Eva Franch i Gilabert
Eva Franch i Gilabert | |
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Born | (1978-12-10) 10 December 1978 (age 45) Deltebre, Catalonia |
Nationality | Spanish |
Alma mater | UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya Princeton University |
Occupation | Architect |
Practice | OOAA—Office Of Architectural Affairs Storefront for Art and Architecture Architectural Association School of Architecture |
Eva Franch i Gilabert (Deltebre, 10 December 1978) is a Catalan architect, curator, critic and educator based in New York City who works in the fields of contemporary art, architecture, and public space. She was executive director and chief curator of Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York from 2010 to 2018.
Early life and education
Eva Franch i Gilabert grew up in Deltebre, a town 100 miles (161 kilometres) southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, working in her mother's hair salon before leaving to study architecture in Barcelona and Delft.[1] It is said a potential career as a figure skater had been cut short by injury at the age of 17,[2] after which Franch studied architecture.[2]
Franch holds master’s degrees in architecture with honors from both ETSA Barcelona (2003, UPC Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya), and Princeton University (2007).[3] She also studied at the School of Fine Arts and the School of Philosophy in Barcelona/UB, and at TU Delft as part of the European Erasmus Exchange Programme.
Career
During her studies Franch worked in the Catedra Gaudi, a research center dedicated to the architect Antoni Gaudi.[4] Aged 22, Franch had a three-month internship in a Rotterdam-based firm, working on public buildings, masterplanning and social housing, after which she became a full-time employee heading the competitions team.[5] She then moved to Barcelona and founded OOAA, Office Of Architectural Affairs. Aged 24, she obtained a La Caixa full fellowship to study in the United States and went to Princeton. She was then awarded a Reyner Banham Fellowship that enabled her to teach and develop new research in Buffalo, and a Wortham Fellowship at Rice University in Houston, Texas where she led the Ecologies of Excess research unit[6] and was also the coordinator of its masters thesis program.[5]
Storefront for Art and Architecture (2010-2018)
In 2010, Franch became the executive director and chief curator of Storefront for Art and Architecture[3][7] in New York City where she presented more than 30 exhibitions and a series of public events and debates that catalyzed the art and architecture community for almost a decade around spatial issues addressing the relation between politics, representation, and aesthetics. Under her tenure Storefront gained an international presence with a series of innovative curatorial projects[8] and initiatives including the World Wide Storefront,[9] the Storefront International Series,[10] Letters to the Mayor,[11] the Competition of Competitions, and the Storefront TV. In 2018, Franch launched the New York Architecture Book Fair.[12] The Letters to the Mayor project launched in 2014[13] invites architects to write letters to their city mayors as a way to open up dialogue about the making of cities and public life. The project has had more than twenty editions globally[11] including New York, Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Athens, Taipei, Madrid and Rotterdam.[14]
Franch curated international projects including Borders, the 2011 Think Space biennial concept competition program, and OUT, the 2014 Arquia Proxima biennial competition.[15]
Franch, together with a curatorial and design team including Ana Miljacki, Ashley Schafer, Natasha Jen, Carlos Minguez Carrasco, Lars Müller, and architects Leong Leong among more than 300 collaborators, was selected by the US State Department[16] to represent the United States at the XIV Venice Architecture Biennale (2014) with the project OfficeUS,[17][18] an experiment for the making of new histories and global architecture practice.
At Storefront, she collaborated with hundreds of artists and architects including both prominent and emerging voices such as Vito Acconci, Alon Schwabe and Daniel Fernandez-Pascual (Cooking Sections),[19] Matilde Cassani,[20] Amie Siegel,[21] Andres Jaque - Office for Political Innovation,[22] Agnieska Kurant, Lan Tuazon,[23] Gary Husbit,[24] Frida Escobedo,[25] Anna Puigjaner (MAIO)[26] and Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg (So-IL),[27] among many others.
Selected exhibitions curated by Franch included:
- Strategies for Public Occupation (2011),[28] a creative response to the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York.
- Past Futures, Present, Futures (2012),[29] revisiting relevant ideas from 100 visionary projects from New York city’s unbuilt history[30] and projecting them with contemporary architects and artists[31] to the future;[32]
- Aesthetics-Anesthetics (2012),[33] denouncing the rendering culture in architecture;[34]
- POP: Protocols, Obsessions, Positions (2013),[35] reflecting on the political dimension of architecture drawings;
- No Shame: Storefront for Sale (2013),[36] investigating contemporary funding strategies for museums, public spaces and cultural production;
- Measure (2015),[37] investigating ideas of value;
- Work in Progress (2016),[38] addressing the economies and architectures of the construction boom in New York City;
- Sharing Models: Manhattanisms (2016),[39] in response to the rise of the sharing movement;[40]
- New New York Icons (2017),[41] exploring issues of value and image-making through newly commissioned souvenirs for the city to be voted by the public;[42]
- Architecture books: Yet to be Written (2018),[43] exploring through book-making issues of the canon, invisibility and decolonization.
