Person Place Thing: Claire Weisz NA with Randy Cohen

A live recording at the National Academy of Design of Person Place Thing, featuring host Randy Cohen in conversation with architect Claire Weisz NA, founding partner of WXY, a New York based studio globally recognized for its community-centered approach to design. Musical performance by guest composer and guitarist Tomas Rodriguez.

Person Place Thing is an interview show based on the idea that people are particularly engaging when they speak not directly about themselves, but about something they care about. Guests talk about one person, one place, and one thing with particular meaning to them. The result: surprising stories from great talkers. Past guests have included Marion Weiss NA and Michael Manfredi NA; Tod Williams NA and Billie Tsien NA; Laurie Anderson NA; Mierle Laderman Ukeles; Anna Deveare Smith; Alice Aycock NA; David Gonzalez; and Yeohlee Teng.

RESERVATIONS: Admission is free but reservations are required. The program will begin at 6:30 PM.

ACCESSIBILITY: This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. To request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service, email your request at least three weeks in advance of the event to [email protected].

About the Speakers

is a founding principal of WXY architecture + urban design. Globally recognized for its place-based approach to architecture, urban design, and planning, WXY has played a vital role in design thinking around resiliency. Weisz co-founded and was co-executive director of The Design Trust for Public Space.

Weisz has received the Architectural League of New York’s Young Architects Award and the Emerging Voices Award. She was named one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business in 2017, awarded the Medal of Honor from AIANY in 2018 and was honored with the Women in Architecture Award by Architectural Record in 2019. Her firm WXY won the 2016 AIA New York State Firm of the Year Award, and was listed as one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies 2019. Her work around urban issues has been featured widely in national and international publications including the New York Times, Metropolis, AD, Architectural Record, and many others.

’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.

Image: Brockport Bridge for ReImagine the Canals, New York Power Authority, 2020. Courtesy of WXY Studio.

Host or Publisher National Academy of Design