The EX-CHANGE year-end show closed with a party, and the first-ever all-school photo! — a rare collective moment to celebrate another productive and inspired year. Photo by Lake Lewis.
EX-CHANGE is an initiative by the School of Architecture Studio Committee that began in Fall 2017 as a way to mark the close of the semester. This spring, EX-CHANGE 2019 was presented for the first time as a year-end show demonstrating the breadth of student work from first-year through PhD in a curated exhibition. This new tradition offers an opportunity for those within the department—architecture students and faculty—as well as community members from across campus and throughout the city to glimpse the variety and depth of work and research produced in the school each year.
The curatorial concept and exhibition design for this year’s EX-CHANGE exhibition was developed by Lucian & Rita Caste Associate Professor of Architecture and Urbanism Stefan Gruber and co-directed by adjunct faculty Sarah Rafson and Akhil Badjatia. A team of student assistants helped to produce the event and received hands-on curatorial and design experience: Maddi Johnson, Juan Aranda, Lukas Hermann, Mariana Alberola, Yashwitha Maram Reddy, Angela Castellano, Veronica Hernandez Garrido, Carol Yuxin Huang, and Mohammed Rahman, among others.
The show was organized around three environments: a theater showing films by and about SoA initiatives, a "model city" with examples of building models from all years, and a drawing gallery with some of the most compelling two-dimensional work.
EX-CHANGE was on view in the College of Fine Arts building during final studio reviews and closed with a year-end party on May 7, 2019—a rare all-school moment to celebrate another productive and inspired year. We were thrilled to be joined by over 300 people for the party, which included students and faculty as well as parents, mentors, and local designers. The event was made possible with sponsorships by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, DesignGroup, Front Studio, and GBBN.
Over the summer, B.Arch students Christoph Eckrich and Cassandra Howard will collaborate with Sarah Rafson to translate the work collected for the EX-CHANGE exhibition into a publication showcasing the highlights of the 2018-19 school year. The publication will be released in September 2019.
Thanks to all of those who joined us for this year’s event, and look out for the upcoming publication this fall.
To learn more about EX-CHANGE, visit soa.cmu.edu/exchange.