On May 4, 2024, cultural center Grace Farms opened a new long-term exhibition that aims to shed light on the inner workings of the building industry, offering insights into the methods of producing and distributing building materials, as well as the pervasive practices of forced labor happening in the materials supply chain worldwide. The exhibition also presents the work of “Design for Freedom,” a collaborative global movement launched in 2020 at Grace Farms. The initiative aims to change architecture by raising awareness of these issues and helping disrupt forced labor in the construction industry. Titled “With Every Fiber,” the exhibit is free to visit both at its physical location in New Canaan, Connecticut, and online as a virtual exhibition.
As the first initiative to bring the Design for Freedom movement to the public, the exhibition showcases the work of 20 preeminent designers, materials suppliers, artists, construction industry leaders, and cultural institutions dedicated to creating fair labor practices and supply chain transparency. Among the exhibits, Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture presents a biomaterials installation highlighting the relationship between culture and sustainability.
The entire display is focused on the concept of “ethical decarbonization,” a new term proposed by Grace Farms CEO and Founder Sharon Prince with Anna Dyson, Founder of Yale CEA, aiming to demonstrate the invisible link between the climate crisis and the suffering of forced labor within the building industry. The term hopes to illuminate the need to pursue strategies that protect both the ecosystems and those who live within them.
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Can Architects Finally have a Seat at the Table? Labor Rights and Work Conditions in Architecture Locuinte colecIn addition to the exhibition, the Design for Freedom movement has been leading Pilot Projects around the world, advising and consulting with practices to help model transparent and fair supply chains for the materials used in their projects. From high-profile commissions such as the Serpentine Pavilion to community-centered designs or cultural development initiatives, all of these projects demonstrate in tangible terms how a more humane built environment can be achieved. To further demonstrate this commitment, the exhibition space is designed by Studio Cooke John Architecture + Design, one of the first US-based architects to join one of the pilot projects.
With Every Fiber responds to Design for Freedom’s efforts to remove the veil covering the reality of unethical labor practices in the construction industry. The exhibit draws Grace Farms visitors – neighbors from across the street and design professionals from around the world – into the space and invites them to contemplate what goes into making our homes, places of work, cultural spaces, and sites for commemoration. - Nina Cooke John
Read on to discover the 12 Pilot Projects launched by the Design for Freedom Initiative, whether finished, in progress, or newly announced, along with descriptions provided by Grace Farms.
Completed Projects & Case Studies
Black Chapel by Theaster Gates (21st Serpentine Pavilion)
The Black Chapel by Theaster Gates is the first international Design for Freedom by Grace Farms project. As Responsible Materials Advisor, Grace Farms worked with the Pavilion project team to enhance material transparency and prioritize ethical procurement.
Harriet Tubman Monument / Nina Cooke John
The new Harriet Tubman Monument in Newark, NJ, designed by architect, artist, and United States Artists Fellow Nina Cooke John, opened to the public on March 9, 2023. Design for Freedom worked with Cooke John on the transparent sourcing of materials for the monument, demonstrating her commitment to designing and building with materials that are free of forced labor.
New Canaan Library
The New Canaan Library, in New Canaan, CT, is the first Design for Freedom building project in the U.S. Throughout the process, the team collaborated with Centerbrook Architects, Turner Construction, and 21 subcontractors to trace raw and composite (engineered from two or more materials) building materials as far as possible within the supply chain. The new library project opened on February 14, 2023.
Temporal Shift by Alyson Shotz
Temporal Shift by Alyson Shotz is a site-responsive sculpture that was at Grace Farms through October 2022. Temporal Shift interacted with natural light and animated an interior courtyard of the SANAA-designed River building at Grace Farms, describing time as the seasons change. When fabricating and installing the work in summer 2021, Grace Farms was presented with the opportunity to align the process of bringing this exciting work to the public with the ever-expanding framework of analysis, inquiry, and collaboration.
Projects in Progress
The Brij, New Delhi, India
Located on the site of a former quartzite quarry, the new cultural center offers facilities for the visual, performing, literary, and culinary arts as well as a new arts academy. The scheme, aiming to promote interactions between artists and audiences via an immersive environment, is designed by CRAB Studio and CP Kukreja Architects.
The Grain Market, Jodhpur, India
This special collaboration with Design for Freedom is currently in design. Diana Kellogg, founder of her award-winning firm, is working with JDH Urban Regeneration Project, which is restoring the historic walled city of Jodhpur. Together, they will restore a historic grain market, transforming it into a world-class farmer’s market with dining.
Unshattered’s Project Possibilities, Wappingers Falls, NY
This building will provide new spaces to support Unshattered’s community. Unshattered is a non-profit social enterprise that paves the road between recovery and long-term sobriety by creating opportunities for women overcoming addiction and trauma to develop economic independence.
Newly Announced Pilot Projects
Karsh Institute of Democracy University of Virginia
The Karsh Institute of Democracy building is envisioned as a vibrant, continually active place. Situated within the Ivy Corridor, the building’s elevated position above a designed stream corridor and outdoor gathering spaces will make it the western visual terminus for this new redevelopment site on the University of Virginia Grounds.
Hunger Busters
Hunger Busters is a transformative initiative aimed at alleviating food insecurity among the students of the Dallas Independent School District. With nearly two-thirds of DISD’s students facing food insecurity daily, Hunger Busters, a nonprofit meal provider program established in 2012, has been serving freshly prepared dinners to 4,500 DISD students each school day.
Carnegie Global Ethics Hub
The Carnegie Global Ethics Hub reimagines two connected townhouses currently occupied by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. To support the organization’s mission and identity as a hub for global dialogue, MBB Architects is designing a renovation that will reconfigure the interiors to create a dynamic gathering/event space, foster collaboration, and improve accessibility.
Humanscale Showroom
Designed in collaboration with renowned architect Suchi Reddy, the showroom features Humanscale’s diverse range of products that elevate work life and leave a positive impact on the world. The space itself is Living Building Challenge-certified—a reflection of the brand’s commitment to doing more good than harm.
Bigfork Library
The Bigfork Library will support the rural community of Bigfork, MT, located in the greater Flathead Valley near Glacier National Park. Nestled at the northeast end of Flathead Lake, the town of Bigfork has a population of just under 5000 people. In 2018, a committed group of volunteers at ImagineIf Library Foundation took the first step to realize this community library and purchased a 6000 square foot former church rec hall. The dream was to see it converted into a dynamic 21st-century library for the Bigfork community.
