SITE: See and Be Seen

Ignacio Galán, PhD leads a conversation with James Wines NA and Suzan Wines (SITE) on the embodied disruptions of SITE's art and architecture projects.

SITE is an architecture and environmental arts organization, founded by James Wines in 1970 for the design of buildings, public art works, parks, gardens, plazas, interiors, products and exhibitions. The philosophy of the studio is based on ‘integrative thinking’ - a fusion of art, architecture and context as key elements in a unified vision. In response to the current age of information and ecology, SITE is committed to expanding the interpretation of ‘green design’ by combining energy conservation with improved architectural communication for both urban and suburban situations. To reflect this objective, the firm’s projects include a continuing exploration of social, psychological and ecological sources of ideas in the public domain. Part of this mission is a conceptual approach where buildings and their surroundings are no longer designed as isolated objects sitting in the environment. Instead, they are interpreted more inclusively as the environment.

RESERVATIONS: Admission is free but reservations are required.

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

Ignacio G. Galán, PhD is an architect, historian, and curator. His work addresses how architecture mediates power and participates in the shaping of society, attending to questions of nationalism, migration, and disability, amongst others. He is the author of Furnishing Fascism: Modernist Design and Politics in Italy(2025) and the co-editor of Radical Pedagogies (2022) and After Belonging(2016). He is an Assistant Professor at Barnard College of Columbia University.

James Wines NA, winner of the Smithsonian Institution’s 2013 National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement, is the founder and president of SITE in New York City. He has designed more than 150 buildings and public spaces in 11 countries; and is the recipient of 25 art and design awards, including the ANCE Award for International Architecture (Italy 2011) and the Chrysler Award for Design Innovation (USA 1995). He is also the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Kress Foundation, American Academy in Rome, Guggenheim Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Graham Foundation and Ford Foundation. He continues to work on art, architecture and design projects, while writing essays and lecturing on environmental issues internationally. His work is in multiple museum collections and the subject of 22 monographic books and museum catalogs. James is the author of seven books on art, architecture, design and environmental thinking.

Suzan Wines is an architect and principle of I-Beam Design, an award-winning, woman-owned architecture firm. She is also executive director and senior architect at SITE- James Wines, LLC. Suzan recently co-edited “Transient Spaces” (The City College of New York, 2019) with Loukia Tsafoulia & Samantha Ong and has served as New York correspondent to Domus Magazine. She has taught at The Cooper Union, Pratt Institute, Parsons School of Design and is Adjunct Associate Professor at the Spitzer School of Architecture, The City College of New York. I-Beam’s projects have been featured in numerous international books and publications, and exhibited at the Milan Architecture Triennale, the Venice Biennale, Salone del Mobile, Milan, Prince Charles’ Royal Gardens, London, Grade European Center for Culture, Belgrade, Boston Architectural Center, Storefront for Art and Architecture and AIA New York Center for Architecture.

Image: James Wines, SITE, Ghost Parking Lot, 1977. Courtesy of SITE.

Host or Publisher National Academy of Design