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Ashley Mendelsohn is an architecture curator, educator, and multidisciplinary designer and strategist focused on engaging and strengthening communities by demystifying the barriers to access and understanding.
Photo: Ren Reese

Mendelsohn brings strategic organizational and storytelling expertise to audience building,
space planning and content development. 













Mendelsohn moderating Responding to Wright: Architects Design for the Guggenheim (2019) a program celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Guggenheim Museum building, featuring a conversation between architects Meejin Yoon, Lise Anne Couture, and Hani Rashid. Photo: Ed Marshall © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York.
"Countryside, The Future" (2020) at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Organized with Troy Conrad Therrien, Curator, Architecture and Digital Initiatives, in collaboration with Rem Koolhaas and Samir Bantal, Rita Varjabedian, Anne Schneider, Aleksandr Zinovev, Sebastian Bernardy, Yotam Ben Hur, Valentin Bansac. Key collaborators include Niklas Maak, Stephan Petermann, Irma Boom, Janna Bystrykh, Clemens Driessen, Lenora Ditzler, Kayoko Ota, Linda Nkatha, Etta Mideva Madete, Keigo Kobayashi, Federico Martelli, Ingo Niermann, James Westcott, Jiang Jun, Alexandra Kharitonova, Sebastien Marot, Fatma al Sahlawi, and Vivian Song. Photo: David Heald © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. Mendelsohn (left) moderating a 2019 conversation conversation featuring architect Anna Puigjaner, co-founder of MAIO, and Jessica Katz, Executive Director of Citizens Housing & Planning Council, in a discussion about the social impacts of housing design. Photo: Ed Marshall © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. "Architecture Effects" (2018) at Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Curated with Manuel Cirauqui, Curator, and Troy Conrad Therrien, Curator of Architecture and Digital Initiatives, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Featuring work by Nina Canell, Frida Escobedo, Mikel Eskauriaza, Didier Fiúza Faustino, Frank O. Gehry, Lynn Hershman Leeson, Oliver Laric, Leong Leong, MOS, MAIO Architects, Nemesis, PWR Studio, and Jenna Sutela. Graphic design: Wkshps. Mendelsohn (left) moderating a 2018 conversation about activating overlooked urban spaces with activist and community organizer Stephanie Alvarado and architect Jennifer Newsom, Principal, Dream the Combine. Photo: Ed Marshall © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York. "Åzone Futures Market" (2015) organized with Troy Conrad Therrien, Curator, Architecture and Digital Initiatives, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Design by Studio Folder (team: Marco Ferrari, Elisa Pasqual, Aaron Gillett, Alice Longo). Development by Charles Broskoski, Hugo Liu, Dan Brewster, Damon Zucconi, built with Are.na Circus for Construction (2014-2015) an event platform for collecting, constructing, and curating — located on the back of a traveling truck. A winning entry of WorldWide Storefront, a Storefront for Art and Architecture project which networked 10 galleries globally.In collaboration with Ann Lui, Ben Widger, Craig Reschke, Larisa Ovalles

Mendelsohn is an Independent Architecture Curator and Educator and the Senior Strategy Lead at PinPoint Collective. She previously held positions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in Curatorial, Exhibition Design and Visitor Experience. During her tenure, she represented the museum during the final stages of the Frank Lloyd Wright building’s UNESCO World Heritage designation process and played a pivotal creative role as the featured voice in the 99% Invisible-produced building audio guide, which has garnered more than 1 million downloads to date. She has supported the organization and design of various exhibitions, workshops, and symposia, including Guggenheim Helsinki Now (2015), Åzone Futures Market (2015), Architecture Effects (2018) at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, and Countryside, The Future (2020).

Mendelsohn holds a master’s degree in design studies from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and a bachelor of architecture from Cornell University, and has taught at both institutions. At Harvard, she founded the GSD Kirkland Gallery, which continues to serve as the only student-run gallery on campus. Mendelsohn currently sits on the advisory boards of Madame Architect, a platform for celebrating women in architecture and Impact Wrkshp, an organization that builds community through design advocacy.
BOARDS AND JURIES • Van Alen Institute, Public Realm R+D, Nominator 2020-23
• Art Omi: Architecture Residency, Jury Member 2021
• Future of Ontario Place Project, A Call for Counter-Proposals, Jury Member 2020-21
• Impact Wrkshp, Advisory Board Member 2020
• Madame Architect, Advisory Board Member 2019 - present

AWARDS
• World Wide Storefront Competition Winner 2014
• Dimitris Pikionis Award, for outstanding performance in the Master in Design Studies Program May 2014
• Harvard Graduate School of Design Urban Project Prize May 2014
• Paul M. Heffernan International Travel Fund Jan 2014
• Harvard Bok Center Certificate Of Teaching Excellence Spring 2013 + Fall 2013
• Harvard Global Health Institute International Research Fellowship Summer 2013




PUBLICITY
• Featured on Scratching the Surface podcast (2021)
• Interviewed by Madame Architect: Curator on the Rise: Ashley Mendelsohn on Making Plans and Finding Fulfillment (2018)
• Graduate Thesis Learning From District Six: Drawing on Cape Town (2014) featured in Harvard’s GSD Platform 7 and Design Observer


INVITED GUEST CRITIC
 Cornell University College of Architecture, Art and Planning • Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation  •  Harvard Graduate School of Design •  New Jersey Institute of Technology Hillier College of Architecture and Design •  Pratt Institute School of Architecture

EDUCATION
 Harvard Graduate School Of Design
Master in Design Studies with distinction
Cornell University College Of Architecture, Art And Planning
Bachelor of Architecture

Find a full work and academic bio on LinkedIn

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