Amant Art Campus in Brooklyn encourages community engagement
A cultural incubator’s new Brooklyn venue, the Amant Art Campus, encourages community engagement, courtesy of architecture studio SO-IL
‘There are a range of art residencies in the world, in various forms, but very few build a full campus from the ground up,’ says Florian Idenburg, co-founder of New York architecture studio SO-IL. Its latest completion is the Amant Art Campus, for young international private arts organisation Amant, positioned as a flexible research and artistic platform, with campuses in Brooklyn and Tuscany.
The US outpost is about to complete the first phase in an extensive construction project that encompasses spaces for an international artist residency programme, including areas for producing and performing arts. Located in an industrial neighbourhood of East Williamsburg and connected to it via a visual palette that includes brick, concrete and steel, the new Amant Art Campus was conceived as an ‘oasis in this industrial zone’.
SO-IL is well known for its thoughtful, delicate art spaces, which combine clean surfaces that lend themselves to displaying art, with distinct architectural gestures that have identity and character. Previous works include the Kukje Gallery in Seoul (2012), the K11 Art and Cultural Centre in Hong Kong (2017), the Frieze New York art fair tent in 2012 and 2013, and the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art (2016).
Amant Art Campus is no exception. Providing enough space for artists to concentrate and develop work was crucial, but the complex will also operate a programme of open events. ‘Normally, the public is invited only into the area closest to the street, but here we flipped that,’ says Idenburg. ‘The performance space and bookshop/café can only be reached via an alleyway and courtyard, passing by the studios and offices.’
INFORMATION
so-il.org
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
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. Now an established journalist, 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, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Tag Heuer unveils sporty new collections at LVMH Watch Week 2025
Tag Heuer has announced a series of new watches at LVMH Watch Week, including Formula 1 and Carrera editions
By Chris Hall Published
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA fires
Architecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
By Michael Webb Published
-
Sundance Film Festival 2025: The films we can't wait to watch
Sundance Film Festival, which runs 23 January - 2 February, has long been considered a hub of cinematic innovation. These are the ones to watch from this year’s premieres
By Stefania Sarrubba Published
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA fires
Architecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
By Michael Webb Published
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the city
Following the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yours
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North Carolina
Designed for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A Texas ranch house blends Californian charm and Asian minimalism in a 'balance in hybridity'
Pontious, a Texas ranch house designed by OWIU, is a home grounded in its owner's cultural identity, uniting Californian, Chinese and Japanese roots
By Tianna Williams Published
-
The three lives of the Edith Farnsworth House: now, a modernist architecture icon open to all
The modernist Edith Farnsworth House has had three lives since its conception in 1951 by Mies van der Rohe; the latest is a sensitive renovation, and it's open to the public
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Year in review: the top 12 houses of 2024, picked by architecture director Ellie Stathaki
The top 12 houses of 2024 comprise our finest and most read residential posts of the year, compiled by Wallpaper* architecture & environment director Ellie Stathaki
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
A vacant Tribeca penthouse is transformed into a bright, contemporary eyrie
A Tribeca penthouse is elevated by Peterson Rich Office, who redesigned it by adding a sculptural staircase and openings to the large terrace
By Léa Teuscher Published