John Hatfield, Executive Director, Socrates Sculpture Park
Anne Rieselbach, Program Director, The Architectural League
Stella Betts, Competition Advisor and Juror, Principal at LEVENBETTS

The Architectural League and Socrates Sculpture Park invite you to an information session for Folly 2016, a competition for emerging architects and designers to build and exhibit a full-scale project at Socrates Sculpture Park.

The Folly 2016 Information Session will include a presentation by John Hatfield, Executive Director at Socrates, who will discuss the park’s history, studio residency, and resources, as well as the site details and construction process. Hatfield will also talk about past winning entries and the teams’ experiences in previous years. Anne Rieselbach, Program Director at the League, will outline the competition and selection process. There will be additional time for questions. Hatfield, Rieselbach, and Competition Advisor and Juror Stella Betts, principal at LEVENBETTS, will be available to respond to questions.

Socrates Sculpture Park, located in Long Island City, Queens, is one of the most distinctive cultural organizations in the country with its combination of waterfront setting, accessibility, and community-based programming. As a venue for the presentation of public art, a New York City park, and an active social space, Socrates has for 30 years harnessed the power of creative minds to transform the urban landscape.

In previous years the Folly program investigated the intersection between sculpture and architecture with temporary structures that intentionally served no utilitarian purpose. This year, marking the program’s fifth anniversary and the park’s 30th Anniversary, the competition instead asks entrants to fuse form with utility, creating designs that explore the intersection of art and architecture while durably addressing and improving the conditions of the park.

The submission deadline for this year’s Folly competition is Monday, January 25, 2016 11:59 p.m. For more information on the competition, click here.