MoMA presents 'architecture now: new york, new publics'

‘Architecture Now: New York, New Publics’ is on view at moma

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) announces Architecture Now: New York, New Publics, the inaugural installation of a new exhibition series that will serve as a platform to highlight emerging talent and foreground groundbreaking projects in contemporary architecture. Running from February 19 through July 29, 2023, the first iteration of the series, New York, New Publics, will explore the ways in which New York City–based practices have been actively expanding the relationship of metropolitan architecture to different publics through 12 recently completed projects. Each project will also be accompanied by a new video by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Hudson Lines, produced on the occasion of the exhibition.

CO Adaptive. Timber Adaptive Reuse Theatre, 2017-21 | double-height assembly space at The Mercury Store

image © Naho Kubota

Architecture Now: New York, New Publics at the MoMA is organized by Evangelos Kotsioris, Assistant Curator, and Martino Stierli, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator, with Paula Vilaplana de Miguel, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design. Elaborating on the concept, Stierli says: ‘The last three years in New York have been marked by the ravaging effects of the pandemic and its aftermath, as well as powerful social and political protests across the city advocating for profound change. Can this context catalyze the transformation of civic space and the public realm in New York? How can innovative architecture attempt to redress structural inequities and foster social transformation?’

‘This first presentation of New York, New Publics is an opportunity to look back at the architecture produced in New York during a particularly challenging and traumatic period,’ says Evangelos Kotsioris. ‘Our goal is also to highlight projects and practices that go above and beyond their original briefs to prioritize inclusion and participation in the daily life of the city,’ he continues.

nARCHITECTS. Jones Beach Energy & Research Center, 2018-20 | aerial view looking south east

image © Michael Moran

exploring NYC spaces through 12 local projects

New York, New Publics will investigate a wide array of strategies devised by architects that engage in new ways with New York City’s shared spaces. Featuring 12 architects and designers, this exhibition will showcase the works of Adjaye Associates, Agency—Agency and Chris Woebken, CO Adaptive, James Corner Field Operations, Kinfolk, nARCHITECTS, New Affiliates and Samuel Stewart-Halevy, Olalekan Jeyifous, Only If, Peterson Rich Office (PRO), SO – IL, and SWA/Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi with ARUP.

Ranging from metropolitan parks and networks of public pools, to local community gardens and virtual monuments for underrepresented publics, the projects highlighted in this exhibition inventively reimagine the uses of civic infrastructure, the sharing of private resources, and the potential of new technologies to create new spaces for political engagement.

Peterson Rich Office, 2019-present | renovation/extension for NYCHA Cooper Park Houses, Brooklyn, NY

image © Peterson Rich Office with Darc Studio

These diverse proposals envision a future in which architecture can play a vital role in shaping a city that is more accessible, sustainable, and equitable. The larger ambition of New York, New Publics will be to interrogate and expand the notions of publics and public space in a global metropolis like New York. It will seek to engage not only with architects and designers, but also with communities and organizations working to improve public spaces in the city.

With the completion of MoMA and MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program after two decades in 2019, the new Architecture Now series will serve as a platform to broadcast new ideas in architecture. Instead of a competition-based format with a single winner, the series will include intergenerational voices representing the rich variety of contemporary architectural practices, with a focus on championing architecture that articulates innovative responses to the most pressing cultural, environmental, and social challenges of the built environment today.

SWA/Balsley & Weiss/Manfredi with ARUP. Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, 2009-18 | wetland walkway & overlook | image © Lloyd/SWA, courtesy of SWA/Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi

Each iteration will showcase a selection of projects that have been initiated or completed over the previous three years and have the potential to transform architectural practice in the near future. Architecture Now: New York, New Publics will be accompanied by a series of public programs and digital features to expand the conversation beyond the walls of the Museum.

SO – IL. Amant, 2021 | image © Iwan Baan