As the cultural calendar shifts through the seasons, museums, institutions, and organizations worldwide are rolling out an expansive lineup of exhibitions, large-scale events, and prestigious design competitions. From historic country estates in England to bustling urban centers across North America and Europe, the architectural and design communities are engaging deeply with pressing contemporary themes, historical reconsiderations, and innovative material explorations.
Among the standout cultural offerings currently captivating visitors is a sweeping site-specific exhibition at Chatsworth, the stately English home of the Devonshire family. Built in the late 16th century, Chatsworth has served as a sanctuary for 16 generations of the family while continuously expanding an illustrious art collection. Today, that collection spans ancient Greco-Roman art and sculpture, masterpieces by Rembrandt and Reynolds, and modern works by luminaries like Lucian Freud and David Nash. Expanding on this rich history, a new exhibition features works from 16 contemporary artists and designers who have established a direct dialogue with the house’s historic architecture, intricate interiors, treasured furniture, and foundational materials.
Major Museum Surveys and Ongoing Exhibitions
In Boston, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston has launched a landmark retrospective dedicated to acclaimed New York-based artist and sculptor Simone Leigh. Running through September 4, 2023, the exhibition represents the first comprehensive survey of Leigh’s career, encompassing two decades of prolific production. Visitors can experience a powerful array of sculpture, ceramics, video, and immersive installations. Notably, the exhibition brings together works from Leigh’s celebrated 2022 Venice Biennale presentation, displaying them to an American audience for the very first time.
Across the Atlantic, international design history continues to draw critical acclaim. In Zurich, the Museum of Design Zurich recently wrapped up an influential retrospective titled Willy Guhl – Thinking with Your Hands, dedicated to the pioneering Swiss designer. Best known for his iconic "Loop Chair"—manufactured from a durable cement-asbestos mixture known as Eternit—Guhl honed his craft at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich before helping define Europe’s mid-century neo-functional design movement.
Urban planning and the future of civic spaces are also taking center stage in Central Europe. In Prague, the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning has organized a comprehensive exhibition titled Prague Tomorrow? Houses and Apartments. Through April 30, 2023, the display investigates the current landscape of urban housing in the Czech capital, proposing strategic pathways toward affordability and sustainability through targeted policy reform and thoughtful design interventions. The exhibition draws heavily from the official Housing Development Strategy approved by the Prague city council.
In New York, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum is hosting a vital historical examination titled Deconstructing Power: W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair. The exhibition revisits The American Negro Exhibit originally organized for the 1900 Paris World’s Fair by W.E.B. Du Bois and his talented students at the University of Atlanta. Through a series of pioneering data visualizations mapping the social and economic conditions of African Americans following emancipation, Du Bois sought to counter prevailing racial narratives. Now, for the first time, these long-overlooked materials are exhibited in direct dialogue with the broader history of the 1900 World’s Fair, challenging traditional records of the event as a pure spectacle of Western progress.
London’s Design Museum is similarly exploring the intersections of heritage and contemporary culture through Parables for Happiness, a major exhibition celebrating the work of British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori. Known widely for his exuberant, color-drenched public art installations, Ilori’s retrospective brings together 100 works ranging from standalone art pieces, photographs, and custom furniture to textiles, books, and intimate personal possessions. The collection vividly illustrates how his North London upbringing and rich Nigerian heritage have deeply informed his multidisciplinary practice.
The architectural community in New York is also experiencing a vibrant exhibition season. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has debuted Architecture Now: New York, New Publics, an ongoing exhibition series designed to spotlight cutting-edge work by emerging architectural innovators. The inaugural showcase highlights 12 recently completed projects across the five boroughs, featuring designs from prominent firms such as Adjaye Associates, nArchitects, SO – IL, and recent Design Vanguard winners CO Adaptive and Only If. Each architectural work is presented alongside a newly commissioned short film by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Hudson Lines.
Concurrently, the Center for Architecture in New York recently highlighted the vitality of local practice with its display of the New Practices New York competition winners. Showcasing six emerging firms—BRANDT: HAFERD, Byrony Roberts Studio, City-group, GRT Architects, New Affiliates, and ANY—the exhibition celebrated practices that demonstrate a profound, hands-on civic engagement with the city and its residents.
Industry Events and Conferences
As spring unfolds, the professional calendar fills with critical gatherings for architects, designers, and industry stakeholders. The season kicked off with Palm Springs Modernism Week in California, drawing enthusiasts of mid-century design to more than 350 events, including exclusive home and garden tours, lectures, and cinematic screenings. This year’s marquee event featured a keynote address by Thom Mayne, principal of the renowned firm Morphosis.
Looking ahead to the spring and early summer, professionals will convene for major trade and sustainability forums. In Orlando, the annual Coverings conference—the largest international tile and stone exhibition in the United States—will welcome approximately 800 exhibitors representing over 30 countries. The conference offers expansive product displays alongside targeted educational sessions and professional networking opportunities.
Environmental performance and decarbonization remain paramount for the built environment. From May 10 to 12, 2023, the Getting to Zero Forum will take place in Minneapolis, adopting a hybrid format to connect more than 500 leading policymakers, architects, and industry experts. The forum serves as a collaborative hub for sharing strategies, policy frameworks, and technological innovations aimed at achieving zero-energy and zero-carbon buildings.
In Spain, the ninth edition of the Concéntrico architecture and design festival will transform the city of Logroño from April 27 to May 2, 2023. The six-day festival invites international designers to install temporary pavilions, installations, and exhibitions throughout the urban fabric, fostering a renewed public appreciation for the civic realm and shared community spaces.
Architectural Competitions and Awards
Organizations worldwide are currently fielding submissions for some of the most prestigious accolades in architecture and design. The Copper Development Association has issued its call for entries for the North American Copper in Architecture Awards, which celebrate outstanding applications of architectural copper and copper alloys in contemporary and historic restoration projects across the United States and Canada completed within the past three years.
In the realm of architectural media, the AIA St. Louis chapter is accepting entries for its annual National Photography Competition. Open to licensed architects and current architecture students alike, the contest honors exceptional photographic interpretations of the built environment. Winning photographs will be published in architectural media and prominently exhibited during the national AIA conference.
Finally, the Holcim Foundation has opened submissions for the 2023 Holcim Awards, a major global competition that recognizes built and unbuilt projects harmonizing sustainable construction with architectural excellence. Evaluated against rigorous environmental and social standards, regional winners across Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific will receive substantial cash prizes and invitations to the official awards announcement held during the Venice Biennale of Architecture.