In 2018 Franch commissioned "Marching On: the Politics of Performance"[44] by Bryony Roberts and Mabel Wilson presented as part of Performa addressing issues of race and politics.[45] The same year, Franch launched the "New York Architecture Book Fair" in partnership with the New York Public Library, E-Flux, the Cooper Union, GSAPP, Printed Matter and small bookstores throughout New York City.
Throughout her tenure, Franch expanded Storefont’s footprint in Kenmare Street in SoHo with two additional spaces for operations and the indexing and digitization[46] of the Storefront Archive.[47] The Digital Archive project, directed by Chialin Chow, started in 2015 and was finalized and launched in December 2019.[48]
In March 2018, while at Storefront, Franch was appointed Distinguished Professor of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.[49]
Architectural Association (2018-2020)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Aabedfordsq2.jpg/220px-Aabedfordsq2.jpg)
She was appointed - from a three-strong shortlist[50] - as the first female permanent director of the Architectural Association in London in 2018,[51][5] succeeding Brett Steele.[2]
Under her tenure the AA gained taught degree awarding powers for the first time in the institution’s history[52] and financial stability, enabling the relaunch of AA Files and the publications department after the institution had closed them due to a financial crisis prior to Franch’s appointment. In autumn 2019, Franch launched the AA Residence, a research and cultural platform to develop new ideas and forms of practice at the intersection of architecture, art, technology, policy and design including the AA Wood Lab[53] and the AA Ground Lab. Franch launched the Experimental Program, the Speculative Studies department as well as a set of changes to ignite cross-programme collaborations around issues of climate and diversity. Franch introduced a series of pedagogical experiments including the Open Tutorials, the Open Seminars and the Architecture in Translation Juries.[54] During her tenure, Franch launched the AA Global Forums, a student care centre, the writing centre, a careers office and a hardship fund to support students and alumni worldwide. She also launched the Expanding Horizons campaign, offering, for the first time, full scholarships across all programmes to deserving students across the globe.[55]
Following votes of no confidence in her leadership,[56][57] Franch was fired in July 2020 for "failure to develop and implement a strategy and maintain the confidence of the AA School Community which were specific failures of performance against clear objectives outlined in the original contract of employment."[58] Her dismissal came despite support from academics who wrote an open letter talking of "systemic biases" against women and of sexism, and accusing the AA of using "the pandemic for anti-democratic purposes". A number of academics later retracted their names from the letter after learning further details of her dismissal.[57] Architectural magazine Dezeen reported tutor and alumni views that the failure to investigate allegations of bullying and sexism had damaged both the AA school and the architecture profession, leaving "a cloud over the school".[59] However, a retaliatory open letter from two male AA tutors called the accusation of sexism "grossly uninformed", while other letters accused the AA of mixing the vote on leadership with "systemic issues" relating to its lack of diversity.[60] Franch herself remained silent, her PR consultant saying she could not comment for legal reasons.[60]
2020-present
In January 2021, Franch became a visiting lecturer at Princeton University School of Architecture.[61] In May 2022, Franch was one of the three artistic directors of the Barcelona Architectures Festival.[62]
Activities
Franch's work has been exhibited internationally including at FAD Barcelona,[63] the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Vitra Design Museum, and the Shenzhen Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism among others.
As an educator, Franch has directed the Thesis Studios at The Cooper Union[64] and Rice University School of Architecture and taught seminars and design studios at Princeton University, Columbia University GSAPP, the IUAV University of Venice, SUNY Buffalo, and Rice University School of Architecture.
Franch has lectured internationally on art, architecture, pedagogy, curatorial practices, and the importance of alternative visions and initiatives in the construction and understanding of public life at educational and cultural institutions including the Arts Club of Chicago, University of Hong Kong, Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane,[65] IAAC in Barcelona,[66] Izolyatsia in Kyiv, Kuwait University, the Museum of Fine Arts in Sydney, Oslo School of Architecture and Design, Princeton University, San Francisco Art Institute,[67][68] Sandberg Institute in Amsterdam, School of Visual Arts in New York, SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, Tokyo University, University of Manitoba, UT Sydney, the World Around,[69] the World Cultural Forum, the World Urban Forum,[70] and Yale University, among others.
Franch currently serves as a non-executive board member in cultural and educational organizations around the world and has been part of international competition juries and member of several nominating and advisory boards including the Future Architecture Platform, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Hong Kong Design Trust, the New Museum Ideas City, and the Times Square Arts Program.[citation needed]
Publications
In 2012, following the Manifesto Series[71] events at Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York, Franch launched a new publication series[72] with design by Natasha Jen/Pentagram and Lars Muller with the first issue Formless edited by Julian Rose and Garret Ricciardi and Double edited by Serkan Özkaya. Contributors included art and architecture historians Hal Foster, Lucia Allais, Spyridon Papapetros, Alanna Heiss, Yve-Alain Bois, and Ines Weizman, among others.
