The third edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, And Other Such Stories, will open to the public on Thursday, September 19, 2019 with a land acknowledgment led by Heather Miller (Wyandotte), executive director of the American Indian Center of Chicago, and members of Chicago’s Indigenous community from 11:00am – 12:30pm.
More than 100 programs will take place at upwards of 50 venues over the course of the Biennial from September 19, 2019 through January 5, 2020. These range from events, lectures, panels, workshops, and performances organized by the Biennial to partner programs that respond to the Biennial’s themes at cultural organizations around the city, bringing the Biennial’s exploration of space, community, and architecture to Chicagoans of all ages, interests, and backgrounds, as well as visitors from around the world.
The 2019 edition, titled And Other Such Stories, will form an expansive and multi-faceted exploration of the field of architecture and the built environment globally — as such, programming is central to ensuring that the conversation is inclusive, diverse, and ever-changing through the course of the Biennial.
“Foregrounding the idea of Common Ground, the curatorial team has devised spaces and programs that ensure that this edition of the biennial supports inclusive and diverse explorations of the built environment today,” noted Yesomi Umolu, Graham Foundation Artistic Director, Chicago Architecture Biennial. “By deeply engaging the public and various communities in our contributor projects and curatorial ideas, we are excited to extend the exchange we have fostered during our research phase into the biennial experience at the Chicago Cultural Center and at our various offsite venues.”
Opening Weekend Highlights
Thursday, September 19
Public Opening
10:00am – 7:00pm, Chicago Cultural Center
Land Acknowledgment with the American Indian Center of Chicago
11:00am – 12:30pm, Chicago Cultural Center
A land acknowledgment and discussion led by Heather Miller (Wyandotte), executive director of the American Indian Center of Chicago, and members of Chicago’s Indigenous community.
Re-collection
Ongoing Action by Alexandra Pirici
1:00pm – 5:00pm, GAR Rotunda, Chicago Cultural Center
Re-collection by Alexandra Pirici is an ongoing action that gives new form to memories, sensations and objects, producing a living environment that is both strange and familiar.
Friday, September 20
Descendances du nu (Chicago)
Performance by Jimmy Robert
5:00pm – 5:30pm, 3rd Floor Randolph Street Stairwell, Chicago Cultural Center
City Housing in a Cultural Matrix (Mumbai)
Performance Lecture by CAMP
6:00pm – 7:30pm, Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Cultural Center
Join us for the US premier of City Housing in a Cultural Matrix (Mumbai), a three-part interactive performance-lecture series by CAMP, that explores the question of housing and development in India’s second largest city. Subsequent performances take place Saturday, September 21 at 6pm and Sunday, September 22 at 3pm.
Saturday, September 21
The Architecture of Advocacy
Discussion with Yesomi Umolu, Maria Gaspar, Jhanea Williams (MASS Design), Eyal Weizman (Forensic Architecture), and Maurice Cox (newly nominated Chicago Commissioner of Planning and Development)
11:00am – 12:00pm, Claudia Cassidy, Chicago Cultural Center
A conversation focusing on questions of architecture and advocacy with Biennial contributors Maria Gaspar, Jhanea Williams (MASS Design Group), Eyal Weizman (Forensic Architecture), and Maurice Cox (newly nominated Chicago Commissioner of Planning and Development), moderated by Chicago Architecture Biennial Graham Foundation Artistic Director Yesomi Umolu.