Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker As Palm Desert prepares to hire a replacement for its outgoing city manager council members have chosen Chris Escobedo — who’s been the assistant city manager since 2022 — to run the city government for at least the next several months It's not yet clear when the city council will officially choose a new manager The council appointed Escobedo as interim city manager after Todd Hileman left the post to take the same job in South Pasadena concluding a four-year stint working in the Coachella Valley Hileman was hired in Palm Desert in early 2021 Escobedo has more than 20 years of experience working in local governments according to his biography on the city’s website he most recently worked as the community resources director for the city of La Quinta The timeline for the city to select Hileman’s permanent replacement is unclear said Monday that Escobedo has been appointed to a six-month term in the role the Council has not initiated a search for a permanent replacement,” Soule said in an email At least one other high-ranking Palm Desert official recently departed for another valley city The city of Indian Wells recently hired as its assistant city manager Eric Ceja who spent 11 years working for Palm Desert most recently as its director of economic development Tom Coulter covers the cities of Palm Desert The Met has a long history of advancing thoughtful and innovative architectural spaces that both further the pursuit of our mission and stand as strong statements and cherished works of art and I’m thrilled today to reveal the latest chapter in this storied legacy: architect Frida Escobedo’s plan for a fully reimagined perfectly designed and significantly improved home for the Museum’s outstanding collection of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art Developed in close collaboration with teams at The Met over the last two years Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing draws on her deep engagement with the Museum’s buildings resulting in a compellingly dynamic and exceptionally inspired design The project will increase our gallery space by nearly 50 percent creating more than 70,000 square feet for the display of our outstanding Modern and Contemporary collection while staying within the existing footprint and overall height of The Met the project will allow us to better illuminate points of connections across the Museum’s global collection encompassing more than 5,000 years of art history while also addressing critical accessibility contemporary concept—which is rooted in her deep understanding of architectural history and artistic expression—Escobedo cements her standing as one of the most relevant architects of our time while creating history as the first woman to design a wing at The Met Interior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing Taking its cues from architect Kevin Roche’s 1971 master plan for The Met Escobedo’s design brings a decidedly modern approach that is interwoven with timeless The exterior façade is defined by a stunning diaphanous limestone “celosia” that subtly responds to the movement of sunlight throughout the day allowing for the display and interaction of works of art of all media and size The new Tang Wing will also engage in strong dialogue with its surroundings with features including an expanded Iris and B Gerald Cantor Roof Garden on the Wing’s fourth floor and an additional outdoor terrace on the fifth floor that will provide year-round views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline Revealing these designs marks an important and exciting milestone in this major transformational project that has generated significant support from our Trustees the Tang Wing will provide a worthy home for a new and highly relevant installation of The Met’s significantly expanded collection of twentieth- and twenty-first-century art one that will be based in a broader global and trans-historical dialogue I am grateful to Frida Escobedo and the many individuals involved in bringing this ambitious and important vision to life and delighted to share these words of enthusiasm from others in our community: “The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the crown jewels of New York City an iconic cultural landmark representing New Yorkers to the rest of the world,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams “By showcasing works of art created by new and established artists from all walks of life the Tang Wing is a bold endeavor to expand our understanding of the role of art in New York’s culture and our society.” “We are pleased to see this important project moving forward This historic design by Frida Escobedo and commitment to accessibility in the new wing reflect the diversity and ambition of our city and will be beautifully integrated thanks to our partners at the Central Park Conservancy’s work on the surrounding landscape,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue “We congratulate The Met on this milestone and we look forward to continuing to work with them and our partners across city government to further enhance this world-class destination for visitors of all backgrounds.” “The reimagined Tang Wing will unlock exciting new ways for The Met’s millions of visitors to experience the Museum’s incredible collection and engage with a broad spectrum of contemporary voices,” added The Met’s Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Candace K the wing will enable bold and innovative presentations that reflect the vibrant multicultural spirit of New York City and the wider community.” “Frida Escobedo has conceived a space that is as inimitable as the masterpieces that form The Met The new wing demonstrates The Met’s commitment to presenting visual histories across time We are pleased to help galvanize this landmark project.” “I applaud The Metropolitan Museum of Art on this major milestone towards building the Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art,” said Laurie Cumbo Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs “Frida Escobedo is making HERstory as the first woman to design a wing of The Met in its history and it's clear that special attention has been given to creating an extraordinary space that will portray works of art reflective of the diverse experiences of all New Yorkers and visitors to the Museum The city is proud of its long partnership with The Met to foster an institution where the greatest artworks from across history and around the world are open and accessible to all and this milestone marks another step in keeping with this longstanding commitment.” “The design unveiled today by The Metropolitan Museum of Art makes its intention clear: the Tang Wing aims to reach millions of visitors from all corners of Manhattan and the world with its expanding collection of modern and contemporary art including works from artists long underrepresented in the art world,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine “From the Upper East Side to Washington Heights the Museum’s offerings showcase the diverse mosaic of these Manhattan neighborhoods representative of our borough I thank the Museum for its continued investment in Manhattan and in Manhattanites.” and we enthusiastically support their commitment and ambition to replace its Modern and Contemporary Art wing which currently falls short of the high standards of the Museum Max and his team have been receptive to our design and landscape input and the changes they have made have resulted in a better project We look forward to continuing to collaborate on this dynamic project as The Met begins the public review process with the community and stakeholders,” said Betsy Smith “From the precious works of art that will be housed to the thousands of good-paying union jobs this project will create the Tang Wing is undeniably a gift to New York City,” said New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal “New York has long been heralded for its cultural and artistic offerings and this new chapter of the Museum’s history will further cement its contributions to a more inclusive art world and to our city.” “The new Tang Wing will be a world-class addition to The Metropolitan Museum of Art providing a unique platform to tell the diverse stories of artists throughout the 20th- and 21st-centuries,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams “I’m excited by the unveiled design by Frida Escobedo whose vision will be on display for the entire world to see and enjoy I congratulate The Metropolitan Museum of Art for reaching this historic milestone and I look forward to visiting the new Tang Wing upon completion to celebrate this historic project.” “The Tang Wing will allow more New Yorkers to view the phenomenal works of art in the Museum’s vast collection while also creating community gathering spaces I look forward to the continued dialogue between The Met and Community Boards and City agencies,” stated Council Member Gale A “The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an iconic member of our Upper East Side community so it’s thrilling to see the Museum enter its next curatorial chapter for the benefit of all New Yorkers and the millions of visitors who come to our community every year to see its expansive art collection,” said Council Member Keith Powers Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs and Libraries “The Met’s Tang Wing and its remarkable design represent a significant new chapter for both the Museum and our city’s cultural landscape By showcasing the work of diverse artists in a groundbreaking space this project underscores New York City’s vibrant creativity and enduring commitment to the arts.” Founder and Principal of Frida Escobedo Studio “Our goal has been to create a building that fully meets the needs and aspirations of The Met weaving together vital connections between the Modern and Contemporary Art galleries and other areas of the Museum and at the same time expressing the special significance of the Tang Wing’s place in the city yet of the world; it reflects the global nature of this great collection and also draws inspiration from The Met’s unique surroundings Such an ambition can be realized only through close and consistent collaboration We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary partners at The Met and to all the members of the expert design team.” “With its innovative architecture and dynamic layout The Met’s Tang Wing promises to offer an engaging environment for experiencing a wide range of contemporary voices including those who have been historically underrepresented The thoughtful design reinforces the Museum’s commitment to expanding the stories told within its galleries and fostering a deeper sense of connection for everyone who walks through its doors.” Artist and Met Trustee Jordan Casteel commented “The Met has long been a wellspring of creativity for artists like me and Frida Escobedo beautifully continues that legacy through her brilliant design that draws inspiration from the Museum’s collection and existing architecture I look forward to seeing the transformed wing brought to life providing an enhanced platform for diverse artistic voices and perspectives to be seen and celebrated.” Exterior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City recently revealed the design for its new contemporary art wing — a project in the hands of acclaimed Mexican architect Frida Escobedo Escobedo’s design of the Met’s modern and contemporary art wing marks the first time in the museum’s 154-year history that a woman has been chosen to lead the design of a major wing Her vision reimagines the wing’s modern and contemporary galleries doubling exhibition space to 70,000 square feet within the existing footprint The design features a textured limestone façade inspired by traditional Mexican celosías — architectural screens or lattices — that blend influences from multiple cultures the wing’s transformation will include expansive outdoor terraces on the fourth and fifth floors offering sweeping views of Central Park and Manhattan’s skyline in addition to connecting the galleries to the rest of the museum Escobedo, 45, was tapped to lead the now-US $550 million project in early 2022 following an extensive search by the largest art museum in the Americas and one of the world’s most prestigious She beat out older and more experienced architects major studios and winners of the esteemed Pritzker Architecture Prize Escobedo’s portfolio also includes the design of the Serpentine Pavilion in London in 2018 and the upcoming renovation of Paris’ Pompidou Center she was named the world’s 2024 Architect of the Year by Architectural Digest España (AD) “If the Met in New York and the Pompidou Centre in Paris have placed their trust in her talent there must be a reason,” the publication wrote Escobedo’s design for the Met prioritizes accessibility sustainability and seamless integration with the museum’s expansive labyrinthine and sometimes disorienting campus yet of the world,” Escobedo said in a statement “It reflects the global nature of this great collection and also draws inspiration from the Met’s unique surroundings.” Construction is slated to begin in 2026 and conclude in 2030 It is part of a larger $2 billion overhaul of the Met which also includes renovations to the adjacent Michael C Escobedo studied architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City design and the public domain at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design Escobedo was born in Mexico City in 1979 to a doctor father and sociologist mother and as a youth was always drawing or making models though she didn’t decide to study architecture at university until “the last minute,” according to AD She began her professional career collaborating with Alejandro Alarcón, a Mexican architect whose designs reflect Mexico’s the cultural and social contexts of Mexico. Together, they founded the Perro Rojo studio in 2003 (when she was only 24), then in 2004 designed Casa Negra, a house in Valle de Bravo, México state that is mounted on four tubes above the ground and is celebrated for its dark geometric design and integration with the surrounding natural environment Earlier this month, she was the subject of a 2,000-word article in the New York Times She wants to learn about the story of the building.” Escobedo’s portfolio includes the annual design of the Serpentine Pavilion in London and the upcoming renovation of Paris’ Pompidou Center Her 2018 design of the former — “a delicate exercise in concrete brick,” including lattice walls that “played with space and changing light,” according to AD — earned her international recognition she was named an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects and her studio was named one of the world’s “100+ Best Architecture Firms” by the magazine Domus Escobedo draws on Mexican vernacular traditions while addressing contemporary needs She has been labeled a trailblazer in the field celebrated for bridging historical influences with innovative design “Frida Escobedo’s extraordinarily inspired deeply thoughtful and dynamic design cements her standing as one of today’s most relevant architects,” said Met Director Max Hollein In addition to the Met and the Pompidou Centre she is also working on residential buildings in Harlem and Brooklyn “The most beautiful thing about architecture is that you are always doing things for the first