Paul R. Williams: An Architect Considered is the first major exhibition dedicated to the architect's contributions to multifamily housing and Black communities in Los Angeles. Moving beyond the celebrated residences that have come to define Williams's legacy, the exhibition examines his lesser-known work in affordable housing and his commitment to architecture as a means of improving everyday life.
Presented at the USC Fisher Museum of Art, the exhibition brings together rarely seen drawings, photographs, and plans from the Paul R. Williams archive with newly commissioned works by contemporary artists and architects. Together, these works offer a more expansive understanding of Williams's architectural practice while engaging questions of housing, race, community, and the evolving American city.
In addition to the archival materials, the exhibition includes newly commissioned work from seven contemporary artists and architects. The exhibition design establishes a spatial dialogue between Williams's architectural archive and the contemporary works commissioned in response to his legacy. Across the museum's galleries, drawings, photographs, models, and installations are brought together in a sequence that encourages visitors to consider the historical and contemporary dimensions of housing, identity, and the built environment. Conceived as an integral part of the curatorial framework, the design creates opportunities for both close examination of Williams's architectural work and broader reflection on its continuing relevance.
USC Fisher Museum of Art · Los Angeles, California · 2026–2027
Curators: Valery Augustin, Milton S. F. Curry, Amy Murphy
Exhibition Design: Valery Augustin / DNA Architecture + Design
Participating Artists and Architects:
Edgar Arceneaux
Current Interests (Matthew Au and Mira Henry)
enFOLD Collective (Dana McKinney White and Megan Echols)
Darell W. Fields
David Hartt
Cory Henry
Amanda Williams
Graphic Design: Morcos Key
Major Funding: Mellon Foundation
Photography: Undine Pröhl, Joshua White