In 2019, while at the helm of the Architectural Association, Franch relaunched AA Files and appointed Maria Sheherazade Giudici as new editor and head of AA Publications[73] and Sacha Lobe/Pentagram as the new head of design.[74] The opening issue, Files 76, presented a glossary of terms relevant to contemporary debate in architecture addressing issues such as environment, care, labour, protocols, and ethics.
Publications by Franch include Agenda (Lars Muller, 2014),[75] Atlas (Lars Muller, 2015) and Manual (Lars Muller 2017)[76] as part of OfficeUS.
Franch’s work has appeared in the form of articles and interviews in magazines, newspapers and publications including AD,[77] Architecture Record, Architectural Review, ArchDaily,[78] Arquine, Bauwelt, Bazar, Deezen, Domus,[79] Dwell, El Pais, La Vanguardia,[80] Metropolis, MOUSSE, Pin-UP, Rolling Stone, Surface Magazine, The Evening Standard, The Financial Times,[81] The Guardian, The New York Times, and The Observer,[82] among others.
Awards
Franch, who graduated with honors from ETSAB and Princeton, is a first generation student and an advocate for free education.[citation needed] She has received numerous scholarships and awards, including the Reyner Banham Fellowship (2008), the Wortham Fellowship (2009-10), the La Caixa Fellowship (2005-07), a Schloss Solitude Fellowship[83] (2010) and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Graham Foundation[84] and the US State Department.
Franch was named by the New York Times / T Magazine Spain, architect of the year in 2019,[85] one of the most influential people in London by the Evening Standard[86] in 2018 as well as one of the "New Change Makers" of 2020 by Harper's Bazaar magazine.[87] She received a special citation by the American Institute of Architects[88] in New York for her contribution to the field in 2018 and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia Illustrious Alumni Award in 2019.[89]
References
- ^ Bernstein, Fred A. (27 March 2018). "Interview with Eva Franch i Gilabert". Architectural Record. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Moore, Rowan (24 June 2018). "Architectural Association awaits its 'Spanish tornado'". Guardian. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b Amelar, Sarah (16 May 2010). "Newsmaker: Eva Franch I Gilabert". Architectural Record. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Polo, Sol (23 October 2018). "Les arquitectes catalanes que triomfen a Nova York i Londres". FAD. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b c Fairs, Marcus (18 June 2018). "'We need to become better at explaining the power of architecture' says new AA director". Dezeen. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- ^ Franch i Gilabert, Eva (3 November 2010). "Ecologies of Excess: An Excerpt from a 22nd‐Century Architecture History Class". AD Architectural Design.
- ^ Esparza, José (12 May 2012). "Eva Franc appointed Storefront's new director". Domus. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Ednie-Brown, Pia. "Innovation at the Storefront: The Practice of Eva Franch i Gilabert." The Innovation Imperative: Architectures of Vitality, eds. Pia Ednie-Brown, Mark Burry, Andrew Burrow. AD, March 2013. 34-8. ISBN 9781119978657.
- ^ "World Wide Storefront: Home". wwstorefront.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: STOREFRONT IS DR". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Gideon Fink (5 April 2006). "Letters to the Mayor". Domus. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Projects: New York Architecture Book Fair". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Projects: Letters to the Mayor". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Rotterdam. Letters to the Mayor". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Franch i Gilabert, Eva. Arquia/Próxima Fuera 2014, Barcelona: Fundación Arquia, 2014. ISBN 9788494034367.
- ^ Bernstein, Fred A. (3 September 2010). "Newsmaker: Curators Chosen for American Pavilion at Architecture Biennale". Architectural Record. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Capps, Kriston (3 September 2010). "State Department Names Curators for U.S. Pavilion at Venice Architecture Biennale". Architect Magazine. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Projects: OfficeUS". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Projects: OfficeUS: PARTNERS". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: Sacred Spaces in Profane Buildings". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: : OfficeUS: The Architects". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Sex and the So-Called City". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: Ingredients of Reality". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: The Post-Olympic City". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Aesthetics/Anesthetics". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: Part I: Manifesto Series: In Our Time – The Sharing Movement". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: BLUEPRINT". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Strategies for Public Occupation: Events". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Past Futures, Present, Futures". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Zarak, Tania (26 October 2012). "Temporalidades utópicasTemporalidades utópicas | Arquine". Arquine | arquitectura, diseño y ciudad desde México. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Manaugh, Author Geoff (27 October 2012). "Lower Manhattan National Park". BLDGBLOG. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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- ^ Stamp, Jimmy (4 July 2012). "Aesthetics/Anesthetics". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: Aesthetics/Anesthetics". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: POP: Protocols, Obsessions, Positions". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: No Shame: Storefront for Sale". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Measure". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Archive: 2010s: Work in Progress". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Sharing Models: Manhattanisms". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Lynch, Patrick (27 July 2016). "Manhattanisms: 30 Firms Envision New York City's Future Through Drawings and Models". ArchDaily. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Exhibitions: Souvenirs: New New York Icons". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Video of the exhibition.