time in your life,” Escobedo told the newspaper El País last year ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC For even more opportunities, visit the Archinect job board and explore our active community of job seekers, firms, and schools WORKac has an opening for a Senior Architect with ten-plus years of experience in New York City Applicants should have prior experience as a project leader and be proficient with Revit One should be capable of leading the creation development and management of BIM related efforts the firm is seeking proactive and self-motivated individuals who possess a strong attention to detail Architecture and design practice Frida Escobedo Studio is hiring for a Senior Architect in New York City In Los Angeles, OPEN OFFICE has two exciting opportunities available: a Project Architect with a minimum of eight years of experience and a Project Manager with ten-plus years of experience The Project Manager should also be experienced with Rhino and Maxwell Candidates for both roles should also have a knowledge of building construction types San Francisco-based firm Revel Architecture & Design is seeking a Project Designer and a Job Captain The Project Designer should be proficient with Revit and Enscape and the Job Captain should be skilled with Revit and AutoCAD Applicants should also possess strong communication skills Job seekers in Mill Valley, California should consider Richardson Pribuss Architects' opening for a Jr. Designer/Architect Candidates should possess advanced Photoshop and InDesign Skills along with an understanding of Vectorworks and SketchUp applicants should be self-motivated and have an eagerness to learn Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site Your comment will be visible once approved images © Brett Beyer Architect Frida Escobedo’s design reflects The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s architectural legacy, which spans twenty-one interconnected buildings and multiple styles. The limestone facade of the museum‘s new wing incorporates a ‘celosía’ latticework inspired by architectural traditions from around the world This textured surface will allow light to subtly shift throughout the day respecting the iconic and picturesque Central Park setting The inclusion of glass elements echoes Kevin Roche’s 1971 masterplan for The Met creating a dialogue with the museum’s existing Beaux-Arts and modernist designs the wing features interconnected gallery spaces with ceilings ranging from 11 to 22 feet accommodating both large-scale installations and more intimate works The redesign also enhances visitor experience through improved wayfinding and circulation The fifth floor includes a new 1,000-square-foot café while the galleries integrate views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline creating a cohesive indoor-outdoor experience the Metropolitan Museum unveils the new design for Frida Escobedo’s Modern and Contemporary Art Wing offering visitors serene outdoor spaces to complement their museum experience The new wing incorporates state-of-the-art accessibility features The museum’s commitment to reducing energy consumption aligns with broader sustainability goals The surrounding landscape will be revitalized to complement the building’s design and its Central Park setting Collaborating with the Central Park Conservancy and NYC Parks the museum will restore adjacent green spaces and grassy areas in line with Frederick Law Olmsted’s original vision for the park visitors will enjoy year-round rooftop views and expanded outdoor terraces overlooking Central Park the project has already secured $550 million in private donations highlighting broad support from local and global communities The Metropolitan Museum continues its tradition of architectural innovation establishing this new wing as both a cultural landmark and a sustainable model for the future of museum design ‘Frida Escobedo’s extraordinarily inspired and dynamic design for the Tang Wing cements her standing as one of today’s most relevant architects,’ said Max Hollein The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer ‘As stewards of one of the most outstanding collections of 20th- and 21st-century art The Met has a responsibility to New York City and the world to present the art of our time in exceptionally compelling and innovative displays that illuminate the rich — and at times surprising — connections that can be drawn across our collection of 5,000 years of art history contemporary design reflects not only an understanding of architectural history and artistic expression but also a deep appreciation for The Met’s mission We’re thrilled to reveal these exciting plans to our audiences and incredibly grateful for the enthusiasm and significant support of our trustees and supporters across the city and beyond.’ the project will increase gallery space by nearly fifty percent to over 70,000 square feet rhythmic gallery spaces will accommodate large-scale installations alongside intimate displays the new wing will integrate modern and historical design elements including a limestone celosía facade location: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY | @metmuseum architecture: Frida Escobedo Studio | @fridaescobedo landscape: Thomas Woltz | @nelsonbyrdwoltz photography: © Brett Beyer | @brettbeyer AXOR presents three bathroom concepts that are not merely places of function but destinations in themselves — sanctuaries of style and Adilene Rojas Alejo are challenging incumbent Carlos Escobedo to represent District 1 on Santa Maria's city council Salguero said she was raised in District 1 and understands the needs of the community "My parents were farmworkers here in the community," said Salguero "Being able to assist folks in their cases and their legal cases I think has exposed me to sort of an array of ways that I can now be of help and be of service.” Salguero hopes to add mixteco interpreters to the city council meetings as a large portion of the community in Santa Maria speaks mixteco Escobedo is completing his fourth year and first term after being elected in 2020 "I've been working really hard to pay back to give back to this community," said Escobedo Salguero would like to tackle the growing issue of homelessness in the community if elected "The city of Santa Maria has no budget and no plan to address homelessness We need more than a council member going out to handle waters and see the issue firsthand We need a council member that can actually be strategic and creative.” Escobedo said he would like to continue to invest in new police officers and technology to help solve crimes faster and more efficiently Salguero and Escobedo agree that more affordable housing is crucial for Santa Maria Rojas Alejo did not respond to your News Channel's request for an interview News Channel 3-12 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here Terms of Service Privacy Policy Community Guidelines FCC Public File EEO Public File Report FCC Applications Do Not Sell My Personal Information Redesigned wing will create world-class home for The Met’s diverse collection of 20th- and 21st-century art; address critical accessibility and sustainability needs; and foster seamless connections with the rest of the Museum’s encyclopedic holdingsArchitect Frida Escobedo is the first woman to design a wing in the Museum’s 154-year history and international support for the project from both new and longtime trustees and donors.“The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the crown jewels of New York City the Tang Wing is a bold endeavor to expand our understanding of the role of art in New York’s culture and our society.”“We are pleased to see this important project moving forward This historic design by Frida Escobedo and commitment to accessibility in the new wing reflect the diversity and ambition of our city and will be beautifully integrated thanks to our partners at the Central Park Conservancy's work on the surrounding landscape,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and we look forward to continuing to work with them and our partners across city government to further enhance this world-class destination for visitors of all backgrounds.”“Frida Escobedo’s extraordinarily inspired and dynamic design for the Tang Wing cements her standing as one of today’s most relevant architects,” said Max Hollein The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer “As stewards of one of the most outstanding collections of 20th- and 21st-century art and innovative displays that illuminate the rich—and at times surprising—connections that can be drawn across our collection of 5,000 years of art history and artistic expression but also a deep appreciation for The Met’s mission We’re thrilled to reveal these exciting plans to our audiences and supporters across the city and beyond.”“The reimagined Tang Wing will unlock exciting new ways for The Met’s millions of visitors to experience the Museum’s incredible collection and engage with a broad spectrum of contemporary voices,” added The Met’s Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Candace K multicultural spirit of New York City and the wider community.”Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang commented We are pleased to help galvanize this landmark project.”“I applaud The Metropolitan Museum of Art on this major milestone towards building the Tang Wing for modern and contemporary art,” said Laurie Cumbo "Frida Escobedo is making HERstory as the first woman to design a wing of The Met in its history and this milestone marks another step in keeping with this longstanding commitment."“The design unveiled today by The Metropolitan Museum of Art makes its intention clear: the Tang Wing aims to reach millions of visitors from all corners of Manhattan and the world with its expanding collection of modern and contemporary art I thank the Museum for its continued investment in Manhattan and in Manhattanites.”“We have a strong Central Park Conservancy.“From the precious works of art that will be housed to the thousands of good-paying union jobs this project will create and this new chapter of the Museum’s history will further cement its contributions to a more inclusive art world and to our city.”“The new Tang Wing will be a world-class addition to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and I look forward to visiting the new Tang Wing upon completion to celebrate this historic project.”“The Tang Wing will allow more New Yorkers to view the phenomenal works of art in the Museum’s vast collection while also creating community gathering spaces Brewer.“The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an iconic member of our Upper East Side community so it’s thrilling to see the Museum enter its next curatorial chapter for the benefit of all New Yorkers and the millions of visitors who come to our community every year to see its expansive art collection,” said Council Member Keith Powers.Said Council Member Carlina Rivera this project underscores New York City’s vibrant creativity and enduring commitment to the arts.”Frida Escobedo We are deeply grateful to our extraordinary partners at The Met and to all the members of the expert design team.”Darren Walker The thoughtful design reinforces the Museum’s commitment to expanding the stories told within its galleries and fostering a deeper sense of connection for everyone who walks through its doors.”Artist and Met Trustee Jordan Casteel commented with the number of domestic out-of-state visitors hitting pre-pandemic levels and the number of local New York City visitors exceeding pre-pandemic figures BIPOC visitors accounted for a record-high 56 percent of The Met’s visitors from the United States a figure bolstered by a diverse and robust suite of programs and exhibitions including The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism The Museum also welcomed more than 150,000 K-12 students—with nearly 60,000 coming from New York City schools.###About The MetThe Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens—businessmen and financiers as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day—who wanted to create a museum to bring art and art education to the American people The Met displays tens of thousands of objects covering 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.Originally planned in 1871 The Met’s campus in Central Park has evolved into one of the most iconic and important New York landmarks over the last 150 years The location of the Museum within Central Park was part of the park’s early design by its famed architects Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux and reflects their complementary missions to provide a source of respite and inspiration for all New Yorkers and visitors within the larger city the Museum has continued to renovate within its designated footprint allowing a wide array of architects and architectural styles to work in harmony to house one of the most prominent and expansive art collections in the world it consists of 21 structures that operate as a single building within Central Park spanning five floors in addition to mezzanines and basements.Modern and Contemporary Art at The MetThe Museum’s engagement with art from 1890 to the present spans movements in modernism to contemporary practices from around the world and is represented across numerous curatorial departments The Met’s holdings have grown through strategic acquisitions as well as generous gifts and bequests including major collections like the Leonard A Lauder Cubist Collection of nearly 90 Cubist masterpieces and significant works from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation the monumental promised gift of major works by Philip Guston from the collection of Musa Guston Mayer adds a key dimension to the narratives of 20th-century art as does the extraordinary James Van Der Zee Archive established in collaboration with the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Azari collection of contemporary Iranian art and works on paper have also been augmented by substantial and growing collections of international decorative arts and design and time-based media—from acknowledged masterworks by Diane Arbus and Andy Warhol to important newer works by El Anatsui and Kay WalkingStick.About Frida Escobedo StudioFrida Escobedo established her eponymous studio in Mexico City in 2006 The studio’s reputation—initially built on the strength of a series of competition-winning projects in her native country including the renovation of the Hotel Boca Chica (2008) and the expansion of La Tallera Siqueiros in Cuernavaca (2012)—has achieved global recognition since 2018 when she received the prestigious appointment to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens Following her appointment as the Design Architect for the Tang Wing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Escobedo opened a studio in New York City in 2022 One of the studio's notable New York projects is Ray Harlem a mixed-use development in collaboration with Handel Architects that includes a permanent home for the National Black Theatre the studio was selected as a co-designer with Moreau Kusunoki for the Centre Pompidou 2030 renovation.About Beyer Blinder BelleFounded in 1968 Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners (BBB) is an award-winning architecture and interiors practice with 190 professionals in New York City; Washington The firm's multifaceted portfolio encompasses adaptive reuse and restoration and new construction across a wide spectrum of building typologies and sectors BBB has long been recognized for the revitalization of nationally celebrated buildings and urban sites including such cultural institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art BBB specializes in adapting existing structures for new uses and in sensitively integrating contemporary building systems within historic contexts.About Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape ArchitectsNelson Byrd Woltz (NBW) is an internationally recognized landscape architecture firm with studios in New York City and Charlottesville Dedicated to aesthetic and environmental excellence NBW designs major public landscapes in the United States and abroad applying two-and-a-half decades of design innovation in service to the public realm NBW’s research-driven design process unfolds at the intersection of natural and engineered systems The firm's work has been featured in numerous national and international publications was recently published by Monacelli Press.