Design Archive Project

October 20 - December 19, 2008
12:00pm – 6:00pm

at Van Alen Institute
30 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010

Van Alen Institute is pleased to present materials from its ongoing Design Archive Project. Conceived as a resource for the design community at large, the project has been undertaken as a multi-year initiative to provide public access to the Institute's collection of historical design materials. Dating from the Institute's founding in 1894 as the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects, these materials include original, large-format architectural drawings, design competition programs, jury reports, annual publications, prints, negatives, photostats, and over 100 linear feet of internal papers and correspondence. The collection documents the Institute's legacy as a liaison bridging architectural education and practice through open-call design competitions and fellowships, and the significant influence of these programs on the development of early 20th century American architectural education.

A selection of twenty hand-drawn competition submissions, each comprised of four to five 30" x 40" boards, will be on view at the Institute's gallery from October 20 to November 21, 2008. Submitted from 1964 to 1984, the drawings document evolving design approaches to cultural and civic institutions, and are organized by competition program, including "An Audio-Visual Center for a Great Museum: The Louvre" (1980), "A World Bibliographic Center in Chicago" (1983), "A Museum and Cultural Center in Haifa" (1984), and more. This presentation is free and open to the public; gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 12:00 - 6:00pm.