Storefront Appoints New Director

José Esparza Chong Cuy's appointment follows the leadership of Eva Franch i Gilabert, who left Storefront after eight years for the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London. 

Esparza Chong Cuy arrives from MCA Chicago, where he served as assistant curator since 2016. Before that he was an associate curator at Museo Jumex in Mexico City, a co-curator of the Lisbon Architecture Biennial, a research fellow at the New Museum, and curatorial associate at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. The last indicates he is coming home to his roots of curating. In his own words:

Storefront for Art and Architecture has shaped me both personally and professionally in more ways that I can convey. It was a launching pad for my career, and it is a true honor and privilege to be a part of its future. Storefront is an extraordinarily rare and experimental institution that has pushed curatorial boundaries by working explicitly at the intersection of art and architecture. Throughout the years, its founding mission has created and produced unique perspectives and understandings of the built environment to a broad range of audiences. Through my directorship, I will strive to carry on this legacy by continuing to build bridges across contexts and disciplines to provide new tools to navigate the complex world we live in.

Charles Renfro, President of Storefront’s Board of Directors, said in a statement:

We are thrilled to welcome José to the helm of Storefront, the very institution where he began his curatorial career over a decade ago. Since then, he has established himself as an innovative thinker working across disciplines in some of North America's most prestigious cultural institutions. José’s rigor and insight will reinforce Storefront’s role as a crucial and necessary platform at the intersection of art and architecture. Through his background and experiences in Mexico, the US, and globally, he embodies the broad perspectives that Storefront has become known for, bringing a critical voice to contemporary issues at every scale—from local and regional to national and international.