The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design at the University of Arkansas, in partnership with DesignConnects and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, invites architects, designers, artists and creatives from across the United States and its territories to submit exhibit design proposals for PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity, the U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.
PORCH focuses on the representation of the U.S. through the contemporary manifestation of the porch in American architecture – a quintessential constructed place that is at once social and environmental, tectonic and performative, hospitable and intimate, generous and democratic. The U.S. Pavilion’s theme highlights an enduring American architectural typology that persists across scales, geographies, communities, construction methods and histories. PORCH also complements the Biennale Architettura 2025's theme, Intelligens: Natural. Artificial. Collective., spotlighting architecture’s role in addressing climate change and fostering forward-looking solutions for adaptation and renewal.
“The exhibitor contributions to the U.S. Pavilion, achieved through the Open Call, lie at the heart of the collective PORCH project,” said Peter MacKeith, Dean of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, University of Arkansas. “Framed by the constructions and installations of our design team, the exhibitor contributions will animate an understanding of contemporary architecture and design in the United States as a source of civic engagement and community building, a resource for social and environmental resiliency and as fundamentally committed to the greater good of society.”
“Like a big porch inviting the world in, our Open Call for Participation welcomes artists, architects and designers from all regions of the country to share their creativity,” said Susan Chin, Founding Principal, DesignConnects. “I am eager to see how these porches, at all scales from rural to urban, will evoke memories of breezy shady spaces, places for gathering or welcoming strangers to stop and chat. Our ideal is to engage new voices who spark new ideas for the American PORCH.”
“The porch plays an important role as a cultural and architectural representation of American life,” said Rod Bigelow, Executive Director and Chief Learning and Engagement Officer, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary. “It acts as a stage for social interactions and contributes to the storytelling of communities. These stories will broaden dramatically through welcoming creators from around the country to contribute to the PORCH, showing the diversity of the American experience on the world stage.”
The Open Call for Participation will be conducted in two phases, accepting initial submissions through a dedicated portal HERE from December 3, 2024, to January 17, 2025. Projects will be evaluated by the PORCH design team leads, working with prominent figures from architectural and design arenas. The announcement of at least 50 exhibitors will be made on February 3, 2025, and selected participants will receive a modest stipend to support the further development of their proposals into a designated format for exhibition.
Architects, landscape architects, designers, artists, design firms, nonprofits, public agencies and individuals from across the U.S. and its territories are invited to respond to the Open Call. The U.S. Pavilion’s interior exhibition will feature at least 50 participant displays, encouraging proposals from citizens, states and territories nationwide, as well as from design practices of any size or discipline. Eligible entries must have been built or completed after 2000. A separate call for participation, launching in mid-January 2025, will permit unbuilt and speculative projects from students and schools of architecture and design.
PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity will debut publicly on May 10, 2025, at the opening of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition.
Open Call Details
Who Can Apply:
Architects, landscape architects, designers, artists, design firms, nonprofits, public agencies and individuals from the U.S. and its territories.
Project Requirements
Projects must demonstrate artistic and architectural merit and have been built or completed after 2000.
Submission Period
December 3, 2024 – January 17, 2025 at 12:00 P.M. EST.
How to Apply
Submission guidelines and project briefs are available at the link HERE.
Selection Process
The PORCH design team leads, working with prominent figures from architectural and design arenas, will evaluate Phase 1 submissions. At least 50 elected exhibitors will be announced on February 3, 2025. Selected participants will receive a modest stipend to support the further development of their exhibits, according to a Phase 2 design brief. The selected participants’ finalized exhibitions must be prepared for delivery to the commissioners by March 31, 2025.
Image courtesy of Novità Communications