###December 10 2024 Images: Renderings of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing Visualizations by ©Filippo Bolognese Images Contact: Jennifer Isakowitz, Ann Bailis Communications@metmuseum.org “I wish,” she would tell herself as she made her way to her bartending gig, hoping that one day her face would be featured on them. Television Showrunner Debby Wolfe joined George and Mayan Lopez to talk about Season 2 of NBC’s “Lopez vs Lopez,” and navigating boundaries when art imitates life Working behind a bar counter is a respected rite of passage for any hardworking actor it was a reality that felt dissonant after starring in the 2023 film “Blue Beetle,” a $104-million Warner Bros project that was supposed to propel her acting career into bigger and better things But warped as her timeline might have seemed it wouldn’t be long before her dreams materialized In “Happy’s Place,” the multi-camera NBC comedy (it premiered Oct a bubbly college graduate who inherits a Tennessee bar from her recently deceased Together they journey through the bar’s upkeep and their newly minted sisterhood often butting against generational divides and the recoil of parental wounds and absence “Now my face is on the subway station,” Escobedo said via Zoom her voice drained from filming back-to-back episodes “When she came in to read for the part we just kinda locked in and clicked right away,” Reba McEntire said of her “Happy’s Place” co-star it’s impressive.” (Casey Durkin / NBC) But metro platform walls are where the self-adulation stops for the actor finely shifting her tone between angst and humility “I’m trying to honor myself and the work that it took to get here and all the doubts I had,” she said who fell in love with the craft after starring in an elementary school production I feel like I’m myself when I’m on stage,” Escobedo said After a short stint at the New School in New York, the self-proclaimed “proud college dropout” returned to L.A. to try and make it as an actor, refining her chops at Boyle Heights’ Casa 0101 theater an organization formed by writer Josefina López “She actually went to the same performing arts high school that I went to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts,” said Escobedo “I’d always known of her because of ‘Real Women Have Curves,’ that was the first time I ever saw myself on screen.” a role in the Latino-led ABC rom-com drama “The Baker and the Beauty,” where she starred as Natalie the youngest daughter of a Miami baking family who navigates her queer sexuality in a traditional Cuban household the brave friend in Disney’s “Hocus Pocus 2,” the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 film “I’ve been lucky to love and care about all the projects that I’ve done,” she said “I’ve never been dissatisfied with any story that I’ve been given.” The sentiment rings most true when it comes to “Blue Beetle,” the Latino-led live-action superhero movie where she portrayed Milagro the quick-witted little sister of protagonist Jaime Reyes (played by Xolo Maridueña) a college grad who gains superpowers through an ancient scarab “Although I was playing her older brother in the flick she took me under her wing and was so kind throughout the whole process,” said Maridueña though didn’t meet Escobedo until “Blue Beetle.” as Milagro’s perfectly timed comedic relief complimented Jaime’s sensible and serious persona giving life to some of the film’s funniest moments Milagro’s insistence on taking her potty break in a billionaire’sbathroom not only results in the siblings being fired from their custodial jobs; it also triggers the chain of events that lead to Jaime becoming the Blue Beetle “I’ve been lucky to love and care about all the projects that I’ve done,” Escobedo said “I’ve never been dissatisfied with any story that I’ve been given.” (Sarahi Apaez/For De Los) “That shared kinship and bond [we have in real life] was also just through emotionally and mentally dealing with everything that would come from the movie,” Maridueña added displacement and the volatile conditions for working-class people would foreshadow fallout in the entertainment industry Escobedo moved to New York City to pursue other acting opportunities after production wrapped “I was just working and didn’t really know when I was going to be back on a set or anything,” said Escobedo who picked up bartender shifts to make extra money “I think every actor was thinking, ‘Is this for me?’ ” said Escobedo of the strike. “Everyone was just like, ‘I got to think of a second career, what am I going to do?’ ” The work stoppage was further exacerbated by futile self-torment that she should have started her career sooner. “I see icons like Jenna Ortega who started so young and it’s hard to not think, ’What could I have been doing now if I had started then?’ ” she said of Ortega who started at age 10. Between the self-doubt and entertainment mishaps, Escobedo thought often of quitting the industry altogether. “It’s so fickle,” she said. “You could think that someone must be so well off because they did this major show and you think of them as famous but in reality, they might be back at a job.” As drained as she was by the fraught acting world, Escobedo decided to give it another go. “It really was my mom just reminding me that she’s never seen me so happy as I am when I’m on set and when I’m acting and, you know, doing what I love,” she said. It didn’t take long for Escobedo to find her footing. A day after moving back to L.A., she landed her first audition for “Happy’s Place.” “It was definitely like the universe being like, ‘All right, give it another chance,’ ” said Escobedo. Behind the scenes was Emily Marroquin, casting assistant for “Happy’s Place,” who suggested Escobedo’s name to leadership after catching her quick wit in “Blue Beetle,” which fit seamlessly with the NBC multi-camera and laugh track and set-up. “She was my favorite in the movie,” said Marroquin. “There’s just a little sparkle about her.” Donning a Blue Beetle radius jacket, Escobedo channeled her know-it-all little sister tendencies into the character of Isabella. Leading co-star McEntire believed she was the perfect fit for the role, who acts as a balm to her more uptight character Bobbie. “When she came in to read for the part, we just kinda locked in and clicked right away,” wrote McEntire to The Times. “She really holds her own, and to only be 26 years old, it’s impressive.” Though Escobedo might still be stuck behind the bar counter of “Happy’s Place,” she’s not feeling the same anxiety she once felt when clocking into her 8 p.m. shift in New York. “I believe everything happens for a reason and the right role will come,” she confesses. “I’ve lost out on roles and I think the world’s ending, and then the right project always finds you.” It turns out that being behind the bar is exactly where she needs to be. “Through all the doubts and the self-hatred and the nos, through all of that negativity there’s going to be this bright light at the end of the tunnel,” she tells herself. “And if you just keep following that, it’s going to bring you to some of the greatest places you’ll ever be.” Andrea Flores is a reporter with De Los covering the many contours of Latinidad for the Los Angeles Times She has both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Stanford University and is originally from Waukegan Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map Exterior rendering of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tang Wing(view from the southwest corner) Visualization by © Filippo Bolognese Images The Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday unveiled the design for its new wing dedicated to contemporary and modern art Designed by Mexico City-based architect Frida Escobedo named for the couple who gave a lead donation of $125 million a scaled facade inspired by the 1971 masterplan from Roche Dinkeloo The $550 million new wing will better connect to the rest of the museum’s galleries and address accessibility and sustainability needs the first Met Museum wing designed by a woman in its 154-year history will go through a public review process starting in 2025 The Met is one of the few museums in the world, and the only one in New York City, that can display 20th- and 21st-century works “in dialogue with art from different centuries and cultures.” The existing Modern and Contemporary Art galleries sit next to the recently renovated Michael C. Rockefeller Wing which displays art from sub-Saharan Africa the connections among the museum’s galleries are restricted by the arrangement of elevators and mechanical spaces that make it difficult for visitors to navigate accessibility is limited; one floor is only accessible by stairs or through a back-of-house space The Tang Wing replaces the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing and remains within the footprint of the existing building The new wing will measure 126,000 square feet including roughly 71,000 square feet of gallery space The current gallery measures just 48,000 square feet “Frida Escobedo’s extraordinarily inspired and dynamic design for the Tang Wing cements her standing as one of today’s most relevant architects,” Max Hollein “As stewards of one of the most outstanding collections of 20th- and 21st-century art and innovative displays that illuminate the rich—and at times surprising—connections that can be drawn across our collection of 5,000 years of art history.” The new wing will be wrapped in a “celosia” facade comprised of latticed limestone an architectural screen that can respond to sunlight throughout the day while allowing views of Central Park without overexposure in the galleries The gallery spaces will flow into one another and feature ceiling heights ranging from 11 to 22 feet making it possible to display large-scale installations “Our goal has been to create a building that fully meets the needs and aspirations of The Met weaving together vital connections between the Modern and Contemporary Art galleries and other areas of the Museum and at the same time expressing the special significance of the Tang Wing’s place in the city,” Escobedo said in a statement yet of the world; it reflects the global nature of this great collection and also draws inspiration from The Met’s unique surroundings.” The project includes 18,500 square feet of outdoor space with stunning Central Park and skyline views across the fourth- and fifth-floor terraces Gerald Cantor Roof Garden will move to the fourth-floor terrace and increase in size from 7,500 to 10,000 square feet The fifth-floor outdoor area will feature landscape design from Thomas Woltz of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects There will also be a new cafe on the fifth floor the project adds a new second elevator core The new building will reduce energy consumption due to the articulated facade and better placement of windows The lawn adjacent to the wing will be replaced with canopy trees the Met is working closely with NYC Parks and the Central Park Conservancy as the city advances the project through environmental review The museum is also working toward public review by the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Public Design Commission starting in 2025 The design and engineering team includes lead design architect Frida Escobedo Studio executive architect Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLC and engineering firms Kohler Ronan and Thornton Tomasetti “We are pleased to see this important project moving forward This historic design by Frida Escobedo and commitment to accessibility in the new wing reflect the diversity and ambition of our city and will be beautifully integrated thanks to our partners at the Central Park Conservancy’s work on the surrounding landscape,” NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said “We congratulate The Met on this milestone and we look forward to continuing to work with them and our partners across city government to further enhance this world-class destination for visitors of all backgrounds.” By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Comment * document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id" "a69daa1095230686941380683dac077d" );document.getElementById("d57a537edf").setAttribute( "id" and website in this browser for the next time I comment By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Let us know what you are looking for and we’ll help you find the home of your dreams We’ll provide current market comps and connect you with a trusted expert By providing your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.You can unsubscribe at any time There's an undeniably magical quality to the streets of Mexico City This is a place that has put forth countless creative change-makers and the city is full of concrete evidence— and continuing to produce more The distinct style that spills out onto the city's streets first popularized by beloved architect Louis Barragán has built a continuously budding community of contemporary creatives working within the city who are breathing new life into what the late architect had left behind conceptual shapes and abstracted lines have provided a powerful foundation for a promising past and future for Mexico City architects— and for proof Escobedo has achieved an impressive amount of acclaim— from winning honored awards working on large-scale buildings and bringing her bold installation work to impressive international institutions Escobedo's re-invention of residual structures has brought the spirit of Mexico City's skyline beyond where its been ever before she will be making another historic moment having been selected as the youngest architect to design London’s Serpentine Pavillion We were lucky enough to meet up with the 39-year-old architect just a few weeks ago We spoke with Escobedo about everything from her architectural beginnings Give us a little background about your practice and how you got started I studied architecture at Universidad Iberoamericana from 1998 to 2003 I started collaborating with a friend of mine and after that I decided to start my own thing What compelled you to go solo rather than continuing your previous partnerships I really enjoyed collaborating with Alejandro but we were boyfriend/girlfriend at the time But I do like collaborating with people a lot This includes