BAC/IMI International Apprentice Contest Finals (October 18, 2003; National Building Museum; 7:30am to 3:00pm)
The International Union plans a warm welcome for 30 BAC apprentice finalists who will compete for top honors (and Ford pick-up trucks!) in six BAC craft categories -- bricklaying, tile setting, stone masonry, marble masonry, cement finishing, and plastering. According to BAC President and IMI Co-Chair John J. Flynn, “The contest is both an enjoyable and meaningful way for our Union to usher in the next generation of skilled masonry craftworkers.”

“Masonry Variations” Exhibition (October 18, 2003 - April 4, 2004; National Building Museum; Monday-Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm and Sunday 11:00-5:00pm)
“Masonry Variations,” commissioned by the National Building Museum in partnership with BAC and the International Masonry Institute (IMI), takes an innovative look at the role of masonry materials and skilled masonry craftworkers in architecture and the construction industry. A series of ground-breaking approaches to masonry design will be seen in the completed projects of four renowned architects, who were each invited to take one specific masonry material -- stone, brick, terrazzo, or AAC – in a new direction. Each architect collaborated with a master BAC craftworker throughout all phases of the project, and their “applications of the future” are certain to generate a great deal of interest and comment. The exhibition will remain open to the public through April 2004.

“Masonry Mania Family Festival” (October 18, 2003; National Building Museum; 10:00am to 4:30pm)
This one-day masonry celebration will offer an array of hands-on and educational activities for the entire family, including computer kiosks, where kids can design their own structures using masonry elements.

The International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers represents 100,000 skilled masonry workers in the United States and Canada. It is the oldest continuously operating construction union in North America.