Opening Lecture Panel: Architecture At Home

Join us for an opening discussion celebrating our new temporary exhibition, Architecture at Home. Moderated by Dylan Turk, special projects editor of architecture and design, this panel discussion will feature all of the architects included in the exhibition. You’ll get an expert look into the themes of the exhibition, how this unique collection of works came together, and learn how the artistry of architecture can inform our discussions about contemporary housing.

Free, tickets required. Reserve your spot online or by calling Guest Services at (479) 657-2335 today.

studioSUMO, a research-driven practice founded by the architects and educators Yolande Daniels and Sunil Bald, is informed by a humanist approach to architecture that expands and evolves the field to serve constituents and communities. Small in scale and large in concepts, the practice has earned the respect of architecture communities globally through a design-research approach that explores materiality, spatial experience, and the social structures underlying the built environment.

LEVENBETTS approaches architecture from the mindset of an artist. Stella Betts’s and David Leven’s exploration of shape, form, and structure is essential to their creative process, counterbalanced by a belief that architecture must connect with and support the people who live in it. They understand that one’s relationship with a building pushes us to better understand the landscape in which we live while challenging the preconceptions of traditional building types. Focused on houses, housing, education spaces, and public libraries, LEVENBETTS has explored how people live and learn for over two decades.

MUTUO’s practice is informed by their upbringing and education in Brazil and Mexico. Fernanda Oppermann and Jose Herrasti have been developing “affordable-by-design” housing solutions that simplify construction while addressing the question of what makes a home. MUTUO finds extraordinary uses for ordinary materials and methods. They use design as a tool in their pursuit to discover new perspectives to alleviate big social challenges.

PPAA (Perez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados) is driven by an architecture of ideas rather than an architecture of forms. Based in Mexico City, Pablo Perez leans on the beauty of materials to ground the firm’s work in the history of a place while creating forms that signal their difference in articulating space. An advocate for attainable housing, PPAA has a track record of making buildings functional as well as beautiful. Their conception of architecture is based on an understanding of the body and the relationship everyone establishes with their surroundings. Furthermore, in order for architecture to be capable of conveying an idea of intention, it has to speak of the individual, or the sum of individuals, and the way they relate to their environment, on both a sensorial and emotional level.

Studio:indigenous explores the stories, architectural traditions, and needs of Indigenous people. Chris Cornelius’s research and practice opens up the architectural translation of culture. The firm’s work primarily serves Indigenous clients across North America, emerging from the earth in support of the tradition, beliefs, and needs of each unique project. Heavy research in housing forms and attainability drives the firm’s projects to make architecture more inclusive, culturally specific, and connected to people and place.