The Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB) will officially open to the public on Saturday, September 16, 2017 and run through January 7, 2018. The Chicago Architecture Biennial will be the largest free architecture and design exhibition in North America, and will showcase the transformative global impact of creativity and innovation in these fields. This year’s Biennial features over 140 practitioners from 20 countries addressing the 2017 theme Make New History.
 
“Chicago has long been at the center of the universe of architecture, design and innovation and we are honored to share our legacy of architectural ingenuity with the world,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial will feature another outstanding lineup of exhibitions, installations, programming and discussions in communities throughout the City of Chicago. We welcome the opportunity to provoke discussion on the future of architecture, especially among students and aspiring architects, by looking to Chicago’s innovative past for inspiration.”
 
Artistic Directors Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of LA-based design firm Johnston Marklee have selected architects and artists whose eye-opening creations will invite the public to explore how the latest architecture can and will make new history in places around the world. The artists and architects participating in the 2017 Biennial will display exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center hub, as well as at six neighborhood sites across the city.
 
“Make New History will be a global platform to showcase the most innovative architecture from around the world that is rooted in a long history and cultural tradition,” said Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee, the 2017 Artistic Directors. “The second edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial will become a laboratory that fosters dialogues on an evolutionary way of thinking about our buildings and our cities.”
 
This year the Chicago Architecture Biennial will expand into Chicago's neighborhoods by adding six museums and institutions that will serve as Community Anchor sites for 2017. They include The Beverly Arts Center, DePaul Art Museum, DuSable Museum of African American History, Hyde Park Art Center, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. These sites will provide a variety of events, exhibitions and programs that will encourage visitors to explore different locations throughout the city, as well as experience some of Chicago's historic museums. The initiative is funded through the generous support of The Chicago Community Trust and confirms the Chicago Architecture Biennial's commitment to being a city-wide initiative by expanding beyond downtown.
 
Additional special projects will include a SO-IL and Ana Prvački collaboration and a Francois Perrin installation at the Garfield Park Conservatory, a performance artwork by Gerard & Kelly at the Farnsworth House, and James Welling photographs and Gerard & Kelly videos at the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower.   
 
In addition to the exhibitions at the Cultural Center and Community Anchor sites, the Chicago Architecture Biennial will present a robust roster of public programming which will take place throughout the run of the Biennial. Programming will include a sound performance by multidisciplinary artist Mark Fell, a discussion between the Museum of Modern Art Associate Curator Yasmil Raymond and artist Tomás Saraceno, a screening of the film Jens Jensen: The Living Green, a lecture by Pritzker Prize winner Tadao Ando, and a conversation between architect Cesar Pelli and Art Gensler. For more information on public programming, please visit chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/public-programs/.  
 
Building upon the success of the education programs offered in the inaugural 2015 Biennial, the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is partnering with the Chicago Architecture Biennial to create a special program for K-12 students both downtown and in Chicago’s neighborhoods. As the Signature Education Partner, CAF aims to reach 15,000 young people during the three-month long exhibition. The education initiative will include field trips, teen studios, a design competition, teen ambassadors, family guide booklets and teacher training – for students from Chicago Public Schools. CAF’s new program introduces two Community Festival Days for families with children ages 6-12 and expanded teacher trainings that include the City Colleges of Chicago.
 
“The generous support provided to the Chicago Architecture Biennial by corporations, foundations and individuals signals an appreciation of the exposition’s having achieved its dual purposes – to impact the global dialogue regarding the practice of architecture today, and to provide yet another arts and cultural venue for Chicagoans and visitors to our city,” said Jack Guthman, Chairman of the Chicago Architecture Biennial.
 
The Chicago Architecture Biennial premiered in 2015 and was envisioned by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and is an outgrowth of the Chicago Cultural Plan which provides a framework to guide the city’s cultural and economic growth. Record numbers of tourists are expected to visit during this year’s Biennial. Over 500,000 people from around the globe participated in various events across the many installation locations at the inaugural 2015 event. This year’s Biennial also aligns with the sixth EXPO CHICAGO, which underscores the important convening power that Chicago has for architectural innovation across the world. EXPO CHICAGO will run from September 13–17 at Navy Pier’s Festival Hall and welcome 135 leading galleries representing 25 countries and 58 cities from around the world.
 
About the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial
 
The 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial will be free and open to the public from September 16, 2017 through January 7, 2018. Press and professional previews will take place September 14 and 15. The opening of the 2017 Biennial will align with the sixth annual EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, which will run September 13–17 at Navy Pier. The hub of the 2017 Biennial will once again be the Chicago Cultural Center, located in downtown Chicago.
 
The manifestation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s vision for a major international architectural event and an outcome of the comprehensive cultural plan developed by Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the inaugural 2015 Chicago Architecture Biennial was presented through the support of BP, and in partnership with the City of Chicago and the Graham Foundation. Co-Artistic Directors Joseph Grima and Sarah Herda curated the 2015 Biennial, titled The State of the Art of Architecture.
 
The Chicago Architecture Biennial’s mission is to provide a platform for groundbreaking architectural projects and spatial experiments that demonstrate how creativity and innovation can radically transform our lived experience. Through its constellation of exhibitions, full-scale installations and programming, the Biennial invites the public to engage with and think about architecture in new and unexpected ways, and to take part in a global discussion on the future of the field.
 
Sponsors and Special Partners of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial
 
The 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial is presented in partnership with the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and funded through private donations, with lead support from SC Johnson, Presenting Sponsor; BP, Founding Sponsor; and Alphawood Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Clayco, MacArthur Foundation, and Zell Family Foundation, Principal Sponsors.
 
The 2017 Biennial has been made possible by gifts from Shahid Khan; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation; Edlis-Neeson Foundation; Lendlease; Magellan Development Group; Joe and Rika Mansueto; The Walsh Group; American Institute of Architects; Artek; Comcast NBCUniversal; Marriott; National Endowment for the Arts; Robert R. McCormick Foundation; Samuel M. and Ann S. Mencoff Foundation; Graham Foundation; Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP; Thornton Tomasetti; AT&T; Allstate; The Field Foundation of Illinois; The Joyce Foundation; Mr. and Mrs. William H. Hood; Jones Lang LaSalle; Liz and Eric Lefkofsky; Polk Bros Foundation; Pro Helvetia; New England Foundation for the Arts; Terra Foundation for American Art; Aesop; Golub / CIM; Ann Kaplan; Kenny Construction Company; Neisser Family Foundation; Onni Group; AT Mechanical LLC; Kovler Family Foundation; and Powers and Sons Construction.
 
Support for participant exhibition projects comes from Rauch Clay, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the University of Southern California. In-kind support is provided by Bombay Sapphire; Tito’s Vodka; Casamigos; Sprinkles; Intelligentsia; Blue Moon; Revolution Brewing; Lagunitas; and Redemption Rye Whiskey.
 
The opening of the 2017 Biennial aligns with the sixth annual EXPO CHICAGO, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art. EXPO CHICAGO and the Chicago Architecture Biennial have partnered with the Palais de Tokyo in Paris for its first US satellite exhibition, at the Roundhouse at the DuSable Museum of African American History through October 28.

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