RECORD’s monthly list of upcoming and ongoing exhibitions, events, and competitions.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage
Washington, D.C.
Opening December 14, 2024
The National Building Museum unveils a landmark permanent exhibition providing unprecedented access to over 2,500 artifacts from its collection of 500,000 objects. The show transforms previously inaccessible storage spaces into public galleries, featuring architectural models by I.M. Pei and Frank Gehry, historic building fragments and construction tools, and America’s largest collection of architectural toys. Interactive display cases invite visitors to discover light-sensitive materials and small objects, while an integrated digital platform provides deeper context for the artifacts. See nbm.org.
Visible Vault: Open Collections Storage, installation views. Photos © Stephen A. Miller
Maritime City
New York
March 2025
The South Street Seaport Museum, housed within the historic A.A. Thomson & Co. building, presents an extensive exhibition showcasing how present-day New York “arose from the sea,” tracing its evolution from port city to global capital through material culture. A selection of 525 objects from the museum’s collection and archives demonstrates how the city’s identity as a global cultural and financial hub is rooted in its origins as a seaport, and illuminates the stories of working-class people employed by ships and other local industries, emigrant workers and immigrant families, enslaved Africans, and the Indigenous people who first inhabited the region. See southstreetseaportmuseum.org.
Ongoing Exhibitions
William C. Hedrich for Hedrich-Blessing, Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, Spring Green, WI circa 1937. Photo courtesy Chicago History Museum
Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright
Chicago
Through January 5, 2025
The Driehaus Museum, with guest curator David Hanks, presents the first exhibition to explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s own early photography, alongside the work of the influential photographers who documented his work. Organized by theme, the exhibition first explores the topic of Wright as a talented amateur photographer experimenting with new technology, including his snaphots of landscape and architecture from his trips abroad, plus portraits of family, friends, and himself. These rarely exhibited works are displayed alongside contributions from photographers such as Henry Fuermann & Sons, Julius Shulman, Hedrich-Blessing, Ezra Stoller, and Pedro Guerrero, who helped the architect attain widespread visibility. See driehausmuseum.org.
Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright, installation views. Photos by Robert Chase Heishman, courtesy Driehaus Museum
Notre-Dame de Paris, the Augmented Exhibition
New York
Through January 31, 2025
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine merges history and technology in a dynamic exploration of Notre Dame’s legacy and future. The exhibition features 3D models and photo panels of Notre Dame, in addition to an interactive touch screen tablet, allowing users to “experience” the cathedral’s history from medieval Paris to present-day restoration efforts following the 2019 fire. See stjohnthedivine.org.
Architecture for Dogs
Milan
Through February 16, 2025
The ADI Design Museum hosts an exhibition reimagining the relationship between canines and the built environment. Making its Italian debut, the show features architectural installations from practitioners including Kazuyo Sejima, Kengo Kuma, and Toyo Ito, alongside new contributions from Italian designers Giulio Iacchetti and Piero Lissoni. The works—ranging from vertical doghouses to interactive ramps and benches—explore design as a cross-species language, moving beyond traditional pet architecture to examine the aesthetic and emotional dimensions of shared spaces. The exhibition’s participatory approach extends virtually through freely downloadable blueprints. See adidesignmuseum.org.
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Architecture for Dogs installations, by MVRDV (1), Shigeru Ban (2), R+U (3), and Sou Fujimoto (4). Photos courtesy ADI Design Museum
The Vertical City
San Francisco
Through February 2025
The recently refurbished Transamerica Pyramid marks its reopening with an exhibition devoted to tall-building design by Norman Foster and Foster + Partners. The global firm reimagined the traditional skyscraper as a series of “open, stacked spaces,” creating new vistas and greater adaptability. Called “breathing” towers, these buildings utilize a natural ventilation system to maintain a controlled internal climate while reducing energy consumption. Featured projects include Century Tower in Tokyo, Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, Germany, and Hearst Tower in New York. See fosterandpartners.com.
Built By New York
New York
Through April 5, 2025
The Center For Architecture presents an expansive exhibition celebrating the work of New York–based designers, architects, and affiliated professionals. It showcases past, current, and future works by members of AIA New York, AIA Brooklyn, AIA Bronx, AIA Staten Island, and AIA Queens, underscoring the local design community’s impact on the city. See centerforarchitecture.org.
Built by New York, installation views. Photo © Asya Gorovits
Events
Stockholm Furniture Fair 2025
Stockholm
February 4-8, 2025
One of the largest events during Stockholm Design Week, the four-day festival features textiles, lighting, kitchen and bathroom products, furniture, and outdoor pieces. This year’s edition will include an exhibition dedicated to the work of British designer Faye Toogood. See stockholmfurniturefair.se.
Modernism Week
Palm Springs, California
February 13-23, 2025
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the 11-day festival highlights the pervasive influence of Midcentury Modern design in California, featuring tours, talks, exhibitions, and parties. See modernismweek.com
E-mail information two months in advance to schulmanp@bnpmedia.com.