research and furniture projects We treat them the same way as building projects You are based in Mexico City and work on international projects — what role has the city played in your work It’s really nice to see how people appropriate public space I haven't seen this kind of relationship to the outside world anywhere else… probably in China or places like that you can see everything happening on the streets how you see adaptations of buildings everywhere That's something that really informs my practice as well Do you see a time when you may need to leave I read you entered architecture somewhat accidentally—you had interest in art and design and you needed to choose an area of study Do you feel comfortable identifying yourself fully as an architect now or do you feel you are existing between different disciplines The way I thought about architecture really changed when I went to the [Harvard] GSD I was not fully happy with what I was doing as an architect It was just designing and then building—it was very traditional And then I went to this program and it was like you can really do so many different things you can do temporary architecture that is more related to other forms of art I'm very comfortable now with calling myself an architect but I expanded my idea of what architecture is What is your least favorite part of architecture What were some buildings early on that made you aware of architecture I really liked Juan O’Gorman's [Diego] Rivera and Frida Kahlo house Anahuacall (Diego Rivera’s museum of pre-Hispanic art) is also very interesting I was amazed by all of the details—on the floors when I was very young I went to New York with my mom and we went all the way up the Twin Towers What are some things that have inspired you recently outside of architecture But also just conversation with interesting friends and that has opened the window of possibility to the office We're doing this research with him about domestic spaces and how we make invisible some parts of the population—even in the domestic space And how this is really embedded in Mexican culture Do you mean the class system that that suggests with Luciano we are looking at that very closely not allowing public transportation to be visible Small operations that are trying to do hide this other part of the population which is right here If you had an opportunity to redesign your office I really enjoy that we have more of a conversation and everyone participates Maybe when when we start doing bigger projects we will need people with more experience But the part that I struggle most with is the financial part Numbers and healthy finances are a big struggle so if there’s someone would take care of that Let's talk about your Serpentine Pavilion project Could you tell us about how the concept began and how it evolved One was this idea of designing a temporary space that later becomes permanent somewhere else In the brief they mentioned that the pavilion is in Hyde Park for 4 months but then it moves to a permanent location after So it was this idea of what does temporality mean And then the second question is that the pavilion had to somehow represent what the ethos of the office is we like things that are not super-sophisticated in terms of construction but that can be very sophisticated in how you perceive them spatially And then we wanted to do something that was questioning this relationship between inside and outside We decided to do this idea of the courtyard—which is very Mexican— because you're outside but you're in a contained space Are you inside the pavilion or outside of the space it was the perfect excuse to talk about time A few months before I was teaching at the AA but actually determines the way we live everyday everything is determined by this invisible notion So we did this rotation with the courtyard to be aligned to the Greenwich Meridian It's a very subtle gesture that points out that we are aligned to that kind of geography that determines time But then you have another type of perceiving space It’s this idea of how you feel in the space and I’ve read the pavilion serves as a type of clock Her debut EP, 2.0 dropped on April 11th: Von’s discography recontextualized and immortalized for the underground the 2.0 rollout unfolded through a series of invite-only “There’s this widespread relatability kink right now in music artists are so pressured to over share absolutely everything,” Von says “There’s a lot of unsolicited advice about the frequency we should post and how much we should divulge etc This was kind of my tongue in cheek way of giving in to the over share.” In the bowels of H0l0, guests were invited to wander around the fog-filled rooms and enjoy another one of Von’s freakshows produced by Chloe Philips “Each event there’s a crazier request than the last,” Philips laughs I’m constantly figuring out niche permits and safety protocols you’d never think to consider.” Rachel, one of Von’s dancers, traipsed around the space with 30 needles intricately placed into her skin (by @babyrocktattoos) that rounded her back like an S—just a typical body horror moment you can expect from a Von event “The continuous testing of my own being—the desire to either find myself or lose parts of who I’ve been In the backroom, tattoo artist Tyler etched 10 lucky fans with the iconic Von symbol—which he tattooed on Von’s chest live at her last event, LABOR where she released the single “MOMMY 2.0.”  “There’s something so intimate about permanence,” Von mentions “Sharing something so intimate with other people makes me feel really deeply connected It’s like such a deep form of mutual affection.” Von’s latest spectacle wasn’t just a party or a performance—it was a full-body full-sensory declaration of creative autonomy and of the line between artist and audience she’s not just releasing music; she’s releasing herself—layer by layer and more painful introspection—relentlessly synthesizing all of it together.” Whether through blood The desert heat was pulsing and the full moon cast a glow over Coachella’s first weekend—setting the scene for a wild ride where I got low and snapped the best dressed hotties. With the CARVINGBLOCK crew as my compass I kicked things off with a cute St~Germain cocktail crafted by the Michelin-starred team at Camphor I snacked my way through the grounds—stacked sandwiches from L’Antico Viniao and iconic slices from Prince Street Pizza fueling me up for the night ahead I made it to the Main Stage just in time for Missy’s takeover—VIP buzzing with familiar faces like Patrick Schwarzenegger But it was Lady Gaga who stole the show with a jaw-dropping Night two began with frog legs and duck confit under the stars at Outstanding in the Field where Chef Diego Argoti hosted a cool intimate dinner in the Rose Garden I turned the duck confit and made it a high fashion green wrap to go to Charli’s set—brat anthems echoing across the field as the sun dipped behind the mountains She delivered a set that blended her classics with deep cuts only day-one stans would know I try to avoid trends so I gotta admit I was never officially a brat until now My friends and I wandered through the night—bar-hopping between hidden speakeasies and vibing across stages—before closing it all out with horsegirl’s dreamy the Caracas-born icon stunned with a genre-bending set surprise cameos by Addison Rae and Tokischa the night felt seductive and surreal—like a desert fever dream we never wanted to end Caught in the middle of the California desert Once you made your way through the crowds and chaos raw energy bouncing off its chain-link walls Mad Maximus brought the grit of a street-style football showdown to the fields of Coachella, merging performance, culture, and community. Rising stars from across Los Angeles showed up, not just to compete but to represent a vibrant movement of young athletes, creatives, and supporters. A collaboration between Nike and Travis Scott the event felt like a love letter to the game where the rules are constantly being rewritten Set inside the immersive Cactus Jack pop-up the space subverted the idea of an activation Mad Maximus channeled the unpredictable electricity of street football and layered it with Travis’s signature touch: offbeat The weekend kicked off with the Open Crossbar Challenge a simple setup that quickly became a crowd favorite Winners walked away with not only bragging rights but Nike gear and an earned shot at the “Winner Stays” 1v1 tournament on Sunday each bringing their uniqueness to the pitch a Nike NIL athlete and rising star from Chicano FC proving what happens when style meets substance The culture and the Los Angeles community were see The audience waved Mexican flags in support while cheers and claps echoed through the cage Mad Maximus blurred the lines between music but to celebrate a thriving community that may not always get the recognition it deserves It was a reminder that empowering the next generation doesn’t come from placing them under a spotlight the energy could still be felt and sounds of cheers and thudding footwork were still at a high one thing was clear: The future of football doesn’t start in stadiums It starts in cages and on corners with young creatives playing games on their own terms Please confirm that you are at least 18 years old A new residential project has been announced for Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, with architecture by Mexico City-based Taller Frida Escobedo. Those who live in the historic New York neighborhood are drawn to its low brownstone streets and tree-lined sidewalks it’s a place to spend a Sunday morning Contemporary additions are welcome to the quiet neighborhood provided the architecture is subtle and sensitive to its landmark neighbors the seven-story condominium project is under construction in Boerum Hill | visualizations © DARCSTUDIO. the architecture is designed with a low-stance and pleated facade in response to the surrounding townhouses The architectural concept for Brooklyn’s Bergen development is the result of a collaborative effort between Taller Frida Escobedo and DXA Studio. This exchange of ideas led to the creation of two distinct residential wings flanking a central amenity space with a transparent facade. Working closely with GF55 Escobedo ensured Bergen pays homage to its context while carving its own unique identity in the Brooklyn skyline The building will be sited along a postcard and will express the influences drawn from Boerum Hill constructed with custom-made blocks that vary in size and opacity while its orientation is strategically considered to maximize natural light from both the east and west The overall design is shaped with a cohesive rhythm in terms of scale with porosity and transparency woven throughout the building’s form this will be the first condominium project designed by Frida Escobedo in Brooklyn At the building’s core lies the so-called Glass House rectangular volume that serves as the main entry point from both Dean and Bergen Streets This central hub connects the two residential wings encouraging a sense of community within the building to reflect that of Boerum Hill itself Bergen offers residents over 14,500 square feet of amenities across four levels these amenities — which include a cold plunge and a steam room — cater to a range of interests encompassing health In addition to the exceptional indoor offerings residents can relax and socialize in over 12,000 square feet of gardened outdoor spaces including Dean Park and two communal rooftop terraces designed by the landscape team and bike storage are also available for purchase.  custom-made blocks shape the facade to create a unique interplay of light and air the architectural concept is a collaborative effort between Taller Frida Escobedo and DXA Studio the building will introduce 105 luxury units ranging from studios to five-bedroom residences residents will have access to 12,000 square feet of outdoor space architecture: Taller Frida Escobedo | @fridaescobedo developer: Avdoo & Partners | @avdoo_partners interior design: Workstead | @workstead landscape design, master planning: DXA Studio | @dxastudio landscape design, horticulture: Partick Cullina | @pjctwo architect-of-record: GF55 | @gf55architects visualizations: © DARCSTUDIO. | @darcstudio_ photography: © Zack DeZon | @zackdezon Mexican architect Frida Escobedo’s debut condo project in New York with interiors by Brooklyn design studio Workstead Recently she has been working on new projects in New York including the expansion of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and this residential scheme - her first condo development in the city which is part of a wider site masterplan by DXA Studio the project by developers Avdoo & Partners comprises 105 residences in a seven-story new build with a rhythmic façade in shades inspired by the area’s quintessential brownstones At its heart is a distinctive glass-walled entrance and light-filled cylindrical staircase leading to shared amenities such as an art studio as well as green spaces including a park and two rooftop gardens designed by DXA Studio and Patrick Cullina The residences range from studios to five-bedroom properties across 53 unique unit types, including penthouses with private rooftop plunge pools and town-house style units with private gardens. They were all designed by Workstead a local practice founded in 2009 by Stefanie Brechbuehler and Robert Highsmith to complement Escobedo’s custom masonry façade Elegantly bringing the exterior design elements indoors the interiors feature a warm colour palette and simple geometric forms ‘New York City feels endlessly fast-paced and we wanted Bergen to offer an immediate sense of relief and calm,’ says Ryan Mahoney ‘Inspired by the masonry and geometry of Frida Escobedo’s architecture designing homes that are made to withstand the test of time.’ To the building’s white oak flooring Workstead’s team has added earthy tones bespoke elements and custom-designed lighting selecting natural materials that will age beautifully Kitchens boast Taj Mahal quartzite countertops while primary bathrooms are clad in a Crema Vanilla marble and include brushed nickel hardware and custom white oak vanities The colour palette grows richer as you ascend through the building gradually moving on from the bright and light tones of the entrance lobby to deeper Workstead has also collaborated with craftspeople and local makers to create custom elements especially for the development such as solid white oak handles for the kitchens and white oak-framed mirrors in the powder rooms which is based both in Brooklyn and Salisbury The book highlights how the practice’s approach is informed by genuine collaboration and aims to create welcoming yet unanticipated spaces escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox fridaescobedo.com workstead.com dxastudio.com Léa Teuscher is a Sub-Editor at Wallpaper* A former travel writer and production editor and has been sprucing up copy and attempting to write clever headlines ever since Having spent her childhood hopping between continents and cultures She has written three Wallpaper* City Guides on Geneva 2023) – On the porch of a home once designated a dangerous premise the City of San Antonio joins Olga Escobedo the homeowner of the house saved from demolition through the Operation Rebuild Pilot Program which launched in 2022 The pilot program rehabilitates homes in need of critical construction repair.  