The Detroit Collaborative Design Center was selected as one of the  U.S. participants in the 11th International Architecture Exhibition, "Out There: Architecture Beyond Building."  The event is the architecture section of the international art exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, which ran Sept. 14 - Nov. 23 in Venice, Italy.

The Detroit Collaborative Design Center's exhibit at the Venice Biennale

The Biennale, in its 103rd year, draws art, architecture and design enthusiasts from around the world and is considered to be the premier international event for visual arts. This year, there were 15 groups selected for the U.S. Pavilion "Into the Open: Positioning Practice."

The thrust of the exhibit presented ways architects can positively influence and shape community and the built environment. The U.S. participants, which included the Heidelberg Project and the Rural Studio (Auburn University, Alabama), all addressed social and environmental issues through their exhibits.

The Design Center's project FireBreak: Architecture and Community Agitation explores the power of community organizing in making architectural space. They had been selected to participate by The Architect's Newspaper, PARC Foundation, and Slought Foundation in association with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.