UIC professor finalist in MoMA young architect competition

Ania Jaworska is a visiting assistant professor in the School of Architecture at UIC.

Ania Jaworska, a visiting assistant professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has been named one of five finalists of the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program, an annual series of competitions for emerging architects in New York City.

One of the five finalists will be chosen for building projects conceived for MoMA PS1’s facility in Long Island City, Queens. Established in 2000, the Young Architects Program was designed to strengthen the bonds between The Museum of Modern Art, or MoMA, and MoMA PS1.

Jaworska holds a master’s degree in architecture from the Cracow University of Technology in Poland as well as the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She focuses on exploring the connection between art and architecture, and her work explores bold, simple forms — humor, commentary, and conceptual, historic, and cultural references. Jaworska has a solo exhibit currently running through Dec. 30 at the Volume Gallery in Chicago.

MoMA PS1 is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit contemporary art institutions in the U.S. MoMA PS1 is an exhibition space more so than a collecting institution and focuses on displaying the most experimental art in the world.

The objective of the project is to provide visitors with an outdoor recreational area for the summer and make the best use of the pre-existing space and available materials. The architects follow a program with a tight budget, and are involved in every aspect of the design, development, and construction of the project.

The site — MoMA PS1’s large triangular entrance courtyard and outdoor sculpture area — is an integral part of the museum’s popular music concert series, which features experimental music, live bands, and DJs. The site is open to visitors throughout the summer.

To choose an architect for this project, deans of architecture schools and the editors of architecture publications nominate about 20 students who are recent architectural school graduates or are established architects experimenting with new styles or techniques.

The group is then asked to submit portfolios of their work for review by a panel of museum officials and experts in the art and architecture community. The finalists are invited to make preliminary proposals for the designated site. The winner will be announced in February.