The Critical Moment: Architecture in the Expanded Field

Thu, Sep 15, 2011 12am - Sat, Nov 5, 2011 12am

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The Critical Moment: Architecture in the Expanded Field

An exhibition featuring—for the first time—works designed by graduates of the
Master of Architecture II Program, Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture at The Cooper Union

Debuting in the Houghton Gallery at Cooper Union, graduates of the Master of Architecture II Program will have their innovative 2011 thesis projects on display in "The Critical Moment: Architecture in the expanded field." The show, which is free, marks the first public viewing of the Master students' work. Without prescribed boundaries, the projects address a myriad of critical issues shaping today's architectural discourse, ranging from urban theory to the present condition of globalization and the continual emergence of new scientific developments and technologies. The exhibition illuminates the graduates' year-long extensive research using literature, photography, drawing, technology, history and urban studies to develop innovative programs, all of which feature configurations and narratives that bring forth potential solutions that may not be obvious to the viewer.

In 2009, the Master of Architecture (M.Arch. II) enrolled its first class and provides graduate students with an innovative approach and experience to a studio-based, design research post-professional degree. Open to applicants with a first professional degree in architecture, students are challenged to push the frontiers of design and form critical responses to modern and contemporary issues in the practice and theory of architecture.

Exhibition Dates:
September 15 - November 5, 2011

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday 12pm-7pm
Saturday 12p-5pm
Closed Sundays and Mondays

Located in the Arthur A. Houghton Jr. Gallery, 7 East 7th Street, 2nd Floor, between Third and Fourth Avenues

More Events & Exhibitions

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.