2017 Marcus Prize Studio Offers Visions For Future Of Key Downtown Block

On December 12, the public will have an opportunity to view the results of this year's Marcus Prize architectural competition, which focused on developing a vision for the site of the current Marcus Center parking structure, incorporating the needs of the Milwaukee Public Museum and the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, along with updated parking and additional space for the Marcus Center.

The Marcus Prize event will be held from 1 - 5 PM on December 12th at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts' Bradley Pavilion. The event will begin with presentations to a team of judges of the conceptual designs completed by the 2017 Marcus Prize winner, Jeanne Gang, and selected student. Following the judging, the public is invited to view the 3D models of the conceptual designs up close. A formal award presentation to Ms. Gang and reception will follow.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture & Urban Planning, through the vision and generosity of Milwaukee's Marcus Corporation Foundation, initiated a biennial, international architectural prize to recognize the talent and achievements of emerging architects, in the early stages of their career. The award honors architects for their outstanding work to date-as well as their promise of greatness in the future. The $100,000 prize provides $50,000 to the winner and a further $50,000 to lead a design studio in collaboration with UWM faculty. In addition to the award itself, the Marcus Corporation Foundation provides financial support to host the selection jury and to bring the awardees to Milwaukee for the studio.

This year over 70 students applied to participate in the Marcus Prize, the student portfolios were reviewed by Studio Gang and Associate Professor Kyle Reynolds. 14 students, both graduate and seniors, were selected to participate in the studio. It is their work which will be shown during the review.

American architect and MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, FAIA, founding principal of Studio Gang has been awarded the seventh Marcus Prize, an architectural prize offered worldwide to recognize architects 'on a trajectory to greatness.' This $100,000 award, supported by the Marcus Corporation Foundation (the philanthropic arm of the Marcus Corporation, a lodging and entertainment company headquartered in Milwaukee) and administered by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, includes a cash prize to the recipient and supports a design studio at the school that will be collaboratively led by Ms. Gang.

Gang is internationally renowned for a design process that foregrounds the relationships between individuals, communities, and environments. Her diverse body of work spans scales and typologies, expanding beyond architecture's conventional boundaries to pursuits ranging from the development of stronger materials to fostering stronger communities. Her approach has resulted in some of today's most compelling architecture, including Aqua Tower, the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, and Writers Theatre. She is currently designing major projects throughout the Americas and Europe, including the Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; a unified campus for the California College of the Arts in San Francisco; and the new United States Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil.