Figures of Architecture: Design Your Own Grotesque

Throughout the history of architecture there have long been grotesques faces and figures decorating our homes, buildings, towns, and cities. Gargoyles, Chimeras, Green Men, Stone Spies, Animals, and Monstrous Hybrids are just some of the types of faces that line our city streets. Their purpose and meaning has shifted throughout time and their interpretation is even more varied. Is their purpose to strike terror in our hearts, inspire awe, ward off evil, or are they a humorous and creative bit by the stone masons and artisans who created them? Walking through the city and looking up at these strange faces only one thing is for certain: they are speaking to each other, drawing inspiration from the figures and forms that came before them.

As part of the Figures of Architecture exhibition, set to open in January 2027 at the Center for Architecture, we invite you to design your own modern grotesque.

If your design is selected, it will be featured in the exhibition and added to the Figures of Architecture archive.

In January 2027, the Center for Architecture will present Figures of Architecture, an exhibition based on an open archive of figurative architectural grotesques, mascarons, and ornaments. The exhibition will include imagery and models of these architectural figures found throughout New York City. As part of this exhibition, we are excited to feature modern interpretations of the architectural grotesque alongside those that already exist.

Applicants are invited to submit their interpretation of a modern grotesque.

All mediaare welcome, but will be reviewed as imagery.

Submissions should include:

• JPG, PNG, or PDF visual representation of their grotesque (may be a rendering, illustration, photograph, etc)
• Brief description up to 150 words.

Images should be submitted as jpg, png, or pdfs as 12˛ x 12˛.
Resolution should be a minimum of 1920px X 1920px and should not exceed 20mb.

• Authors must be 18 years or older
• One submission is permitted per author, regardless of whether you are submitting as an individual or a group
• All are invited to submit—architects, artists, design enthusiasts, etc.
• AI generated images and graphics are not eligible
• Otherwise, all media are accepted

Entries Open: August 5, 2026

Entries Close: October 24, 2026

Judging: November 2026

Awards Notified: November 13, 2026

Deadline to submit a 3D model: December 11, 2026

Exhibition Opening: January 14, 2027