Archtober 2025: Museums as Shared Spaces and Imagining New Possibilities

What happens to museums when their most contested objects are returned?

Join us for Museums as Shared Spaces: Imagining New Possibilities—an Archtober 2025 panel presented by the Consulate General of Switzerland in New York together with Mariam Issoufou Architects. This discussion brings together voices from architecture and academia to explore the evolving role of museums and how architecture can shape new narratives in a post-restitution context.

Moderated by

• Mallory Cohen – Curatorial Associate, Department of Architecture and Design, MoMA

Panelists

• Mariam Issoufou – Founder and Principal Architect of Mariam Issoufou Architects; Chair of Architecture Heritage and Sustainability, ETH Zurich
• Defne Çetinkaya – Student, ETH Zurich
• Michelle Reinschmidt – Student, ETH Zurich

The discussion will be framed by short films from Mariam Issoufou’s ETH Zurich studio, created by her students to spark reflection on the museum’s future in the context of restitution. Their participation is supported by ETH Zurich.

📅 October 21, 2025 | Doors 6:00 PM
📍 Van Alen Institute, Gowanus, Brooklyn