- ^ afinelyne (21 June 2018). "Architecture Books ~ Yet to be Written Presented by Storefront for Art & Architecture". GothamToGo. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ ""Marching On: The Politics Of Performance" Exhibition". www.nyartbeat.com. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Bryony; Wilson, Mabel. "We March". performa-arts.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture Archive - Publications : Free Texts : Free Download, Borrow and Streaming : Internet Archive". archive.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Projects: Storefront Archive". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Events: Public Launch: Storefront's Digital Archive". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Eflux: Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts announcement". Eflux. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Testado, Justine (15 February 2018). "Three candidates shortlisted in AA School of Architecture's search for its new director". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Mackenzie (5 March 2018). "Eva Franch i Gilabert has been announced as the new Director of the Architectural Association". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Ravenscroft, Tom (8 October 2019). "AA wins power to award degrees for the first time". Dezeen. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ Simons, Shawn (5 February 2020). "Architectural Association launches experimental Wood Lab". Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Graham Foundation > Grantees > Architectural Association School of Architecture". www.grahamfoundation.org. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Academic Programmes (PDF). London: Architectural Association. 2019.
- ^ Hopkirk, Elizabeth (2 July 2020). "AA director loses two votes of no confidence". Building Design. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b Block, India (3 July 2020). "AA director Eva Franch i Gilabert suffers vote of no confidence". Dezeen. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Pacheco, Antonio (13 July 2020). "Architectural Association has fired Eva Franch i Gilabert". Archinect. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ Ravenscroft, Tom (15 July 2020). "Abrupt dismissal of AA director Eva Franch i Gilabert leaves "a cloud over the school"". Dezeen. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
- ^ a b Strick, Katie (4 August 2020). "Architect wars: How Eva Franch i Gilabert's firing sparked a mutiny". ES Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "Eva Franch i Gilabert - Visiting Lecturer". School of Architecture, Princeton University. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Dejtiar, Fabian (27 May 2022). "Eva Franch I Gilabert: "We Need to Produce New Models With New Values"". ArchDaily. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Josep Lluís Mateo i Eva Franch, al Congrés d'Arquitectura | COL·LEGI D'ARQUITECTES DE CATALUNYA". www.arquitectes.cat. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Eva Franch i Gilabert Appointed Director of Architectural Association | The Cooper Union". cooper.edu. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Brisbane, Institute of Modern Art. "In Colour". Institute of Modern Art. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Spring Lecture Series 2014 // Eva Franch". IAAC. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ McGraw, Hesse (7 February 2017). "Interview with Eva Franch i Gilabert". San Francisco Art Institute. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Video of talk Eva Franch i Gilabert SFAI, San Francisco
- ^ Video of conference Eva Franch i Gilabert The World Around, New York
- ^ "Eva Franch i Gilabert". culturalforum.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ "Storefront for Art and Architecture | Programming: Series: Manifesto Series: Finding the Formless". storefrontnews.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "'Storefront Manifesto Series' — Story". Pentagram. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "AA School". www.aaschool.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Sascha Lobe appointed Head of Design at the Architectural Association". Pentagram. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Resist and Challenge the Inevitable: Eva Franch i Gilabert at Vectorworks Design Summit". Architosh. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Book Review: OfficeUS Manual". Book Review. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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- ^ Dejtiar, Fabian (27 May 2022). "Eva Franch I Gilabert: "We Need to Produce New Models With New Values"". ArchDaily. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Unpacking my library: Eva Franch i Gilabert". www.domusweb.it. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Ricart, Marta (23 February 2020). "Arquitectura para el futuro". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Eva Franch i Gilabert: 'We need to produce more than architects'". Financial Times. 22 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ Moore, Rowan (24 June 2018). "Architectural Association awaits its 'Spanish tornado'". the Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Eva Franch Gilabert". Akademie Schloss Solitude. 26 March 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "Graham Foundation > Grantees > Storefront for Art and Architecture". grahamfoundation.org. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ "La Isla x T-Magazine Awards 2018". Sancal. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
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- ^ The New Change Makers, Harper's Bazaar, March 2020. Retrieved: 26 May 2021.
- ^ "Chapter Recognition". AIA New York. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
- ^ maria.revuelta. "Eva Franch, arquitecta". UPCAlumni (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 April 2021.