Q: Tell us about your organization!

Grace Farms is a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan, CT. A new kind of public space, Grace Farms is home to 80 acres of preserved landscape and the River building and Barns designed by Pritzker Prize-winning firm, SANAA.

Grace Farms brings people together to explore nature, arts, justice, community, and faith. Our humanitarian work to end modern slavery and foster more grace and peace in our local and global communities includes leading the Design for Freedom movement to eliminate forced and child labor in the building materials supply chain.

Grace Farms Tea & Coffee, a public benefit LLC and Certified B Corp, offers a collection of premium organic coffees and teas, with 100% of profits supporting the Design for Freedom movement. It was created to demonstrate how tea and coRee can be ethically sourced free of forced labor, while educating people about ethical supply chains, both at Grace Farms and beyond.

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Q: Can you highlight a recent initiative, program, or exhibition?

Design for Freedom, Grace Farms’ movement to eliminate forced labor from the building materials supply chain, is represented in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective., curated by Carlo Ratti.

The installation, on view through November 23, amplifies the movement’s three principles – to address embedded forced and child labor, pursue ethical decarbonization, and prioritize circularity. The display is adapted from the With Every Fiber exhibit on view at Grace Farms.

Designed by Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design and Pentagram and curated by Chelsea Thatcher, Grace Farms’ Chief Strategic Officer and Founding Creative Director, With Every Fiber brings Design for Freedom to the public for the first time.

With Every Fiber | Pigment, Stone, Glass, opening October 11th, shines a spotlight on three materials that are at high-risk of forced and child labor. It also features new music, texts and artworks by artists who have contributed to the movement.

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Q: What is something about your organization that most people don’t know or might be unfamiliar with?

We are about to celebrate our 10 Year Season, rooted in the theme, We all build. This season offers one-of-a-kind concerts, musical performances, nature workshops, wellness tea retreats, and programs spotlighting world-renowned leaders, prolific thinkers, and thought-provoking creatives—inviting people of all ages to Grace Farms to consider their individual and collective power to build a better world.

On October 11th, join us for a special afternoon program in the Sanctuary from 2–4 pm, as we celebrate 10 years of Grace Farms. Experience a conversation with Grace Farms CEO and Founder Sharon Prince, Chief Strategic Officer and Founding Creative Director Chelsea Thatcher, and Kazuyo Sejima of SANAA, with Grace Farms Architecture Advisor Toshihiro Oki.

Enjoy a featured performance by GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell, and cellist and Grace Farms Artist-in-Residence, Arlen Hlusko. This anniversary is more than a milestone—it is a moment of momentum, a time to honor what we’ve built together as a local and global community.

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Q: What is something in your neighborhood/area near your organization that you would recommend doing/seeing/eating etc. if someone were to visit?

We encourage visitors to Grace Farms to make the most of their day trip to New Canaan, Connecticut. New Canaan is a renowned destination for modern architecture. Our surrounding Fairfield County area is home to a multitude of historic and culturally significant museums and institutions.

We recommend stopping by The Glass House, a National Historic Trust Site and house museum design by architect, Philip Johnson (New Canaan). Enjoy Silvermine Arts Center, which includes gallery exhibitions and an award-winning art school with classes for all ages (New Canaan). Learn more about the organization here.

In the neighboring town of Ridgefield, CT, discover The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, the only museum in Connecticut dedicated solely to contemporary art.

Explore our guide to planning a day trip to Grace Farms and our New Canaan community here. Visitors to Grace Farms can also download the free BloombergConnects app to access more details about Grace Farms and nearby museums and cultural sites.

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Q: How does your organization’s mission intersect with Archtober’s mission?

Archtober’s mission is to “celebrate architecture and design, deepening our relationships with the places we inhabit.” Celebrating the power of architecture and design and its ability to break down barriers between people and nature is integral to all that we do. Like Archtober, we believe the places we inhabit are more than just physical places—we know that space communicates.

Grace Farms comprised of the River building and surrounding natural landscapes was established with the idea that space communicates and can inspire people to collaborate for good. To realize this vision, Grace Farms Foundation set out to create a multipurpose building nestled into the existing habitat that would enable visitors to experience nature, encounter the arts, pursue justice, foster community, and explore faith.

The River building embodies our mission to create more grace and peace in our local and global communities through open architecture designed to remove barriers between people and nature.

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Q: What is a design object in your collection (or a building on your campus) that you would like to highlight?

Experience the opening of ParaPosition, a remarkable sculpture by Alicja Kwade, made of slim interlocking steel frames supporting four boulders and a blue chair made of bronze, in celebration of our 10 Year Season.

On September 13, at 3 pm, Kwade will join Grace Farms’ Chief Strategic Officer and Founding Creative Director, Chelsea Thatcher, for a conversation about her inspiration and the sculpture’s dialogue with our site and mission. The conversation will be followed by a special reception for Grace Farms members at 4 pm.

“Alicja Kwade is approaching themes about society and human flourishing in the same spirit as we are at Grace Farms Foundation — imploring us to expand our perspective by asking questions. At Grace Farms, we seek new outcomes on pressing humanitarian issues by breaking down silos and facilitating dialogue across sectors.” – Sharon Prince, Grace Farms CEO and Founder.