Planning and Community Development Committee Chair Dr Chief Housing Officer Mark Carmona and the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department recognize Ms Escobedo and her family with gifts and well wishes as she prepares to return to her rehabbed home in June after eight months of rehabilitation.   “Preserving our existing housing stock is a key priority in our City’s housing plan,” said Mayor Ron Nirenberg “I’m proud that Operation Rebuild accomplishes this goal while focusing on meeting the needs of the homeowner throughout the rehabilitation process.”  Operation Rebuild is a $1 million partnership between the City of San Antonio Neighborhood and Housing Services Department (NHSD) Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) and San Antonio Affordable Housing the nonprofit component of the Office of Urban Redevelopment San Antonio (OUR SA) to preserve affordable housing for low-income owner-occupied homes that have an existing demolition order or have been designated dangerous premises.  “SAAH is proud of this initiative to preserve homes for families by addressing the code violations that make homes inhabitable and preserving them,” said Susan Wright “It is our goal to support our communities by investing in homes and homeowners that need help most.”    The Westside home is the first of 10 homes selected for the pilot program but instead the homes are identified by the City’s Development Services Department and prioritized based on the greatest demonstrated need Escobedo’s home had foundational damages exposed electrical wiring and a compromised gas line.  Operation Rebuild focuses on making the home safe to live in and construction includes design considerations to prioritize aging in place for the resident by lowering light switches and counter tops and redesigning and reconstructing the bathrooms and kitchen.   “Operation Rebuild is an incredible example of what San Antonio can accomplish when we prioritize the needs of our working families,” said District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo “The completion of this first home should signal how serious we are about tackling San Antonio’s housing crisis We owe a major debt of gratitude toward all of our City departments affordable housing partners and our District 5 residents who sounded the alarm on the rate of demolitions occurring in our community.”  In efforts to prioritize the homeowner’s overall wellness through the duration of rehabilitation homeowners are supported with a licensed social worker hired by SAAH to provide wrap-around case management services to assist the resident throughout the application contractual and rehabilitation processes.  The social worker’s direct involvement with the homeowner includes the assessment of family needs application assistance for access to services/benefits identifying temporary storage and housing and assisting with relocation Operation Rebuild provides relocation through the duration of the home rehabilitation project Community partners are also contacted to assist with housing counseling homeowner maintenance education and other services.  “Operation Rebuild is unique in our efforts to ensure the homeowner is involved and cared for through the entire process while preserving a home in our City’s affordable housing stock,” said Mark Carmona “The success of this program will be measured by the homeowners’ joy to return to a house that has been repaired and can continue to be a place where memories are created.”  Coordination with the second Operation Rebuild family is ongoing with rehabilitation of the home set to begin in late May Neighborhood and Housing Services Department Gonzalez Convention Center is open at 100% occupancy as of May 17 As our number one priority is the health and safety of our guests we will continue with many protocols established over the last year to ensure our facility is clean and safe for your return Please contact your sales or event manager to address any questions or concerns you may have The Office of Military & Veteran Affairs and Government Affairs Department have moved Vital Record Services will be closed on Friday Frida established her eponymous studio in Mexico City in 2006 initially built on the strength of a series of competition-winning projects in her native country—including the renovation of the Hotel Boca Chica (2008) and the expansion of La Tallera Siqueiros in Cuernavaca (2012)—has achieved global scope since 2018 when she received the prestigious appointment to design the annual Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens becoming the youngest architect to that date to undertake the project she was appointed as the architect to design the new Modern & Contemporary Wing for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City becoming the youngest and first woman to design a building for the institution. Following her appointment as the Design Architect for The Tang Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Frida Escobedo opened a studio in New York City in 2022.  Frida is the recipient of numerous accolades including the Architectural League of New York’s Young Architects Forum Award (2009) the Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award (2016) and the Architectural League Emerging Voices Award (2017) she was honored as an International Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the studio was named by the seminal architecture magazine DOMUS as one of the world’s “100+ Best Architecture Firms.” The most recently The Créateurs Design Association & Awards has named Frida as the recipient of Le Prix Charlotte Perriand for 2024.  Frida has taught at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture (2016) the Architectural Association of London (2016) Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (2016/2019) See all... The Met has been a vital center for the art and artists of its time As part of our commitment to the responsible stewardship of the museum’s world-class collection of art from the 20th and 21st centuries we are planning the complete transformation of our existing modern and contemporary wing Agnes Hsu-Tang Wing in favor of the couple's historic lead gift of $125 million the new wing will create galleries that are better accessible to staff and visitors and that enable the Museum to highlight the diverse array of artists and narratives represented in the collection inviting everyone to feel at home at The Met This week we reached a remarkable milestone We’re excited to share that we’ve raised record donations and have the support of City Hall and many officials for our long-planned renovation of wing This critical support propels forward our plans to transform our outdated wing into a world-class home for the Museum’s renowned holdings of 20th- and 21st-century art and create galleries where all New Yorkers can see themselves reflected in the works on view The Met’s bold new vision for the Tang Wing is designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo the first woman to design a new wing in the Museum’s 154-year history Her design will weave the Tang Wing into the Museum’s campus and one of the great works of public art—Central Park The new wing will remain within the existing wing’s footprint and be no higher than the original building the Museum is built around Replacing the aging 120,000-square-foot wing with a new 125,000-square-foot building will create much-needed additional gallery space by rethinking and reconfiguring existing infrastructure and layouts The wing will also improve the visitor experience by smoothing the transitions between galleries and by creating dynamic spaces for the exhibition of art of varying scales and media and areas for expanded educational and community programming The project will utilize cutting-edge sustainable design practices with an eye to reducing its carbon footprint Construction is expected to generate 4,000 union jobs targeting 30-40 percent Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprise participation and the new wing is expected to open in 2029 The value the new wing will bring to our communities and beyond is clear And I am deeply grateful to our many donors and supporters for their commitment to this critical improvement for The Met and New York and thrilled to have Frida Escobedo bringing her inspired vision to the design This is an exciting moment to celebrate with our Met community and we look forward to providing additional updates on Frida's design in the months ahead Below are a few words of support that demonstrate the incredible enthusiasm that I wanted to share “Our artists and creative economy are the heart and soul of New York City and the cornerstone of our economic rebound,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams “The Metropolitan Museum of Art stands as a beacon of art and inspiration for New Yorkers and visitors from around the globe and helps strengthen New York City’s reputation as the cultural capital of the world As evidenced by our recent $22 million investment in cultural organizations across the five boroughs our administration values institutions like The Met and applauds its efforts to expand the Museum’s world-class collection.” "The Met has long been part of Central Park's identity and the art displayed in its collections complements the beauty and complexity of the natural world on display in the park," said New York City Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue "This administration values our city’s world-class cultural institutions and we congratulate The Met on reaching this milestone.” The Met’s Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Candace K “this important project will allow The Met to better present its outstanding collection and expand the ways it reflects the diversity of New York City and the world for its local and global audiences It will be a crown jewel and a global draw for New York City.” providing a unique platform to tell the diverse stories of artists throughout the 20th and 21st centuries,” said New York City Speaker Adrienne Adams “I’m excited that the new galleries will be designed by Frida Escobedo I congratulate The Metropolitan Museum of Art for reaching this important milestone The Met helped to create the model for how New York City works with the cultural institutions that thrive here to provide world-class facilities and arts programming that engages New Yorkers and attracts visitors from far and wide,” said New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo “This new wing will mark the next phase in this historic partnership giving The Met’s contemporary collections a fitting home for the first time This project will also create thousands of jobs while building on The Met’s commitment to connecting audiences with artwork that spans global history Congratulations on this important milestone.” New York City Council Member and Chair of the Cultural Affairs Committee Carlina Rivera said “The Met’s new Tang Wing is New York City at its best The commitment to representing and uplifting diverse artists in what will be a stunning new gallery space is the exact kind of project our city's culture needs to flourish I applaud The Met and Frida Escobedo on pursuing a project that will be the pride of all New Yorkers.” "The reimagined Tang Wing will make history with Frida Escobedo at the helm as the first woman to design a wing for the 154-year-old New York City institution The Met plays such a critical role in our city and on the Upper East Side—driving millions of visitors to the area each year Congratulations on an important milestone!” stated New York City Council Member Keith Powers “While The Met has long been a haven of art and creativity certain artists and cultures have historically been underrepresented This project signals an important commitment to expanding and diversifying the stories told by the art and artists the Museum displays The Tang Wing project is critical to The Met’s mission to connect all people to art and ideas and the new galleries will lift up ever more diverse voices and vibrant works of art.” “The Tang Wing will provide a thoughtful space for artists like me long inspired by many of the iconic works of art displayed here but not always represented in its galleries The transformed wing will create a space where everyone can gather and see their likeness and communities reflected in the works on view.” the Tang Wing will draw on its surrounding context while also breathing new life into The Met’s 20th and 21st-century collections By weaving these connections with other areas in the Museum we can acknowledge and celebrate the common threads that span different times We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with the Met's team as the design takes shape providing a home for culture that belongs to all.” “Today’s announcement marks a major milestone in not only improving one of New York’s most iconic institutions but also creating thousands of good paying union construction careers,” said Gary LaBarbera President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York “This significant investment in a treasured public asset will open countless opportunities for hardworking New Yorkers to pursue the middle class and support their families all while giving visitors of The Met an elevated experience We look forward to partnering with the Museum to advance their vision for the Tang Wing and tradesmen and tradeswomen from across the five boroughs.” What started with a simple public records request became a journey into the absurd depths of Mexican bureaucracy and learned a lot about how a city experimented with a dangerous surveillance tool Filing public records requests for government information is a vital tool that EFF uses to shed light on law enforcement use of surveillance technologies When a government agency hides crucial information about their surveillance policies and practices it harms the democratic rights of the people whose data is collected and exploited we rely on the Freedom of Information Act and state-level open government laws to obtain records from government agencies but many other countries also have similar public records laws—including Mexico authorities frequently collaborate and share resources and surveillance techniques deployed by law enforcement on one side of the border often flow across to the other we investigated this flow of technology starting with a predictive policing program that we learned that police had launched in General Escobedo Predictive policing refers to using algorithms and sometimes artificial intelligence to predict where crimes may occur or to identify who might commit them These systems ingest a variety of data sources—such as surveillance data criminal records and social media—depending on which vendor is providing the technology This technology is flawed pseudo-science at best: the public safety equivalent of snake oil Because the technology feeds off a biased and flawed data loop it can result in pushing police toward communities that already are over-policed We knew that General Escobedo, a municipality on the outskirts of Monterrey, had a predictive policing project because a government official publicly spoke about the program at a September 2018 meeting, according to records we found on the General Escobedo administration's website "En esa búsqueda de innovar para mejorar hemos incorporado una nueva herramienta a nuestro modelo policial consolidado Que ha sido