The Available City, Chicago Architecture Biennial
Tuesday, Nov 30 – Dec 18, 2021Madlener House
4 W. Burton Pl.
Chicago, IL 60610
The Available City, Chicago Architecture Biennial
Closing December 18
Gallery and Bookshop Hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 12–5 p.m.
Register to visit
The Graham Foundation is pleased to present The Available City, part of the fourth edition of the Chicago Architecture Biennial (CAB). This edition marks a new approach to the biennial model, bridging the traditional exhibition format to a deeper engagement with the community to expand access and impact. Offering opportunities to discover installations, exhibitions, and programs that explore transformative possibilities for vacant spaces in communities worldwide, The Available City is curated by designer, researcher, and educator David Brown. As Artistic Director of The Available City, Brown activates his ongoing, decade-long research project to document and reimagine new futures for vacant lots in American cities, including the more than 10,000 city-owned vacant lots in Chicago. With over 80 contributors from more than 18 countries, and more than 100 cultural partners, The Available City includes site-specific architectural projects, exhibitions, and programs located in neighborhoods across Chicago.
At the Madlener House, The Available City projects investigate how a community-led design process can create new spaces in the city. The Graham exhibition includes projects by Christophe Hutin Architecture (Bordeaux), Departamento del Distrito (Mexico City), Drawing Architecture Studio (Beijing), El Cielo (Mexico City), Enlace Arquitectura + Ciudad Laboratorio (Caracas), fala (Porto), and RIFF Studio (NY).
Along with the presentation of the Departmento del Distrito project at the Graham, there is also a concurrent installation at Inga Bookshop, in Pilsen. Together, Inga serves as one of the three bookstores—with Buddy, at the Chicago Cultural Center and the Graham Foundation—that distributes printed matter and titles related to CAB.
Visit chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org to learn more about what is on view at sites and locations throughout the city, accompanied by in-person and online programming and conversations.