As the architecture and design world moves deeper into the spring season, a robust slate of exhibitions, major industry events, and competitive opportunities are capturing the attention of professionals and enthusiasts alike. From historic estates in England integrating contemporary interventions to major museum retrospectives exploring the intersections of sociology, design, and the built environment, this month’s cultural calendar offers a comprehensive look at the forces shaping architecture today.
Feature Exhibitions and Historic Interventions
One of the most notable exhibitions currently welcoming visitors takes place at Chatsworth, the stately English home of the Devonshire family. Built in the late 16th century, the historic estate has accumulated an expanding art collection across 16 generations, ranging from Greco-Roman art and sculpture to masterpieces by Rembrandt and Reynolds, alongside modern works by Lucian Freud and David Nash. Now, the historic house and its expansive gardens serve as the backdrop for an immersive exhibition featuring works from 16 contemporary artists and designers. These installations are placed in direct dialogue with the house’s architecture, interior spaces, historic furniture, and traditional materials, offering visitors a fresh perspective on a centuries-old landmark.
Across the Atlantic, the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston is presenting a major milestone for New York-based artist and sculptor Simone Leigh. Running from April 6 through September 4, 2023, the exhibition marks the first comprehensive survey of Leigh’s career. The show encompasses two decades of production, bringing together powerful works in sculpture, ceramics, video, and large-scale installation. Notably, the exhibition will display pieces from Leigh’s acclaimed 2022 Venice Biennale presentation for the first time in the United States, allowing domestic audiences to experience her exploration of Black womanhood, historical monuments, and colonial histories on a comprehensive scale.
Ongoing Exhibitions Around the World
Museums and cultural institutions globally are hosting thematic exhibitions that examine housing crises, historical data visualizations, and pioneering design movements.
In Zurich, the Museum of Design Zurich recently concluded a significant retrospective dedicated to the influential Swiss designer Willy Guhl. Entitled Willy Guhl – Thinking with Your Hands, the exhibition highlighted the work of the master designer best known for his iconic "Loop Chair," crafted from a durable cement-asbestos mixture known as Eternit. Guhl, who studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Zurich, emerged as a central figure in the European neo-functional design scene of the mid-20th century, championing efficient, material-honest production.
Urban housing and future development take center stage in Prague, where the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning is presenting Prague Tomorrow? Houses and Apartments. Running through April 30, 2023, the comprehensive exhibition investigates the contemporary housing landscape in the Czech capital. It outlines viable pathways forward through targeted policy reform and innovative design strategies. The exhibition’s findings are rooted in the Housing Development Strategy for the city of Prague, an official framework approved by the city council in 2021 to address urban growth and affordability.
In New York, the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum is hosting Deconstructing Power: W.E.B. Du Bois at the 1900 World’s Fair through May 29, 2023. The exhibition revisits a historic display originally created by W.E.B. Du Bois and his students at the University of Atlanta for The American Negro Exhibit at the 1900 Paris World’s Fair. The project comprised a striking series of data visualizations illustrating the social and economic conditions of African Americans following emancipation. By bringing Du Bois’s long-overlooked graphical contributions into dialogue with the broader World’s Fair, the exhibition exposes the disparities in how history records and remembers international expositions as uncritical spectacles of Western progress.
London’s Design Museum is celebrating the vibrant intersection of culture and materiality with Parables for Happiness, an exhibition dedicated to British-Nigerian artist and designer Yinka Ilori. Running through June 23, 2023, the retrospective features approximately 100 works, spanning colorful public art installations, photographs, furniture, textiles, books, and personal items. The collection traces how Ilori’s North London upbringing and rich Nigerian heritage continually inform his exuberant approach to public space and design.
Meanwhile, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York has launched Architecture Now: New York, New Publics, a new exhibition series designed to spotlight emerging architectural innovators. The inaugural show highlights 12 recently completed projects across the five boroughs, created by forward-thinking firms such as Adjaye Associates, nArchitects, SO – IL, and recent Design Vanguard winners CO Adaptive and Only If. Each architectural project is accompanied by an original short film produced specifically for the exhibition by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Hudson Lines.
The Center for Architecture in New York also recently wrapped up New Practices New York, an exhibition highlighting the winners of AIA New York’s 2020 competition. The showcase celebrated six emerging local firms—BRANDT: HAFERD, Bryony Roberts Studio, City-group, GRT Architects, New Affiliates, and ANY—all recognized for their rigorous engagement with the urban fabric and civic life of the city.
Upcoming and Ongoing Events
The professional and cultural calendar also features several major gatherings designed to foster industry collaboration, continuing education, and public engagement.
In California, Palm Springs recently hosted its annual celebration of Modernist design and architecture, Modernism Week 2023. The festival offered more than 350 events spread across the desert city, including signature home and garden tours, documentary film screenings, and expert lectures. This year’s keynote address was delivered by Thom Mayne, principal of the renowned architecture firm Morphosis.
Looking ahead to the spring, Orlando will host Coverings, the largest international tile and stone exhibition in the United States, from April 18 to 21, 2023. The massive trade event is set to welcome approximately 800 exhibitors hailing from over 30 countries. Attendees can explore expansive product displays while participating in targeted educational sessions and professional networking events.
In the realm of sustainable building, the Getting to Zero Forum is scheduled to take place in Minneapolis from May 10 to 12, 2023. Operating in a hybrid format with both in-person and virtual participation, the forum will bring together more than 500 leading architects, policymakers, and building industry professionals. The goal is to share cutting-edge perspectives and collaborate on zero-energy and zero-carbon solutions aimed at aggressively decarbonizing the built environment.
In Spain, the architecture and design festival Concentrérico 09 is preparing for its ninth annual edition in Logroño, running from April 27 to May 2, 2023. Over the course of six days, the festival will activate the city with site-specific installations, exhibitions, and public events that invite the public to rethink and celebrate the public realm and civic life.
Competitions and Professional Recognition
Several prominent organizations have announced calls for entries for awards that recognize design excellence, technical innovation, and exceptional imagery within the profession.
The Copper Development Association is currently accepting submissions for the North American Copper in Architecture Awards through March 31, 2023. The program honors building projects across the United States and Canada that demonstrate outstanding craftsmanship and aesthetic vision in the application of architectural copper and copper alloys within the past three years.
In the field of architectural photography, AIA St. Louis is accepting entries for its annual AIA National Photography Competition through April 3, 2023. Open to licensed architects and currently enrolled architecture students, the competition celebrates compelling photographic interpretations of the built environment. Winning photographs will be published and exhibited during the national AIA conference.
Additionally, the Holcim Foundation has set a deadline of March 30, 2023, for the Holcim Awards 2023. This major global competition honors projects that successfully integrate sustainable design and construction with architectural excellence. Submitted entries are evaluated against the Foundation’s rigorous benchmarks for sustainable construction. Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes will be awarded across five geographic regions—Europe, North America, Latin America, the Middle East Africa, and Asia Pacific—with regional winners receiving cash prizes and invitations to the official awards announcement at the 2023 Venice Biennale of Architecture.
