memory Projects (authored academic paper by invitation). Delivered at the Miami Art Museum as part of the "Museums for a New Millennium" exhibit on January 15th, 2004. A discussion of Aldo Rossi's Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Ricardo Legorreta's Contemporary Art Museum in Monterrey, Rem Koolhaas' Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie in Karlsruhe, Daniel Libeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin, Norman Foster's Carre d'Art in Nimes and Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The University Campus: An American Invention (edited academic paper). Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, Senior Partner, Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Lecture delivered: Tuesday, October 7, 2003, FIU Paul L. Cejas School of Architecture Building Auditorium. Honors College Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.III - number 1Architecture as Text: the Obvious & the Obscure (authored academic paper). Delivered in the FIU School of Architecture 2003 Lecture Series. October 29th, 2003. A discussion which dealt with the way in which buildings communicate: inscribed versus semiotic studies.
Ethics in Modern Mass Communications (edited academic paper). Jay Black, Ph.D., Professor of Mass Communications ~ University of South Florida, Poynter-Jamison Chair in Media Ethics and Press Policy. Lecture delivered: Thursday April 3rd, 2003, FIU Mary Ann Wolfe Theater. Honors College Occasional Paper Series.ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.II - number 2
Judgment and Justice in America (edited academic paper). Honorable Roberto Pineiro, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge
Lecture delivered: Tuesday, October 22nd, 2002, FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Honors College Occasional Paper Series.ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.II - number 1
Tourism & Public Culture: The Dynamics of Our Contemporary Tribal Lives (edited academic paper). Keith Hollinshead, Ph.D., Professor of Public Culture ~ Luton Business School, University of Luton, England. Lecture delivered: Thursday, April 11th, 2002, FIU Mary Ann Wolfe Theater. Honors College Occasional Paper Series.ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.I - number 2Managing Foreign Policy in an Interdependent World (edited academic paper). The Honorable Billie Antoinette Miller, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Barbados. Lecture delivered: Monday, November 26, 2001, FIU Wertheim Performing Arts Center. Honors College Occasional Paper Series. ISSN: 1538-1668, vol.I - number 1
The Paradox of Historic District Designation in Late 20th Century Dade: Spring Garden as a Case Study (authored academic paper). Oct 01, 1999 Submitted to the 2000 Society of Architectural Historians Annual Conference, Miami, Florida.
Integration of Computer Technology into the Study Abroad Sketchbook (authored academic paper). May 01, 1999. Submitted for consideration to the "Turn of the Century" Conference at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
National Architecture Accrediting Board Architecture Program Report (authored publication). Sep 15, 1998. Florida International University School of Architecture - Master of Architecture Degree Program accreditation Report to NAAB, 204 pages with charts and illustrations.
Southern Association of Schools & Colleges, Annual Planning & Accountability Report (authored publication). Jul 15, 1998. Florida International University School of Architecture - 1998 annual report to the Southern Association of Schools & Colleges, 129 pages with charts and illustrations.
Furniture Design at FIU School of Architecture (authored publication). May 01, 1998. Florida International University Interior Design Program, used for 1999 NAAB accreditation visit; illustrated in color, 47 pages.
Spring Garden, Miami, Florida Historic District Designation Report (authored publication). Jun 01, 1997. Prepared for the City of Miami Office of Historic Preservation, 30 pages. Culmination of a four year research project that directly led to the creation of Miami's fourth historic district.
Spring Garden Historic District, Contributing and Noncontributing Structures Site Survey (authored publication). Jun 01, 1996. Historic Research and Field Survey of existing structures. Over one hundred structures included. Contributed to the creation of Miami's fourth official historic district.
Preservation Today (periodical citation). Mar 01, 1995, by Michael Hayes. "Spring Garden Seeking Designation", page 6. Description of research and lobbying efforts to create Miami's forth historic district.
South Florida (periodical citation). Jul 01, 1994, by Christina Sherry. "Design for Living". Citation of recent industrial design projects.
South Florida (periodical citation). Jul 01, 1994, by Emilio San Pedro. "Generation Exile". Review of the photography exhibition of American Film Academy Award nominee Carlos Gonzalez Barreto at NK.
Studio USA (periodical citation - national). Jul 01, 1994, "Attuned to Nature". Salon Aruj - Aveda Concept Salon project facing Biscayne Bay on Brickell Avenue in Miami.
Salon Today (periodical citation - national). May 01, 1994, by Dot Bustelo. "Operation Renovation". Salon Aruj - Aveda Concept Salon project facing Biscayne Bay on Brickell Avenue in Miami.
