Open Access: Exhibition Reception

On view October 8–November 13 at Van Alen Institute, Open Access: Exploring 130 Years of American Design invites five artists and design teams to respond to our archive. Comprising thousands of competition boards, jury records, photographs, and correspondence, it's one of the most significant collections of American architectural history in existence.

But an archive is never neutral. It reflects the priorities, blind spots, and values of those who built it: who was invited in, whose ideas were resourced, and whose were left out entirely. In Open Access, each project asks a different version of the same question: what does this archive tell us about who design has — and hasn't — served?

On October 8, join us for a festive cocktail reception, take a first look at the exhibition, and toast the exhibiting artists:

• ​Annie Barrett, Daniel Pittman, and Paula Vilaplana de Miguel
• ​Kholisile Dhliwayo
• ​Friends Making Work
• ​PROPS SUPPLY
• ​Gillian Waldo