Exhibition: “Jim Olson: Architecture for Art”

Glass Farmhouse

The Museum of Art at Washington State University is organizing “Architecture for Art”, the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to the career of Jim Olson, one of the Northwest’s most significant architects and founder of the internationally recognized Seattle-based firm, Olson Kundig Architects.

The exhibit will serve as retrospective for Olson’s 45-year career, highlighting his residential legacy, including his own homes -an apartment in downtown Seattle and his cabin on Puget Sound- as well as his public design work, which encompasses the Lightcatcher Museum in Bellingham, Washington, St. Mark’s Cathedral and the Pike & Virginia Building in Seattle, and the Noah’s Ark Exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Along with the projects themselves, the exhibition will explore the artistic, cultural, natural and personal influences that have made the architect’s career so highly regarded by his peers and sought after by clients. “Architecture for Art” will include a range of materials that showcase Olson’s process, including notebooks and ephemera, original sketches and drawings, stunning large-scale photo displays, and models. Original art work from selected residences will be on display, as well as a custom-designed art installation that will provide visitors with a first-hand experience with Olson’s use of space and collaboration with art.

For more information, please click here.

Cite: Jordana , Sebastian. "Exhibition: “Jim Olson: Architecture for Art”" 10 Jun 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 19 Jun 2013. <http://www.archdaily.com/143018>

3 comments

  1. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    It would’ve been nice if you’d shown a photo of one of Jim Olson’s beautiful houses! Montecito Residence is a Kundig project :)

  2. Thumb up Thumb down 0

    I think Seattle is a fantastic, yet under-rated, territory for post-grads to live in and begin their architectural career. The work by Olson Kundig Architects is in a reciprocal relationship with Seattle; each allows the other opportunities for design excellence. Could the legacy of Olson & Kundig exist without Seattle?

Share your thoughts