The Art Institute of Chicago has mounted a unique exhibition that delves into the design approach of one of the city’s most innovative architects. “Building: Inside Studio Gang Architects” is the first solo exhibition devoted to the Chicago-based firm founded by Jeanne
Gang, FAIA, and offers a look at how the firm creates buildings and projects through a studio-like presentation. Housed within the institution’s Modern Wing, the show is a two-part installation: A gallery displays full-scale mockups, research and media, and material samples, while the second element is an interactive workshop space hosting discussions throughout the exhibition’s run.
“People will be able to see projects represented, but also experience large-scale spaces we have designed and installed in the gallery while getting a glimpse of what our studio is like,” says Gang, a recent MacArthur Fellow. “I think all this will give people a sense of how we conceive and make things.”

“Jeanne is at an early stage of her career but it’s valuable to show what she has done up to now because it’s a pivotal moment,” says Zoë Ryan, the Art Institute of Chicago’s John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design. She tells Contract, “[Museums] usually come in at the end, when a building is being completed, and I’m interested in following careers to see where they intersect at different points, to facilitate opening a dialogue around architecture.”

Some highlighted projects include Northerly Island, the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, Hyderabad Tellapur 02, and Aqua Tower. “The curators’ selections and groupings gave us another viewpoint through which to see our work and reflect upon the threads that tie our projects together and what we would like to keep pursuing moving forward,” says Gang.

The exhibition, which began in September, continues through February 24, 2013.