Olson Kundig ANTHOLOGY

This fall, Olson Kundig Architects will mount the first-ever comprehensive retrospective of its five decades of work at KANEKO, a multidisciplinary gallery based in Omaha, Nebraska. The exhibition will focus on the firm’s creative process, showcasing its artistic, historic and cultural influences and the design explorations that have shaped its practice. Founded by Jim Olson in 1966, Olson Kundig Architects has evolved from a Pacific Northwest-focused architecture firm into an international design practice based on the belief that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture and people, and that inspiring surroundings have a positive effect on people’s lives. Today, the firm’s clientele ranges from residential clients, including some of the world’s top art collectors, to commercial and institutional clients such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Smith College, Microsoft Corporation and the Kirkland Museum. Over its nearly 50-year history, the firm has grown to include owners Tom Kundig, Alan Maskin and Kirsten Murray, as well as 116 employees. While Olson Kundig’s work ranges from museums, commercial and academic buildings, and exhibitions to mixed-use, interiors and places of worship, its core practice remains in the design of private residences for clients around the globe. “Some aspects of making architecture are universal to all design practices,” says Alan Maskin, a partner at Olson Kundig and designer of the exhibit, “but those that distinguish us are more interesting.” The exhibition contains visual displays that offer insights into the firm’s methodologies and cultural attributes, such as the prominence of detail, materiality and craft, which have come to characterize Olson Kundig’s work. The exhibition also focuses on the firm’s long-running traditions—its internship program, all-office project critiques and history of artist collaborations—as well as recent design experiments like [storefront] Olson Kundig Architects, a series of month-long exhibitions and community partnerships. Large-scale photo displays and hand-crafted models provide visitors with a graphic survey of Olson Kundig’s signature projects while video interviews and a collection of ephemera contributed by each staff member offer a glimpse into the values and persona of the practice today. The firm’s collaborative spirit is further illustrated in “What Would You Do?,” an interactive portrayal of Olson Kundig’s weekly all-office project critique. Visitors can become part of the firm’s design dialogue by contributing thoughts and ideas about a series of projects on display. Olson Kundig: Anthology Opening reception (free): Saturday, September 20, 2014, 6 pm to 9 pm On view Saturday, September 20, 2014 through January 3, 2015 Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Saturday 1 pm to 5 pm Annual Open Space Soirée (prices vary): Friday, September 19, 2014, 6:30 pm KANEKO 111 Jones Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68102 www.thekaneko.org