This week, the American Academy in Rome heads to Venice for the finissage of the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Carlo Ratti. Academy Fellows and Residents will share the work they developed in Rome, engaging with international audiences and connecting with peers across disciplines.
At the U.S. Pavilion in the Giardini, the finissage of PORCH: Generosity of Architecture celebrates the Pavilion’s exploration of openness, hospitality, and collective space. Co-commissioned by Peter MacKeith, Rod Bigelow, and 2026 Resident Susan Chin, the project has been a hub of ideas and collaboration throughout the Biennale. For its closing weekend, the PORCH Fest program brings together Academy participants and the Pavilion team on November 21–23, highlighting the social potential of architecture through interactive exhibitions, workshops, and conversations.
Akima Brackeen (2026 Fellow in Architecture) presents Sonic Impressions, exploring how sound and spatial memory shape collective experiences. Tameka Baba (2026 Fellow in Landscape Architecture) shares Urban Tapestry, reflecting on soft density and public space in Rome. Lex Brown (2025 Fellow in Visual Arts) offers The Soap Operetta, a playful, genre-crossing work. Ross Altheimer (2013 Fellow in Landscape Architecture) joins Maura Rockcastle of TEN x TEN for a Design Dialogue about their roles on the PORCH Lead Design team, collaborating with Julie Bargmann (2025 Resident / D.I.R.T. Studio), who led the Pavilion’s landscape strategy.
On November 22, the Academy participates in the GENS Public Programme, the Biennale’s public-engagement strand at the Speakers’ Corner in the Corderie dell’Arsenale. The Academy hosts The Afterlives of Ruins, a workshop examining how material and metaphorical ruins shape architecture and heritage, featuring Cory Henry (2025 Fellow in Architecture), Brent Leggs (2025 Resident in Conservation), and Sabrina Morreale (2024 ENEL Italian Fellow in Architecture), moderated by Andrew Heiskell Arts Director Ilaria Puri Purini.
In collaboration with NICHE, the Centre for Environmental Humanities at Ca’ Foscari University, the Academy will support a short residency for Akima Brackeen to extend her waterscapes research into the Venetian lagoon. Meanwhile, NICHE member and Professor of Medieval History Helen Foxhall Forbes will travel to Rome to participate in Approaches to Medieval Environments on November 25, joining Michele Campopiano in a conversation moderated by Caroline Goodson. This growing partnership strengthens the intellectual bridge between Venice and Rome.
Opportunities for exchange continue through the Society of Fellows, with a renewed call for past AAR fellows to apply for the Summer Venice Residency program, organized with the Emily Harvey Foundation. Deadline details will be announced soon.
From exhibitions to workshops, and conversations to residencies, the Academy’s presence in Venice highlights the dynamic ways its community experiments, collaborates, and reflects on architecture, landscape, environment, and public space.
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