Exhibits

Current Exhibits | Exhibit History

Current Exhibits

With Every Fiber | Opening May 4, 2024

West Barn

Design for Freedom is Grace Farms Foundation’s ongoing work to eliminate forced labor in the building materials supply chain. This permanent exhibit, designed by Studio Cooke John, with Pentagram, offers cross-sector insights into the scope of the problem and proposes strategies and practices to address it through a series of material studies, including timber, steel, concrete, and textiles.

A space for both education and contemplation, the exhibit features innovative solutions, including a tapestry of bio-based materials designed by the Yale Center for Ecosystems + Architecture, alongside contributions from poets, photographers, theologians, and others who remind us to consider the relationships inherent in the questions central to Design for Freedom: where do our building materials come from and are they made with fair labor?

“Understanding that humanity touches every single step along the way allows us to reimagine how architecture fits into the rest of our lives.”

— Nina Cooke John

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Peace Forest

West Barn

What is Grace Farms and how does Grace Farms Foundation advance good in the world? An immersive installation inspired by nature, Peace Forest offers visitors an interactive experience highlighting how the landscape, architecture, and people at Grace Farms are part of the Foundation’s mission.

Pedestals made with ethically sourced steel and wood repurposed from the site, gently sway when touched and will feature text, objects, and archival photos. A map of Grace Farms and a program guide highlight offerings each day.

The installation is curated by Grace Farms Foundation Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Creative Director Chelsea Thatcher, and designed by Peter Miller (Palette Architecture) and Shohei Yoshida (shohei yoshida + associates / SYA), members of the architectural team of the award-winning SANAA-designed River building at Grace Farms, with the graphics designed by Pentagram.

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Exhibit Archive

Common Good Through Crisis

East Barn

Common Good Through Crisis, considered the relationships and connections that inspired Grace Farms Foundation’s efforts to provide 2 million critical PPE to frontline health care workers and hundreds of thousands of nutritious meals to our neighbors in need. Grace Farms Foundation’s work to close the PPE gap during the initial surge of the pandemic was furthered through collaboration with the State of Connecticut, the Town of New Canaan, and many other municipalities, hospitals, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, and individuals.

The “show spotlights people who have selflessly used their skills, and mobilized their networks, to serve others in big ways. The selection of stories, which mostly took place in the throes of the pandemic last year, demonstrate how one’s connections can be a powerful tool for fostering action and change.” – The Slowdown

The immersive installation, in which the public can participate in weaving, connected individual stories to a fabric of interconnectedness, and posed the question about an urgency and power in continuing to act for the common good, not just in times of crisis.

The exhibit, designed and curated with an ethical material lens by Chelsea Thatcher, Grace Farms Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Creative Director, and MASS Design, with graphics from Pentagram, inaugurated a new gallery space for the public in the East Barn.