Curatorial Address – Brinda Somaya

About: Brinda Somaya, is Dean of IE School of Architecture & Design and the Executive Director of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, a position she has held since 2005. Her interests focus on the city of the future and innovation in architecture and design education to make it relevant for the challenges of the 21st century. She believes that the methodologies of architects and designers allow them to creatively imagine a more positive future and more importantly, to take actions towards that goal. From 1995 to 2005, she worked as a curator in the Department of Architecture at The Art Institute of Chicago. Her work during her tenure at the museum involved curating many exhibitions, including, developing publications, and participating in a ground-breaking study on collecting, archiving, and exhibiting digitally-created design materials. She has written numerous articles for books and journals on contemporary architecture. She served on the Board of Directors of the International Archive of Women in Architecture and the Graham Foundation for Fine Arts. She has participated on juries for the new National Museum of Chinese Art, Zaryadye Park in Moscow and on the international jury for ArcVision – Women and Architecture Prize, among many others. Martha Thorne received a Master of City Planning degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Affairs from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She undertook additional studies at the London School of Economics. She is an honorary fellow of the RIBA and COAM (Professional Association of Architects of Madrid).