The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series at 5X will present a free, public lecture by architect Jeanne Gang FAIA, LEED AP on Thurs., Jan. 28, 2016 at 7:30 pm at 5X’s University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall. The event is free and open to everyone. Doors open at 6:30 pm. Reservations are not required, and the lecture will be followed by a complimentary dessert reception. Gang is the founding principal of Studio Gang, an architecture and urbanism practice in Chicago and New York that specializes in sustainability, collaboration and material experimentation. She is a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award.
Internationally recognized for her innovative use of materials and environmentally sensitive approach, Gang explores the role of design in revitalizing cities. Through projects ranging in scale from community anchors and cultural institutions to tall mixed-use buildings and urban planning, she engages pressing contemporary issues and their impact on human experience. Addressing global issues through local engagement, she has produced some of today’s most compelling design work, including the Aqua Tower (Chicago), Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo, WMS Boathouse at Clark Park, and Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. Jeanne Gang and Studio Gang are currently engaged in major projects throughout the United States, including the expansion and renovation of the American Museum of Natural History, tall buildings in San Francisco and New York, and the Campus North Residence Hall for the University of Chicago.
Gang’s work has been exhibited widely, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and the Art Institute of Chicago. She is the author of Reveal: Studio Gang Architects and Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago’s Waterways.
In 2011, Gang was recognized by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as a MacArthur Fellow. The Foundation's stated aim is to "support creative people and effective institutions committed to building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world.” Typically, the award is issued to 20 to 25 citizens or residents of the United States, of any age and working in any field, who "show exceptional merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative work."
Gang’s work has been honored and exhibited widely, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Chicago Architecture Biennial, and the Art Institute of Chicago. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Gang is a distinguished graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design, she has taught at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
, her first volume on Studio Gang’s work and process, was published in 2011, followed by , which envisions a radically greener future for the Chicago River.