The Architectural League, AIANY, and Other Nonprofits Form Public Design Alliance
In response to heightened recent challenges such as severed federal support for arts and cultural institutions and the widespread suppression of diversity initiatives, a group of 15 New York–based architecture and design nonprofits, some with national reach, have banded together to create a formal support network known as the Public Design Alliance. While many of the 15 founding organizations are accustomed to collaborating with and elevating each other in the past, the Public Alliance provides a structured framework with common goals to “strengthen the collective impact” of the participating institutions.
“This growing network aims to be responsive and to foster collaboration and solidarity across the city’s design sector, responding to an increasing call for cooperation in uncertain times,” reads a mission statement, which also outlines the four current core priorities of the Alliance: Knowledge sharing, program collaboration, community and audience building, and message amplification.
“The challenges facing our cities—climate resilience, housing equity, public trust—are too complex for any one organization to tackle alone,” says Jesse Lazar, executive director AIA New York and the Center for Architecture, which are two of the network’s founding organizations. “More than ever, the political and economic moment we are in demands deeper collaboration, connectivity, and solidarity.”
Gregory Wessner, executive director of the National Academy or Design, echoes Lazar in emphasizing the crisis that cultural nonprofits—particularly those that foster equity, champion diverse voices, and promote climate action—have found themselves in since January, when Donald Trump returned to the White House for a second non-consecutive term:
“With cultural organizations under threat and funding being indiscriminately cut, the Public Design Alliance is a step toward working collectively to advocate for the importance of cultural organizations in sustaining and protecting civil society,” said Wessner.
“While Washington slashes funding for arts and culture, New York nonprofit leaders know that resilience is rooted in collaboration,” adds Kristin LaBuz, executive director of Open House New York.
Below is the full list (current as of June 25) of the Public Design Alliance’s founding organizations:
AIA New York
Architectural League of New York
Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation
Center for Architecture
Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP)
Design Trust for Public Space
Institute for Public Architecture
Municipal Art Society of New York
National Academy of Design
NYCxDESIGN
Open House New York
Regional Plan Association (RPA)
Storefront for Art and Architecture
Urban Design Forum
Van Alen Institute
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