Person Place Thing: An Interview with Paola Antonelli

Person Place Thing: An Interview with Paola Antonelli

Join us on October 29th for a special live recording of Person Place Thing featuring Paola Antonelli, a curator, thinker, and global advocate for design as a form of critical inquiry and cultural reflection. As Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art and Founding Director of its Research & Development initiative, Antonelli has expanded the definition of design, from objects to systems, interfaces, and ideas, revealing how creativity shapes not only our built world but our shared values and future possibilities.

Hosted by Emmy Award–winning writer Randy Cohen, Person Place Thing invites remarkable guests to share stories about one person, one place, and one thing that hold special meaning to them. The evening will also feature live music by the acclaimed string quartet ETHEL, described as “indefatigable and eclectic” by The New York Times, “vital and brilliant” by The New Yorker, and “great to have a beer with” by Randy Cohen himself. The ensemble includes Ralph Farris (viola), Kip Jones (violin), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Corin Lee (violin).

This live conversation, sponsored by the Viñoly Foundation and hosted at the Rafael Viñoly Architects headquarters in Lower Manhattan, promises an evening of thoughtful dialogue, dynamic performance, and creative inspiration. Antonelli’s humanistic approach to design – rooted in curiosity, empathy, and imagination – reveals how creativity can transform the way we see and shape the world around us.

Person Place Thing: An Interview with Paola Antonelli

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

6:30 pm

Rafael Viñoly Architects

375 Pearl Street, Floor 31

New York, NY 10038

SPECIAL NOTE: Tickets are not transferrable. If registering for multiple tickets, please register the first and last name of each individual.

Valid government-issued photo ID is required by each ticket holder to be presented at the event location’s security desk for access to Rafael Viñoly Architects. The name on the ID must match the name on the ticket.

About Paola Antonelli

Paola Antonelli is Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA’s founding Director of Research & Development. Her goal is to promote design’s understanding, until its mighty influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work considers design various practices within a multidisciplinary framework, highlighting its connections with technology, society, and the environment. Besides curating exhibitions, she also produces a renowned public series, the MoMA R&D Salons, that demonstrates the potential of museums as R&D departments for society. The Instagram platform, book, and podcast Design Emergency, which she co-founded with design critic Alice Rawsthorn, is an ongoing investigation on design's power to envision a better future for all.

About Randy Cohen

Randy Cohen’s first professional work was writing humor pieces, essays, and stories for newspapers and magazines (The New Yorker, Harpers, the Atlantic, Young Love Comics). His first television work was writing for "Late Night With David Letterman" for which he won three Emmy awards. His fourth Emmy was for his work on Michael Moore’s "TV Nation." He received a fifth Emmy as a result of a clerical error, and he kept it. For twelve years he wrote "The Ethicist," a weekly column for the New York Times Magazine. He is currently the creator and host of Person Place Thing, a public radio program.

About ETHEL

For nearly three decades, the GRAMMY®-winning, fearless string quartet ETHEL has been an electrifying presence on the global stage, fusing virtuosic playing and innovation with the music of our time. The ensemble is a future-focused, pioneering musical force, with a sonic legacy of evocative storytelling and heartfelt human connection, and continues to shatter preconceived boundaries across sound and style.

Premiering over 500 works—many commissions—the quest for building artistic relationships is at ETHEL’s core. In addition to traditional recital formats, its collaborative and multimedia productions are central to ETHEL’s identity. Its thrilling performances on the world’s top stages range from Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center to Sydney Opera House, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Ravinia Festival, Holland’s TROMP, Venice Biennale, and FIAC in Mexico. Upcoming is *Reimagine*, an evening-length collaboration with two-time Grammy®-winning soprano Hila Plitmann and director/designer Doug Fitch, commissioning song transformations from seventeen composers in all genres with immersive visuals.

Composer-performers—Ralph Farris (viola), Kip Jones (violin), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Corin Lee (violin)—have been commissioned by a bevy of institutions nationally, including the NEA. The quartet has worked with a kaleidoscopic array of legendary artists including Bang on a Can All-Stars, Vijay Iyer, David Byrne, Sō Percussion, Todd Rundgren, Ursula Oppens, Joe Jackson, Ron Carter, Stewart Copeland, Raven Chacon, Thomas Dolby, and Lionheart.

Its extensive discography features albums on Cantaloupe Music, Sono Luminus, In a Circle Records, Innova, and with jazz legend Kurt Elling, the GRAMMY® Award-winning *Dedicated to You* on Concord. Its album *The River*, with Robert Mirabal, received a Native American Music Award nomination.

Founded in 1998, ETHEL has appeared at TED Conferences, on ABC Radio Australia, SiriusXM, *Conan O’Brien*, *Performance Today*, Randy Cohen’s *Person Place Thing*, NPR’s *Weekend Edition*, and on the soundtracks of *Dan in Real Life* and HBO’s *Deadwood*. During the pandemic, ETHEL’s Met Museum *Balcony Bar from Home* virtual series garnered nearly two million views.

Passionate educators dedicated to fostering the next generation of audiences and performers, ETHEL has innovative ongoing residencies at Denison University, Peabody Conservatory, CUNY’s Macaulay Honors College, The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Balcony Bar, and a VR/AI initiative at the University of Oklahoma.

About the Viñoly Foundation

The Viñoly Foundation champions Rafael Viñoly’s vision of advancing architecture and urban planning for the public realm through education. The Foundation is dedicated to the belief that the spaces people inhabit profoundly shape human experience and development. Through innovative early childhood education programs, it fosters a lifelong appreciation of the built environment in children, nurturing their emotional, cognitive, and creative growth. Drawing from neuroaesthetic principles, the Foundation emphasizes how thoughtfully designed spaces impact well-being, particularly in childhood, and promote a deeper understanding of architecture’s influence on society.

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