Container / Contained: Phil Freelon, FAIA

Design Strategies for Telling African American Stories

Philip G. Freelon, FAIA (1953-2019) had a remarkable four-decade architectural career designing public buildings. This exhibition critically examines Freelon’s libraries, museums, and other public buildings with a focus on projects that foreground African American culture, communities, and identities. Freelon argued architecture should be more than a container, that it should help tell the story of and be integral to the content of these public institutions. Two Atlanta projects are featured, including the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (2014) and the renovation and expansion of the Auburn Avenue Research Library (2016).

The Atlanta architectural community and general public are invited to brief presentations by AARL staff and architectural historians Arthur J. Clement, Freelon’s biographer, and Dr. Emily Makas, the exhibition curator.

Gallery Talk + Opening Reception
Thursday, March 20, 2025

Exhibition
March – June 2025