posible desarrollar porque somos el único municipio que tiene los registros estadísticos necesarios sin esta información es imposible realizarlo a partir de este próximo 12 de octubre con esta herramienta se nos permitirá predecir con altas probabilidades de acierto donde se cometerá el próximo delito y por lo tanto evitarlo." we have incorporated a new tool to our consolidated police model This  has been possible to develop because we are the only municipality that has the necessary statistical records and without this information it is impossible to do so from this coming October 12 this tool will allow us to predict with high probability of accuracy where the next crime will be committed and therefore avoid it." While the project was promoted as a technological miracle for public safety we needed to request records regarding the project’s development Mexico maintains a National Transparency Platform through which people—including people who don't live in Mexico—can file public records requests we submitted such a request to learn about how General Escobedo’s predictive policing system was implemented we need to be fair: The National Transparency Platform is a very useful tool it was easy to use and it efficiently facilitated a line of communication between the EFF team and the government officials responsible for ensuring information is released Filing the information request was probably the only simple part of this process transparency depends on the people who respond on the other end and how enthusiastic they are to fulfill your records request The first answer we received from officials in Escobedo was disheartening: Inexistencia de Información The records didn't exist—or so they claimed We didn't believe this for a minute: How could a program receive an October 12, 2018 launch date without a long paper trail leading up to it? Like in many countries, the laws and rules at the national and state levels in Mexico require government-related institutions or those receiving public funds to keep records of any undertaken activities within their powers But the flat denial of records wasn't even the most absurd part To try to prove they had done due diligence and met the requirements of Mexican public record laws, local officials sent us a photo essay of their "exhaustive search" ("búsqueda exhaustiva") for the records Here they are outside the Secretaría de Seguridad Ciudadana building And now they're outside the door of the Dirección de Análisis e Investigación Policial (the directorate for police research and analysis) Here they are searching for records on a computer And here they are looking in the drawer where they keep their mugs and coffee We had to look twice at that image: Were they really looking in the snack drawer for our documents named Sistema de Predicción de Delitos (SPRED) It made no sense: they showed us screengrabs of documents and then claimed that they didn't exist We appealed to what was then called  Nuevo León's Comisión de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información (COTAI - in English the Commission for Transparency and Access to Information) it was renamed Instituto Estatal de Transparencia Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INFONL- in English This is the state's agency charged with ensuring access to information and adjudicating such appeals COTAI held two hearings on our request via Zoom and only the person whose name was on the original request was allowed to attend on behalf of EFF No representatives from General Escobedo bothered to attend the first hearing municipal staff laid out their position: The SPRED  program belonged to the previous administration and the current one decided to discontinue the project they did not have further information about the program they claimed; they also claimed that the slide presentation and manual found in the search were only drafts and therefore did not need to be released under law and asked for a document showing that the project had been dropped By General and State law (art state agents must document any act deriving from their powers or functions the law presumes that such information exists the Transparency Commission may order state agents to produce the respective document (art So if the municipal administration decides to discontinue a project described in a government action plan with public funds assigned there must be documentation of that decision which agreed with us and ordered the city of General Escobedo to conduct another search for any information they had about the project General Escobedo finally provided us with documents showing that the project was a collaboration between the city and the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Autonomous University of Nuevo León) The documents included the SPRED kick-off presentation agreements between Escobedo and the university According to the presentation, the goal of the project was "to develop a mathematical model for crime prediction the management of reported crimes and the visualization on maps of historical data and predictions for the municipality of General Escobedo Nuevo León." The presentation also included a map showing the flow of data including crime reports and historical crime data What the presentation did not cover is any of the risks or pitfalls of this kind of model nor did it include any steps officials would take to mitigate the potential harms if the algorithm is trained using five years of crime data—but that crime data was based on biased policing practices—the software could be expected to exacerbate that bias Training an algorithm with emergency calls can also create problems in terms of equity since that data can also be biased: Some communities may be less likely to call police when they experience or witness crimes due to past negative interactions with law enforcement or the fear that police may be corrupt The records did show that the program represented a huge waste of public money. According to the agreement, Escobedo committed to pay up $5,220,000 (pesos, and including taxes) to the university for the project and the records include a number of invoices and receipts showing at least $4,000,000 (pesos) checks were issued However, Escobedo refused to provide the SPRED manual to us, claiming that it could not be released due to its status as copyrighted work. We've seen similar problems in the U.S. with police agencies exploiting copyright exceptions to thwart public access to records There was also a technical annex to the agreement between Escobedo and the university that we wanted to see; Escobedo provided both the manual and the technical annex to COTAI for review we were pleased that Mexico's access-to-information law allowed us to (eventually) review relevant information about the program Mexican public records law does have important safeguards that enabled us to effectively appeal the original denial And COTAI proved its value by exerting its authority in favor of transparency though it also decided not to disclose some of the documents that it received and reviewed We were further heartened by the fact that Mexico allowed us—as non-Mexico residents—to access public information we are concerned with how this government entity developed a surveillance program and then delayed for many months any public accountability and related spending This unfortunately reflects a trend we see across Mexico and around the world We owe a debt of gratitude to Article 19 México y Centroamérica for sharing their prior experience with Mexico's transparency laws and helping us navigate the byzantine appeals process Federal court records belong to everyone. But one federal court in Texas lets patent litigants treat courts like their own private tribunals, effectively shutting out the public.When EFF tried to intervene and push for greater access to a patent dispute earlier this year A new statement about strengthening internet governance processes emerged from the NETMundial +10 meeting in Brazil last month strongly reaffirming the value of and need for a multistakeholder approach involving full and balanced participation of all parties affected by the internet—from users You’re not supposed to be able to litigate in secret in the U.S. That’s especially true in a patent case dealing with technology that most internet users rely on every day. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what’s happening in a case called Entropic Communications, LLC v. Charter Communications, Inc When patent holders use public courts to try to enforce their rights they do not get to fully shut out the public from those disputes EFF has repeatedly intervened in patent litigation seeking to vindicate the public's presumptive rights to access court proceedings and records in patent disputes Check out our 4-star rating on Charity Navigator Doja Cat is the purveyor of multiple things she's sold over 1.5 million total units of her breakout album,.. Victoria Woodcock selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter My personal style signifier is my hair – which I wear up I’ve been doing it like this since university It’s just easy for me to style it that way And I almost always wear black tailored trousers I have a pair from Balenciaga’s unisex Garde collection that I wear all the time because they’re very loose and comfortable The last thing I bought and loved was a sofa – a Knoll Brigadier many years and I’m really excited that it’s now in my apartment The living room with a sofa by RH Cloud and Marcel Breuer’s Wassily chair © Luis GarvanThe places that mean a lot to me are New York and Mexico City I split my time between both and I couldn’t feel luckier New York has always given me incredible opportunities I also have very dear friends there who encourage me to do new things And the best souvenirs I’ve brought home are jasmine tea from China And seeds from a dandelion field at Villa La Rotonda – a 16th-century building designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio just outside Vicenza in northern Italy – which I am hoping to use for a project soon Jasmine tea and a vase of cosmos flowers © Luis GarvanThe last music I downloaded was Afrique Victime the album by Mdou Moctar; it’s modern rock inspired by Tuareg guitar music Portishead is always on repeat on my Spotify And some Black Sabbath – especially the songs that are on the moody side The best book I’ve read in the past year is Blue Nights by Joan Didion It is a book about loss but also about being a woman being a mother – or not being able to be a mother – about ageing and all things that fascinate and terrify me at the moment I couldn’t find words for specific moments of change or loss that happened in my life until I read these poems But that’s what poets do: they allow us to see our experiences and emotions in a new light a favourite recent read © Luis GarvanThe best gift I’ve given is an olive tree And the best gift I’ve received is flowers from my mother. She has a magnolia tree in her garden and every year when it blooms she sends me a flower but it’s beautiful and reminds me so much of her Black tailored trousers are a style signifier © Luis GarvanThe podcasts I listen to are Red Scare a cultural commentary; and A History of the World in 100 Objects by the BBC I think it’s fascinating to understand the history of human culture through material artefacts The episodes on the Mexican Codex Map and the Shadow Puppet of Bima are two of my favourites My favourite buildings include the Mosque of Cordoba and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul I love it especially because I worked on it with my two sisters: Ana is a photographer In my fridge you’ll either find lots of veggies or just wine I like to have jars pre-filled with cucumber celery and ginger to make a quick green juice in the morning I have Parmigiano Reggiano and manchego cheese my mother-in-law’s kumquat jam and currently a bottle of Kongsgaard if there is no bread or butter I feel I have nothing to eat Her Noguchi lamp and flea market finds © Luis GarvanA concrete model and the celosia used for La Tallera Museum © Luis GarvanMy style icon is my mom clogs and a huipil – a handwoven embroidered cotton caftan she changed her style to pencil skirts and wide-shouldered jackets with a thick silver chain around her neck all the time An indulgence I would never forgo is dessert. I’m always in search of the perfect panna cotta. The one at Estela – chef Ignacio Mattos’s restaurant in New York – is amazing I also love tarte tatin; my mother’s is the best The last item of clothing I added to my wardrobe was a vintage Phoebe Philo Céline black silk shirt with a still-life print – a mix of fruits and flowers Interlude Variation by Patricia Treib and mascara by Byredo © Luis GarvanIn another life, I would have been a film set or costume designer. But I also would have loved to have been able to sing or to dance. I really like seeing people express emotions with their body, and I often go to the opera in New York. I recently saw Aida at the Met; the stage design was just so spectacular My favourite room in my house is the living room of my apartment in Mexico City a big avenue running through the centre of the city – you can see the Monumento a la Independencia and Chapultepec Park – yet the space feels very calm and quiet I love waking up before sunrise and sitting in here with my dog I try to meditate every morning and he lies right next to me but also a Paulistano chair – designed by Paulo Mendes da Rocha in 1957 And the centre coffee table is a mock-up of one of my designs – a scaled-down model of a dining table her German pointer © Luis GarvanThe first work of art that spoke to me was The Acrobat by Picasso My mother told me that when I was very little she took me to see an exhibition that included this painting who makes colourful abstract paintings in her outdoor studio in Costa Rica Almond-toe pumps by The Row. On the table is an Alberto Diaz de Cossío vase, a Lalique vase used as a cigarette dispenser and an Oriente Italiano ashtray © Luis GarvanI’ve recently rediscovered that exercise makes me feel good. I go for long periods of time without doing any, but I need it. Yoga, specifically. Even doing 15 minutes in the morning makes me feel great. MAAT Metodo is a great Pilates studio in Mexico City but because I travel all the time I often do the on-demand classes from The Class or The Floss on my phone The best bit of advice I ever received was “stay slippery” Don’t allow people to know what they can get from you Frida Escobedo is the winner of the 2024 Charlotte Perriand Award « Back The green-tiled Niddo Café in Mexico City’s Juárez neighbourhood.  The Mar Tirreno residential complex in Mexico City with its façade of undulating concrete blocks punctuated by latticework sections.  The ’Lina Bo Bardi: Habitat’ exhibition at Museo Jumex.  photographed by Caroline Tompkins on 16 August 2021 at her Mexico City studio International Women’s Day 2022 and Women’s History Month: Mexican architect Frida Escobedo on variety Celebrating International Women’s Day 2022 and Women’s History Month we revisit our interview with Frida Escobedo first published in the October 2021 issue of Wallpaper* One of five visionaries invited to nominate five creative leaders of the future for ‘5x5’ Wallpaper’s 25th anniversary project she introduces her female future champions This idea of variety is part of the advice she offers to her students ‘Make sure you understand who you are working for,’ she tells them ‘Having a more diverse practice has allowed me to distance myself from the economic pressures of being an architect the amount of pressure I would get from developers would restrict my practice but it opens the door to more interesting work.’ She hastens to add: ‘I have generally been very intuitive about it but I found that older generations felt they had to build a career that had a well-defined expertise in something specific whereas newer generations tend to be much more flexible on that front.’ fridaescobedo.com Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper* She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006 visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas Ellie has also taken part in judging panels such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022) SaveSave this storySaveThe greatest museum in the Western Hemisphere, The Metropolitan Museum of Art—an encyclopedia of more than two million objects from all parts of the world—is finally coming to terms with modern and contemporary art A few modernist works made their way into the collection and over the years there were gifts and legacies such as Picasso’s great portrait of Gertrude Stein But The Met’s anti-modernist stance held firm until 1967 when the museum got its first department of contemporary art headed by the irrepressible curator Henry Geldzahler modern and contemporary art established an entire wing of its own partially financed by Reader’s Digest cofounder and philanthropist Lila Acheson Wallace this space did more to highlight the gaps in The Met’s pitifully inadequate collection than showcase its few modern treasures it was one of those moments that can change the trajectory of an architect’s career and they sent me an email saying they were expanding their portfolio of architects for their files and could I come in,” Escobedo tells me in her soft-spoken voice I never imagined it was about redoing a wing So I came in and had a 40-minute meeting with Max Hollein A few weeks later I received an invitation: ‘Would you like to participate in this competition?’ Another surprise I never imagined that I would be competing against Pritzker Prize winners and very established firms.” whose father was the world-­famous architect Hans Hollein put the five competitors through an unusual process “We worked with each of the companies simultaneously for five months as if we were already the client,” Hollein says “But it was also a competition about the working method and the way we would like to engage in a complex project that we knew would take six to seven years.” What led The Met to take such a big risk on a little-known architect who had never done anything on this scale—a $500 million wing with 80,000 square feet of gallery space twice the capacity of the old one—for one of the world’s most beloved museums “She has a deep understanding of how architecture functions like a public space—and that clearly comes out of a Mexican tradition,” Hollein tells me “What I find so striking about Frida is that she is very much connected to the artistic environment in our time She creates enormously elegant and powerful spaces with a deep sensitivity for light and material She really understands the museum as a communal space.” Doubts of whether The Met could raise the money for its new wing disappeared in 2021, when longtime Met trustee Oscar Tang and his wife, Agnes Hsu-Tang, pledged $125 million the largest capital gift The Met had ever received Hollein used Escobedo’s appointment to announce triumphantly that The Met’s modern and contemporary “collection will continue to grow more significantly than any other area.” Escobedo had appeared on the radar of many people in the art community when she was selected to design that year’s Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Gardens this commission has gone every year to an architect selected by the Serpentine’s artistic director and other members of the Serpentine’s team Escobedo had met Obrist when he sat down with her on a trip to Mexico she received an email from the Serpentine that she dismissed as marketing “Then I received a second one: ‘Did you receive this previous email We’re inviting you to design the pavilion.’ ” Like the call from The Met “I started working on a proposal right away.” Escobedo’s winning design in London took the form of the enclosed courtyards in so many Mexican houses were made of ordinary English cement roof tiles with gaps between them to let in light and air It was like a compendium of Escobedo’s architectural style using ordinary local materials to achieve a kind of porosity implying the ability to see through things and hint at what’s on the other side where you see everything right away,” she says moments of engaging you or forcing you to become more focused.” The architect David Adjaye tells me that the walls in Escobedo’s Pavilion “were like breathing walls in the tropics.” He adds She was playing with the idea of Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion—to change the way you see the world around you What was powerful was that she basically shut off the view to the park and to the Serpentine and created her own world.” Adjaye says that most architect contenders “talk about the relationship to the trees and the building and the great context of London architecture But she just gave us an architecture that said ‘Come into Frida’s world.’ She gave you vignettes But she wasn’t trying to get you to look outside She was trying to get you to meditate on the force of her architecture Frida Escobedo was born in Mexico City in 1979 Both her parents are professionals—her mother worked for the National Institute for Women and is an active promoter of women’s rights; her father is an ob-gyn doctor They divorced when Frida was five but remained close to each other and to Frida and I think going back and forth between them I became a little adult very quickly,” she says “The main hall and all the flowers had a huge effect on me and the idea that they would change them so often was generous and welcoming.” Frida was always interested in art and drawing “Art is about your feelings and your ideas,” she says “Good question,” she says, laughing. “I have some ideas, but I’m not going to share them. We’ll see in seven years.”   In this story: hair, Ilker Akyol; makeup, Kuma.  Conversations The architect and artist discuss the decolonization of culture and honoring tradition through innovation in Document's Fall/Winter 2019 issue This conversation appears in Document’s Fall/Winter 2019 issue, available for pre-order now. Frida Escobedo represents the future of Mexican architecture. With a focus on challenging design and building a canon, in 2018 she became the youngest architect and first Mexican woman to design London’s Serpentine Pavilion Her approach to the pavilion’s design is emblematic of her architectural ethos: inspired by the celosia she used industrial concrete tiles to create latticed modular walls Her work combines the functionality of simple materials the wisdom of Mexico’s layered architectural tradition culturally-minded aesthetic that resists trends flexible in their utility and sophisticated in form small gestures lead to larger consequences in a system where all architecture—like everything else these days—is informed by politics Each project is an opportunity to examine and question the historical economic forces governing the usage and access to space Reyes’s work inspires dialogue and ignites resistance Mexico City—a Brutalist-inspired living space ruled by plants The house for the “caveman of the future,” as Reyes calls it is an ideal setting to discuss the preservation of heritage the responsibilities of the artist and architect toward their communities and the next evolution of a national Mexican cultural identity at a time of political and social change “It is only through innovation that you save tradition Innovation allows tradition to persist.”—Pedro Reyes Alberto Ríos de la Rosa: What makes Mexican art and architecture unique and what role should the government play in its creation Pedro Reyes: Artists and architects in Mexico have the opportunity to work with manual processes that have disappeared elsewhere either because they have been mechanized or because they are highly expensive It is very important that we take advantage of craftsmanship skills Mexico has an incredible heritage of popular and colonial art that has provided us with a unique artistic language related to avant-garde and 20th-century art It is the combination of all those factors that makes us interesting The decolonization of culture gives rise to new products It is only through innovation that you save tradition We will continue to have a past if we nurture a future that is open and supports new work Frida Escobedo: The government must assume an important role Mexican modernism reinterpreted everything that meant ‘learning.’ It was not something that we simply imported; we made it ours and adopted it on a political It is a mistake to think that the aesthetic dimension is not political or that the political does not have an aesthetic aspect Pedro: Here in Mexico there has always been a battle between nationalism and cosmopolitanism It seems that we are entering that controversy again today Nationalism had a bad reputation after World War II since it led to fascism in Europe if it had not been for the Mexican School and nationalism The artists of the nationalist period began to associate pre-Hispanic culture The sculptors of the Mexican School began to see that the people had a distinct complexion and bone structure which is reflected in their work There was a period of important decolonization when we generated a style that contrasted with the European avant-garde Nationalism is dangerous when it comes from an imperialist country but when it originates in a country that has been colonized ‘This is very Mexican architecture,’ we don’t realize that the construction methods are influenced by many traditions It is important to understand how we have adapted and adopted various techniques throughout our history—the layers of our cultural identity Ninety percent of Mexico City was built without educated designers which made for a completely local and authentic construction It is important to recognize what we define as Mexican and how that definition is diluted This is part of the fascinating process that happens now in Mexican culture It is no longer a single voice and it doesn’t come from one region only but from several regions that communicate with others It is about how that knowledge is translated and transferred Alberto: What do you mean when you talk about Mexican architecture as a ‘spirit’ and not as a style Frida: The spirit comes from past baggage and a vision for the future It is something that leads you onward but only because of what already existed in the past Pedro: What I see in your practice is a sensitivity towards materials and a study of the contemporary vernacular; something that we do not associate directly with the ‘Mexican’ postcard image There is a moment of maturity in architecture in which you can make a contemporary proposal that does not rely on clichés Your work has internalized the history of architecture and has produced a vocabulary in which tradition and modernity coexist We are always searching for a past we lost There is a definition of nostalgia that I really like from Svetlana Boym which says that ‘nostalgia is not looking for a lost time but a lost place and that place may not exist.’ I think we have built our identity from layers of moments that we found interesting that worked well politically for the aspirations of the group in power at the time nostalgia has to do with an aspiration to be wealthier and to have a better life Alberto: How do you approach social issues through your work Do you think that architects should base their work on social theories such as ‘broken windows’ which argues that visible signs of crime generate urban environments that produce more crime Frida: Architects have a very narrow vision of how cities are built outside the centers Cities are built by people without architects Infrastructure problems are not solved by architects Real estate developers led by groups of investors are the ones who really define the public policies that determine how the city is being built and how the value of territory is changing We don’t have the opportunities to design cities based on studies of how territories are defined This is a much more important design decision than just choosing materials that seem contemporary or reflect our personal aesthetics this is less profitable for real estate developers but it would generate longterm value and stability If the real estate market bubble did not exist and the fluctuating land value would not happen There would be more stability and more possibilities for different groups to be integrated in the same territories Pedro: Italian artist Michelanglo Pistoletto said ‘The artist is a sponsor of ideas.’ The artists’ contribution is to propose ideas that have the potential to make a social impact The artist produces prototypes of relationships that could be taken on a larger scale; in my case turning weapons into musical instruments or planting trees in Palas por Pistolas Now I am developing a digital platform to have a universal library subscription They are projects that are designed with the potential to become public policy The intellectual’s position in Mexico has been to distance themselves from power I believe that criticism is not constructive There is a fantasy that criticism produces something The institutions we have inherited are the result of artists who put themselves at the service of the public apparatus artists have not offered their views because the opportunities to help are still not very clear but I feel that we should give this administration a chance This would be a gesture of great maturity on behalf of the artists; the most serious risk we run into is to be stagnant I feel that my vision of utopia would be that intellectuals and cultural producers look for opportunities to work in whatever way they can contribute We are always searching for a past we lost.”