Interior Architecture Alum Discusses the Architecture MasterPrize

Emily Anderson, a graduating senior with a BFA degree in Interior Architecture, received an Architecture MasterPrize honorable mention in Interior Design/Exhibition for her spring 2020 Avant Arts Gallery project. The Architecture MasterPrize is a highly prestigious and competitive international award competition that honors designs in the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture with the goal of advancing the appreciation of architecture worldwide. In her blog entry, Emily shares more about her project and the experience of being recognized in the Architecture MasterPrize. 

By Emily Anderson, (Interior Architecture,  2020)

It is a lifelong driver for personal and societal evolution. Every space I design allows for the overtaking of life to fully complete the space. This project is special to me because it is based off of my favorite gallery—the Vernonia Abandoned Lumber Mill located in Vernonia, Oregon. This space is not an official gallery, but a rotating expression of art in a post-apocalyptic building. For the design of the Avant Arts Gallery, my goal was to mimic these out of the way places street artists scramble to, creating different textures and dynamic architecture to complement their artwork despite the building’s decay.

I decided to seek out this opportunity after COVID-19 dismantled the Donghia Scholarship competition. After revamping the project from the fall 2019 semester all summer, totaling around an additional 70 hours of work, it was too bad to lose the opportunity. So, I turned it around and submitted it for the Architecture MasterPrize. This competition brings projects from both professional and student levels from around the world and sorts them out into 43 categories for either interior design, architecture, or landscape architecture.

In late October, after almost forgetting I submitted the project, I looked down at my phone to see an email with the subject “Congratulations!” I was over the moon and very pleasantly surprised. Over the summer I improved so much pulling the project together, and it is showing in my projects this semester. I can’t wait to have them ready for this next round of competitions.