Miami (book citation) by Rizzoli. Jan 01, 1994, by Santi Visalli. "NK Christmas Tree for Roche Bobois". Concept tree designed by John Kneski for the French furniture manufacturer Roche Bobois.
House Beautiful (periodical citation - national). Nov 01, 1993, by Sarah McPeck. "Style Beat". Industrial design projects exhibited at the ICFF in New York.
Miami Today (periodical citation). Sep 30, 1993, by Petey Cox. "Fall Culture: Miami Exhibits Among Art World's Most Challenging". Article on exhibition curated at NK Gallery.
Mi Casa (periodical citation). Sep 07, 1993, by Willy Blanco. "Picasso Ceramics Exhibition". Largest Picasso exhibition ever assembled in South Florida.
Diario de las Americas (periodical citation). Sep 03, 1993, by Helen Ferre. "Picasso Ceramics Exhibition".Exclusive article on the largest Picasso exhibition ever assembled in South Florida.
Exito (periodical). Sep 03, 1993, by Mireya Novo. "Picasso Ceramics Exhibition". Largest Picasso exhibition ever assembled in South Florida at NK Gallery.
South Florida (periodical). Sep 01, 1993, by Glenn Albin. "Picasso Ceramics Exhibition". Largest Picasso exhibition ever assembled in South Florida at NK Gallery.
Interior Design (periodical citation - national). Jun 01, 1993, by Andrea Loukin. "Market Issue". Citation of industrial design projects exhibited at the ICFF in New York.
South Florida (periodical). May 01, 1993, by Marcela Mauer. "South Florida Design for Living". David D'Imperio's Mimesis Collection shown at the March 1993 opening at NK Gallery.
Woman's Day (periodical citation - national). Mar 01, 1993, by Carolyn Gato. "Discoveries". Arlecchino line of exotic veneers furniture.
Art in America (periodical citation - national). Jan 01, 1993. "Galleries & Museums of Florida". Map of most significant galleries and museums in South Florida citing N K Gallery.
Entertainment News & Views (periodical citation). Dec 11, 1992. "Sixth Annual Festival of the Trees". Concept tree designed for the French furniture manufacturer Roche Bobois.
Miami Today (periodical citation). Dec 10, 1992, by Ina Paiva Cordle. "Festival of the Trees on Brickell". Concept tree for the French furniture manufacturer Roche Bobois.
Metropolis (periodical citation - national). Sep 01, 1992, by Janet Rumble. "ICFF: United They Stand". Arlecchino line; full page article citing N K Gallery of Coral Gables.
Designer's West (periodical citation). Sep 01, 1992, by Susan Whitelaw Preville. "Designer's World". Industrial design projects exhibited at the Designer's World showcase in May of 1992.
Elle (periodical citation - national). Jun 01, 1992, by Stephen O'Shea. "Miami Mi Amigo". N K Gallery as the "crossroads of American culture".
Haut Decor (periodical citation). Jun 01, 1992, by Janet Verdeguer. "Florida: Who Showed at ICFF?". International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York. Citation of industrial design projects.
Interview (periodical citation). Apr 01, 1992, by Richard Pandiscio. "Ones to Watch: Scouting". David Capogna's furniture with N K Gallery and Neotu Gallery of New York.
Designer's West (periodical citation). Mar 01, 1992, by Susan Whitelaw Preville. "Miami Design District". Jorge Rauhaus from "Packer & Rauhaus" exhibition held at N K Gallery.
Haut Decor (periodical citation). Feb 01, 1992, by Michele K. Lindstrom. "Hot Pairs". Article on N K Gallery.
Art in America (periodical citation - national). Jan 02, 1992. "Galleries & Museums of Florida". Significant galleries in South Florida citing N K Gallery.
Haut Decor (periodical citation). Jan 01, 1992, by Michele Verdeguer. "Haut Kids". Feature article with photos of Arlecchino furniture line in prototype form.
Guide To The Arts (periodical citation - national). Jan 01, 1992, by Luke Smith. "Showcase". Selected miniature industrial arts pieces at NK Gallery in Coral Gables.
Ideas (periodical citation). Jan 01, 1991, by Les Rachline. "Innovations in Furniture". N K Gallery at MID II as one of the interesting showrooms in Miami.
Architektur & Wohnen (periodical citation - Germany). May 01, 1990. "Norman Jaffe". Gates of the Grove, East Hampton, New York, 1989. Images of architectural renderings executed at Norman Jaffe.
Architecture (periodical citation - national). Dec 01, 1989. "Gates of the Grove". Gates of the Grove, East Hampton, New York, 1989. Images of architectural renderings executed at Norman Jaffe Architects, AIA.