—Frida Escobedo Alberto: Public commissions have declined because the public believes that they no longer have the impact they had in the past It has created a vicious cycle in which the existing low-quality public sculpture generates a negative reaction that further reduces the opportunity for other commissions Pedro: Public sculpture originates from commissions the worst artists are the ones that have lobbied for that kind of work The artists and curators of my generation have failed to conquer public space because we are sufficiently entertained with institutions Carrying out a public commission involves a lot of management work our understanding of sculpture has been radically transformed in the last fifty years and public art went more towards actions and performance which has created a vacuum that has been filled by mediocre art from the lobbyist artists Frida: I feel it has to do with city branding and not with cultural identity all the cities wanted to have a Sebastian door because that meant having the ‘development’ stamp like the giant colored logos they put on public squares Public space has a branding stamp based on clichés of aesthetic identity Mexican pink is now the color used to identify Mexico City We have assimilated this in such a natural way that we didn’t realize it was completely planned This phenomenon will inform design unconsciously Alberto: How can we generate new public commissions and spaces that benefit society Pedro: It depends on the tenacity of the artist If you think of a sculpture like the Torres de Satélite Luis Barragán had that freedom because he was a developer He dedicated himself to building a luxurious housing development and the Torres were a great spectacular announcement to publicize his real estate development It is very curious that he has gone down in history as a poet when he was a businessman In 1958 we were still in a nationalist period when the state had no intention of producing these abstract figures it was the artists who made the effort to persuade the dean of the university for something like this to happen What I find interesting is that almost all artists in Mexico have some kind of independent initiative that is done in a selfless way Mexican artists and architects do public work but it doesn’t necessarily translate into a monument We feel emptiness because art has been dematerialized in another series of activities is an initiative promoted by an artist that has an educational character and architectural element There is this misunderstanding of public spaces that are essentially private—places that are neutral or give the idea that everybody can use them simply because they are open they are programmed—that is not a public space It is important to review how civic spaces can be generated where conflict or friction can take place in everyday life We see many more branded initiatives in public spaces forums for political self-promotion that must be inaugurated on a certain date to have greater visibility; and private spaces that appear to be public but are sponsored or maintained by private initiatives with new dynamics of exclusion “There is this misunderstanding of public spaces that are essentially private…they are controlled they are programmed.”—Frida Escobedo Alberto: How do these initiatives relate to the preservation of historical heritage in Mexico Frida: It is important to define heritage from the scope of public space Thinking specifically in the case of Chapultepec What are the layers that need to be transformed And what needs to disappear so that other things can bloom Pedro: I am astonished at the amount of sculptural heritage on which we stand More sculpture exists here than maybe anywhere else on the planet Sculpture is a very jealous goddess who demands that you dedicate hundreds of hours to solve a piece Sculpture is not the illustration of an idea; it is an entity that must be able to exist and persuade without any context or explanation which refers to that mystery or voice that exists independently of the evolution of art Alberto: The key to your most recent work is perhaps the modernization of pre-Hispanic forms which is based on rigorous intellectual research and techniques also becomes a preservation strategy Pedro: There is a philosophical aspect that leads you to formal decisions on a trip to Germany I saw that ‘pop art’ was called ‘capitalist realism’ in relation to ‘socialist realism.’ There was no pop in Mexico because pop in Latin America implied a kind of submission to commercial imperialism We don’t have to be painting cans or bottles: They are the objects that Americans pay attention to because they never had a project to recover their pre-Columbian heritage They are blinded to the remembrance of the massacre of their native peoples We have had a negotiation in which we celebrate our original cultures from the official discourse with their institutions the most interesting thing that has been done in Latin America is a kind of anti-pop; a kind of sabotage of the brand and molcajetes—reflect a level of stylization where these issues continue to be treated Even the gringos did not understand that it was pop They did not know that at a time when everyone was fighting imperialism with guerrillas that these were the cheerleaders of imperialism it will always be seductive because it has been synthesized Pop cleanses the language of advertising and presents it simplified and adopts a form of seduction that replaces sacred art a bit It becomes a reflection of our obsessions and gives our lives a feeling of weightlessness Frida: Now the total representation of post-capitalism is a logo and is worth millions but I find it fascinating that we have reached that degree Your work Pedro is like a reaction; it takes one to have the other and the incorporation of techniques that are not only national with the references of pre-Hispanic sculpture or Russian avant-garde—movements that occurred outside of Mexico but still generated important influences here without being so obvious Pedro: Mexico has a great connection with Japanese Metabolism The Olympic Games prior to Mexico 1968 were Tokyo 1964 Many architects who were working on the project went to Tokyo and at the same time many Japanese artists had been here who made the great figure [Tower of the Sun] for Osaka’s ’Expo 70 The relationship of late Mexican modernism by architects such as Agustín Hernández or Pedro Ramírez Vasquez and the Japanese architecture of Kenzo Tange is very interesting you can see that the roof of a Mayan house is similar [to a roof] in rural Japanese vernacular architecture In Japan there was an awareness of architecture as regionalism not the subject of materials such as O’Gorman’s regionalism in which there is a brutalism that uses the slope inspired by pre-Hispanic architecture with influences from other countries such as Japan Frida: But don’t you think that it aligns with the political aspirations of the time The slope seems fascinating to me because it has to do with a hierarchical patriarchal power that needed to be reestablished in a stable way We have inscribed a figure of stability in the brain that is effective and powerful Pedro: Stalinism suddenly turned to a very reactionary architecture with the Anahuacalli [Museum] and other works of architecture made a representation of state value that was sought in the indigenous It represented the great de facto power at the time—Pedro Ramírez Vazquez—who was considered the architect of the PRI [Institutional Revolutionary Party] Now we understand that having these massive buildings and weighty speeches were necessary That political continuity had to be well-established You are sure that everything will remain there the buildings of the institutions today are made of plywood and concrete board Pedro: The spirit a building transmits is related to the choice of materials two species of architectural paradigms arise [Ricardo] Legorreta became the Mexican paradigm NAFTA had just been signed and there was a lot of fear that we would stop being Mexican and that is why Legorreta was so favored during President Salinas’s administration because these buildings were made with colors to prove that we were still Mexican the [Enrique] Norten group that aged poorly due to Mexico City’s climate and atmosphere Materials such as aluminum and glass that you can use in London or Paris Materials such as concrete or stone can age better The conclusion is that somehow only if you leave Mexico can you return to see those things that were not evident but that were in front of you all the time “What I find interesting is that almost all artists in Mexico have some kind of independent initiative that is done in a selfless way.”—Pedro Reyes Frida: Don’t you feel that trends are increasingly accelerating We are at that critical point where you have time to complete them We no longer have long periods where styles are settled Pedro: We are not talking only about context but about the ability to read context Thinking about the pavilion that you made at the Serpentine it was not something that you identify as Mexican but there was a sensitivity towards the materials and a simplicity of the design that enhanced the materiality of the space itself it did not have a geographical specificity but it was obvious that the material was understood and that is a sensitivity associated with the Mexican Frida: I am surprised at how quickly color was adopted as part of an identity it was a very short period in which the Mexican pink defined us It has to do with another type of memory that is neither numerical nor linguistic but that is transmitted from generation to generation The assumption that a color can still be used to form something goes faster than our understanding Alberto: How can we to break that chain of events Frida: Avoiding the hyper-simplification of things preventing yourself from being pigeonholed in a style you get stuck and stop questioning your context you will find more expressions and more materiality It will always become more complex and richer The individual key is not to fall into comfort There are many things that we only see on the surface and discard because they seem clichés but all clichés are the disguise of something that deserves study I think you don’t have to fear stereotypes because if you scratch them and they can become part of your creative arsenal Print Juan Escobedo is one of those characters that you have to know to understand the rhythm of this city he keeps one foot in Los Angeles and the other on the south side of the border His heart is divided between those two loves The photo was taken in 2018 and is a self-portrait of Escobedo wearing the sombrero of his grandfather “He was from Jalisco and he came to the United States when visitors paid 50 cents to cross the border,” Escobedo says. “He did not find out that he was part of the Bracero Program until years later.” “My grandfather always wore a hat when riding a horse or doing farm work The hat was an extension of who he was and the land he cared for I’m honored to have been selected out of so many great artists to show my work in this exhibition It’s like bringing it to life on the streets of this city.” Escobedo knows very well that his home is here in California but he also listens to the voices of his ancestors who constantly beckon him to experience the traditions flavors and daily life of the towns of Mexico That is why he feels as much at home in a market in Boyle Heights talking to young people who want to be filmmakers “How many of us have not felt that sensation upon returning to the land of origin?” asks Escobedo with a smile Edson Caballero Trujillo in Xaaga (Juan Escobedo) Escobedo’s penchant for shadows and angles comes from afar the house was kept in permanent semi-darkness,” he recalls “The candles illuminated the images of the Virgin that my grandmother had and the hats were part of the furniture in the house... and I remember that there were always hats virgins and the outstanding image of San Martín de Porres In that chiaroscuro environment, reminiscent of the landscapes and photographs of the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo Escobedo developed his sensitivity toward images Edson Caballero Trujillo one of the Aztec dancers who regularly perform at the Zócalo in Mexico (Juan Escobedo) From those childhood memories comes his need to experiment with shadows And the best way to express that need was through photography which he began to practice at 15 years old when he studied at La Jolla High School he came to understood that the camera was not only a tool but also a vehicle to raise awareness about different social issues Thus was born “Trash and Tears,” the series of photographs that Escobedo began in 2017 in which he depicted actors and models in the midst of marginalized urban landscapes In this series Escobedo explores the problems of the accumulation of objects graffiti and drug addiction through imagery of the garbage-strewn areas where unhoused people often are obliged to make their homes “Trash and Tears” is a reflection on the ambiguous and precarious value of objects Alvaro Daniel Marquez in the series “Trash and Tears” 2018 (Juan Escobedo) Although he feels he belongs to Los Angeles where he arrived in 1991 to study theater with an emphasis in directing and photography at Cal State L.A and East L.A College Escobedo has dedicated a good part of his career as a photographer to recovering his Mexican identity where he has taken photographs that have earned him great personal satisfaction Although his foray into photography dates back to his student days a friend asked him to recite a poem entitled “I am a soldier in Iraq,” in which he narrates how veterans are treated once they return to the United States where too often too many of them are forgotten and even despised by the rest of society he illustrated it with images and sent the video to the Cannes Film Festival where it won the award for best short film under four minutes from the Swiss Department of Arts and Culture It also earned the Cinema of Conscience Award from the Sonoma Film Festival in 2008 (()=>{const e=document.getElementById("yt-img-cb1AX1v8meg");e&&e.addEventListener("load",(t=>{t.target.naturalWidth<=120&&(e.parentNode.children[0].srcset=e.parentNode.children[1].srcset=e.src)}),{once:!0})})() “When I got back to Los Angeles I thought we should have a festival like this in East Los Angeles,” says Escobedo So he got to work. With the support of former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina and Guadalupe Bojórquez of the Casa Cultural, he organized the East LA Film Festival and where the works of numerous local artists who are trying to stand out in this competitive industry come together a non-profit organization whose objective is to offer young people from marginalized areas of Los Angeles the opportunity to learn the art of cinema As a filmmaker Escobedo has built a reputation for himself He was nominated for the prestigious Premio Imagen (2009) which recognizes positive portrayals of Latinos in film and television His other works as a director include “Ruby,” a movie for Current TV In 2018, “Marisol,” a short film addressing the horrors of domestic violence and child abuse won best dramatic short film at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and best actress awards for both lead actresses at the Women’s Independent Film Festival and at the Playhouse West Film Festival In May 2022 this short film won best director best child actress and best short film at the San Diego Movie Awards in Balboa Park (()=>{const e=document.getElementById("yt-img-v0QEJc8D5Yo");e&&e.addEventListener("load",(t=>{t.target.naturalWidth<=120&&(e.parentNode.children[0].srcset=e.parentNode.children[1].srcset=e.src)}),{once:!0})})() The script for “Marisol” also became part of the permanent collection of the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, where it is available to researchers. But Escobedo has a long way to go. Among his future projects is a film that addresses the issue of the Black population of Mexico. “It is a part of society that has been forgotten, marginalized and for centuries, tried to erase,” says Escobedo, who will soon travel to the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero to recover that part of Mexico’s history. “If we forget who we are, we are lost,” he says. Cursó la licenciatura en Ciencias de la Comunicación en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Fue editor asociado en la revista People en Español; subdirector del Diario/La Prensa en Nueva York. Maciel ha dirigido numerosas publicaciones en el sur de California. World & Nation California