Letters to the Mayor is an itinerant exhibition that displays real letters written by architects to their city mayors. Initiated by Storefront for

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2 Letters to the Mayor is an itinerant exhibition that displays real letters written by architects to their city mayors. Initiated by Storefront for Art and Architecture in 2014, Letters to the Mayor has traveled to more than a dozen cities across the globe, including Bogota, Mexico City, Athens, Panama City, Taipei, Mariupol, Madrid, Lisbon, and Buenos Aires, among others. Letters to the Mayor invites a hundred architects to write a letter to their mayor as a means of bringing innovative ideas and visions of the city closer to the decision-makers, and vice versa.

3 PANAMA CITY MEXICO DF MADRID SAO PAULO TAIWAN BOGOTA

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5 As a civic figure, the architect has the privilege and responsibility to articulate and translate the collective aspirations of society, specifically for those not able to sit at the decision-making tables. Throughout history, architects have engaged with this responsibility and with the structures of economic, political, and cultural power in different ways and with varying degrees of success. With the rise of globalization and the homogenization of the contemporary city, the role of the architect in the political arena has often been relegated to answering questions that others have asked. While designing the next economically driven cultural-iconictouristic object, an increasing number of architects (and with them, politicians) have forgotten the ethics that should be associated with architectural practice and the potential of design to participate in the construction of public life. Eva Franch Chief Curator and Executive Director Storefront for Art and Architecture

6 Oslo Nashville Toronto New York Rotterdam Mariupol Madrid Athens Lisbon Seoul Mexico City Mumbai Taipei Taichung Panama City Bogotá São Paulo Buenos Aires Johannesburg Sydney Previous editions Prospective editions

7 A diverse group of 100+ local architects are invited to write a letter to their city mayor. An architect or artist is commissioned to design a mayoral desk and an architect s table to be installed in the exhibition space. An artist is commissioned to design wallpaper to be installed in the exhibition space.

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9 Architects are invited to take part in discussions on the role of the architect in the construction of the city. Storefront for Art and Architecture and the local institution organize programming about the topics addressed in the letters. The public is invited to participate in conversations about the conflicts and dreams of the contemporary city.

10 10 April 2014 Dear Madame Mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella: Having coincided with you on a number of occasions, I am well aware of your appreciation for the city of Madrid. However, enthusiasm must be supported by a clear and far-reaching vision for a city s role and its future. Without a doubt, the city means different things to different people and groups. However, there should be an understanding of what makes our city unique and a definition that can resonate with residents and visitors alike. It is a shared vision that is supported by public and private actions over time. It is a concept for the city in which residents can take pride. A shared vision comes about through real dialogue with citizens, stakeholder groups, representatives, institutions and others to chart a compelling path for the future that can be witnessed in political action, economic measures and in the built environment of Madrid. It's not an easy or a short term challenge. Strategies are needed now with implementation following a medium/long term horizon. Architects, designers and urban planners can assist with strategic plans that reflect the aspirations of a city and suggest innovative ways to realize them within the physical realm. Madrid needs to have a vibrant vision for its future, based not just on its legacy or its position as capital of Spain, but rather on creative ideas, inclusiveness and imagination. Sincerely, Martha Thorne Executive Director Pritzker Architecture Prize Associate Dean IE School of Architecture and Design Madrid, Spain

11 Dear Mayor, Mexico City February 28, 2016 I was invited to send you a letter as part of the project called Letters to the Mayor Mexico City. An issue has been bothering me for a while now, and I think it s one that you should know about. In the south of your truly beautiful city is a wonderful place in the UNAM called the Espacio Escultórico. This area has been violated by a poorly planned construction, and now a group of artists and architects has come together to petition the redignification of this area undoubtedly the most important piece of 20th- century Mexican land art. The land to be vacated by the current airport offers the chance to make a radical improvement to Mexico City. The future of the future ex-airport can make amends for our historically poor understanding of our environment. It represents an opportunity to do something we haven t achieved in the past fifty years: a shared, long-term project. The inequality in the use of resources reflects the disparity between the east and west of the city in terms of the quality of services. Social contrasts are accentuated by this unfairness. An empty space in the east equivalent in size to Bosque de Chapultepec or Ciudad Universitaria would resolve many of today s problems. To preserve this space as a large public lung with green spaces, water and culture, would be to rewrite the history of a nation by setting up a reencounter between the urban environment, geography, history and society. The capital s dysfunctionality stems from the fact that in the past we have ignored its natural, lacustrine condition, and private interests have predominated over a collective good. What happens on this site will be decisive, not only for the future of the city but also for us to believe that we are capable of rewriting our history. I see this petition as not only being about a specific or local problem, but as one that represents a more generalized demand for natural spaces in the city, a call for a place where poetry and culture can exist in the face of steamrolling urban development. It also sets out a large- scale urban landscaping vision as an alternative to today s political ad- hoc- ism. Therefore, Mr. Mayor, I would like to request that you forward this letter to the Provost of the UNAM, in the knowledge that it will certainly cause a greater impact coming from you instead of me and that it may help us rescue such a valuable space for the entire city. Mexico City International Airport 746 ha Central Park New York Hyde Park - Kensington Gardens London 252ha Sincerely yours, Wonne Ickx Director of PRODUCTORA Director of LIGA, Espacio para Arquitectura, DF Ciudad Universitaria UNAM 730 ha Bosque de Chapultepec 678ha Parque del Retiro Madrid 125ha Jardin du Luxembourg Paris 23ha Sincerely yours,

