Join us for a conversation with Architects Annabelle Selldorf and Jennifer Luce at Woodbury University School of Architecture San Diego on Monday, April 4th starting at 6 PM. As the architects of two of the most significant cultural projects in San Diego in recent decades, they will be discussing their notable careers in architecture, their approaches to context, and in particular the challenges and opportunities of working with cultural institutions in San Diego.

Registration for free tickets will be available via Eventbrite on March 25th at 7 am. Click here for more details.

Annabelle Selldorf is the Principal of Selldorf Architects, a 70-person architectural design practice that she founded in New York City in 1988. The firm creates public and private spaces that manifest a clear and modern sensibility to enduring impact. Selldorf Architects has worked on public and private projects that range from museums and libraries to a recycling facility, and at scales from the construction of new buildings to the restoration of historic interiors and exhibition design. The firm’s clients include cultural institutions and universities such as the Frick Collection, National Gallery London, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Hispanic Society Museum & Library, the Clark Art Institute, and Neue Galerie New York. In addition, the firm has created numerous galleries for David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, and Gladstone Gallery, among others, and designed exhibitions for the Frick Madison, Whitney Museum, Frieze Masters, Gagosian Gallery, and the Venice Art Biennale.

Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Ms. Selldorf received a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master of Architecture from Syracuse University. She is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and serves on the Board of the Architectural League of New York, the World Monuments Fund, the Chinati Foundation, and the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, and has taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Additionally, Ms. Selldorf is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was the recipient of their prestigious Award in Architecture in 2014. In 2016, she received the AIA New York Medal of Honor.

Rendering of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego by Selldorf Architects. © Selldorf Architects

Jennifer Luce was born in Montreal and spent 15 years living in Ottawa before winning an international competition to build the CIT in Washington DC. She received her Bachelor of Architecture with distinction from Carleton University, Ottawa in 1984 and is a member of the Alumni Council for the Carleton Design School. She is also a recipient of the A. Dunton Alumni Award of Distinction from Carleton University 2007. In 1994, Jennifer received her Master of Design Studies from Harvard University and is a 9-year member of the Alumni Council there. Jennifer presently holds an Appointed Director position at the Harvard Alumni Association. She currently sits on the Advisory Council for LAND, a public art initiative in Los Angeles, and on the Board of Directors for Art of Elan, an organization committed to educating and exposing diverse audiences to classical music. In 2016, Jennifer was elevated to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects.

Jennifer began her career winning an international competition to design the Center for Innovative Technology, Washington DC, 2 months after graduating from Carleton. This project became the first smart building in the US, executed as a partnership between Virginia Academic Institutions and the Virginia State Government.

In 1990, Jennifer established Luce et studio, a collaborative interdisciplinary architectural practice in California that focuses on museums, public art projects, urban design interventions, creative workspace, and a variety of collaborations with artists and landscape architects. The Studio is passionate about research and new technologies and materials, offering expertise in Architecture, Site-Specific Art and Landscape Installations, Furniture Design and Graphics.

Featured Image: Rendering of the Mingei International Museum by Luce et studio. © Luce et studio