MoMA opens Architecture Now, New York New Publics, the inaugural presentation of new exhibition series

Architecture Now: New York, New Publics, the debut installation of a new exhibition series that will serve as a platform to promote emerging talent and foreground landmark initiatives in contemporary architecture, opens at the Museum of Modern Art. The first iteration of the series, New York, New Publics, will be on display from February 19 to July 29, 2023, and will look at how New York City-based practices have been actively broadening the relationship of architecture to different publics through 12 recently completed projects.

In a city where real estate interests and economic forces impact many parts of our daily lives, architecture may nonetheless play an important role in creating community involvement and a sense of belonging. New York, New Publics features twelve projects from across the New York metropolitan region that critically engage with their material and social settings to offer new possibilities for architecture to serve as a public amenity. In contrast to the violent and disruptive nature of previous century’s large-scale infrastructure and urban renewal initiatives, which frequently prioritized cars and resulted in displacement of low-income groups, particularly communities of color, recent design strategies present subtler, restorative interventions. These innovative ideas foresee a future in which design generates more accessible, sustainable, and equitable cities, viewing the city as a vulnerable ecosystem in need of care.

New York, New Publics collects a diverse range of design suggestions, including waterfront parks, public pools, and cultural venues, as well as community gardens, subway stops, and virtual monuments. They rethink civic infrastructure, redistribute private resources, and mine the promise of emerging technology, and have all been launched or completed within the last three years. The exhibition is designed as a non-prescriptive sequence of alternate urban images through which visitors are encouraged to freely explore, mirroring the feeling of wandering through a metropolis. Full-scale architectural components, prototypes, and an augmented-reality installation are displayed alongside models, sketches, drawings, and pictures. Twelve new movies offer views into the day-to-day lives of these designs, which reveal innovative and resilient ways for communities to thrive.

Adjaye Associates, Agency-Agency and Chris Woebken Studio, CO Adaptive, James Corner Field Operations, Kinfolk, nARCHITECTS, New Affiliates and Samuel Stewart-Halevy, Olalekan Jeyifous, Only If, Peterson Rich Office, SO—IL, and SWA/Balsley and Weiss/Manfredi with ARUP are among the designers represented in the exhibition.

Evangelos Kotsioris, Assistant Curator, and Martino Stierli, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator, organized the exhibition, which was assisted by Paula Vilaplana de Miguel, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Architecture and Design.

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New York, New Publics will be supported by a number of public programs and digital features that will extend the conversation beyond the Museum’s walls.