In honor of World Architecture Day, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden invites visitors to celebrate the genius of modern design with a day of free donuts and unconventional architecture tours. Known affectionately as the “Brutalist donut,” the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C. is one of the most well-known examples of the Brutalist architectural movement, which emerged in the 1950s. SOM’s Gordon Bunshaft designed the massive cylindrical form of the museum.?
For the second year in a row, the museum is giving out complimentary donuts from Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee and offering a wide-ranging schedule of architecture-themed activities. Architecture, photography, and art enthusiasts alike will join in celebrating this much-debated architectural style.
World Architecture Day: Donuts with the “Brutalist Donut”
October 2, 2017
10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Independence Avenue SW & 7th St SW
Washington, D.C.
10 a.m.: For a special edition of the museum’s “Storytime,” youngest visitors are invited to explore architecture through a read-aloud of Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, and a hands-on building activity.
12:30 p.m.: Architecture specialist Amanda Hurley will discuss Brutalism and color, expanding on an article written for The Washington Post Magazine in which she argues in favor of preserving brutalist architecture in Washington.
2 p.m.: On a guided tour, visitors will explore architecture-inspired art on view, including the fantastical world of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s models in “The Utopian Projects.”
4 p.m.: Kelsey Keith, Editor in Chief of Curbed, will discuss the good, bad, beautiful, and ugly of Brutalism, and the Hirshhorn’s groundbreaking design in the context of architectural history.
6:15 p.m.: Deane Madsen, former design editor of Architect magazine and founder of the Instagram account @brutalistdc, will lead an IGDC (@igdc) Instameet tour of the museum’s sculpture garden at sunset.