12 Manuela Carmena, Mayor of Madrid; James Costos, US Ambassador in Spain; Eva Franch, Director of Storefront; José María Ezquizaga, Director of COAM; Feniosky Peña- Mora, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Design and Construction, and Belén Moneo, Jeff Brock, Rocío Pina and Carmelo Rodríguez, members of the local curatorial team.

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14 Miquel Adriá, Director of Arquine, Eva Franch, Director of Storefront for Art and Architecture, and Rafael Moneo

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16 Ko Wen-je, Mayor of Taipei with Eva Franch, Director of Storefront, and members of the local curatorial team. Mayor Ko Wen-je poses with a folder full of letters addressed to him by all the participants.

17 The Mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, reading the letters presented in the exhibition.

18 Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, Mayor of Buenos Aires, receiving the letters addressed to him, with members of the local curatorial team.

19 The project was conceived to remind politicians and the wider public including architects themselves of the political side of their profession. The exhibition seeks to intensify the discussion on the city in a period when crucial decisions concerning its future development must be taken during a complex political and economic moment These letters not only represent a valuable archive of the social conscience of architecture today, but also testify to architects desire to claim what Eva Franch calls, a privilege and a responsibility to articulate and translate the collective aspirations of society, particularly for those who are not able to sit at decision-making tables. [Mayor Ko Weng-je] promised that the city government will delve into the insights and perspectives of these prominent figures in the field of architecture as reference for policymaking. The objective of this collection of proposals, contributions, and thoughts is to become the focus of a discussion between architecture and the structures of government.

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25 About Storefront Storefront for Art and Architecture produces alternative ideas at the intersection of architecture, art, urban design and public policy. Since 1982, it has been a forum for innovative cultural programming that generates dialogue and collaboration across geographic, ideological, and disciplinary boundaries. Storefront provides physical and digital spaces for experiments, and the organization is known widely for its downtown Manhattan gallery space designed by Steven Holl and Vito Acconci. In recent years, an expansion of Storefront s international programming and commitment to spatial experimentation make it one of the only platforms focusing on art, architecture, and design that addresses and fundamentally changes the way we think about society and the built environment on a global scale. Storefront for Art and Architecture was the commissioner of the US Pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale, one of the most important global events in the world of design.

26 Storefront for Art and Architecture Executive Director and Chief Curator: Eva Franch i Gilabert Associate Curator: Carlos Mínguez Carrasco Director of Strategic Development: Jinny Khanduja Director of Strategic Development: Andrew Emmett Gallery Manager and Programs Producer: Max Lauter Associate Curator of Archives and Global Networks Chialin Chou Officers: Charles Renfro President Campbell Hyers Vice President Phil Bernstein Treasurer Lauren Kogod Secretary Board of Directors: Terence Gower Natasha Jen Amit Khurana James von Klemperer Michael Manfredi Thom Mayne Sara Meltzer William Menking Sarah Natkins Margery Perlmutter Linda Pollak Robert M. Rubin Sylvia J. Smith Artur Walther Director s Council: Kyong Park, Founder Shirin Neshat Sarah Herda Joseph Grima Board of Advisors: Kent Barwick Barry Bergdoll Stefano Boeri Jean Louis Cohen Beatriz Colomina Peter Cook Chris Dercon Elizabeth Diller Andrew Fierberg Claudia Gould Dan Graham Peter Guggenheimer Richard Haas Brooke Hodge Steven Holl Steven Johnson Toyo Ito Mary Jane Jacob Mary Miss Antoni Muntadas Lucio Pozzi Michael Sorkin Benedetta Tagliabue Frederieke Taylor Anthony Vidler James Wines

27 Contact Us To discuss and develop partnership opportunities, please contact: Jinny Khanduja, Director of Strategic Development Carlos Mínguez Carrasco Associate Curator or Storefront for Art and Architecture can be found at: Gallery: 97 Kenmare Street, New York, NY Office: 611 Broadway, Suite 634, New York, NY Archive: th St, Suite B437, Brooklyn, NY Web: Facebook: /storefront Membership:

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