The League’s monthly First Friday series has shifted to a new online format and other days of the week. Each event explores design practices in New York City and beyond that operate in multiple roles—coupling architecture with initiatives including design advocacy, fabrication research, and community engagement.

Each program consists of brief presentations about the office structure (including some form of virtual tour, when possible), recent projects, and impetus for creating alternative modes of practice, followed by an informal discussion with attendees. Grab a beverage of your choice and join us for a casual conversation.

Studio Gang is an architecture and urban design practice founded by Jeanne Gang headquartered in Chicago. With offices in New York, San Francisco, and Paris, the collective of over 100 architects, designers, and planners strives to create “places that connect people to each other, to their communities, and to the environment.” This mission, which they refer to as “actionable idealism,” aims to bring measurable positive change to the places where they work—whether through built work or through advocacy and self-initiated research projects. 

Current projects include:

• Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, a renovation and expansion project transforming the museum into a civic asset for the city of Little Rock, AK.
• St. Regis Chicago, the third tallest building in Chicago when complete, will create urban connections and enhance public access to the Chicago River.
• Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History will offer greater access to science education through new learning experiences.

The program will be moderated by architect and educator Jonathan Solomon. Solomon has directed design schools in the US and abroad, was a founding editor of 306090 Books, and served as a curator of the US Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale. He currently is a partner in the Chicago-based firm Preservation Futures, an editor of the journal Forty-Five, and a director of the gallery Space p11.