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SUMMARY:PUBLIC POOLS
UID:https://instytutpolski.pl/newyork/2026/04/13/public-pools/
LOCATION:
DTSTAMP:20260409
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20260409
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Warsaw:20260503
DESCRIPTION:Thursday, April 9 – Sunday May 3, 2026Cooper Union Foundation Building
Third Floor Hallway Gallery7 East 7th Street, between Third and Fourth
Avenues | Room 315
Open to the general public Monday – Friday, 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM Saturday
& Sunday, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Architect Karolina Czeczek and photographer Anna Morgowicz present an
ongoing project, Public Pools, which explores the history, architectural
form, and social and cultural significance of swimming pools in New York
City. Through detailed drawings and photographs, the project highlights
five distinct pool types, pairing each with a speculative design or
programmatic proposal that amplifies the potential of existing pools and
promotes bathing culture. By examining the design and surrounding policies,
the project prompts a broader conversation about shared civic space and
urban water infrastructure.
The exhibition includes a water map and pool catalogue documenting all
public pools in New York City. Through detailed drawings and photographs,
the exhibition highlights five distinct pool types: former bathhouses,
WPA-era pools, mini pools, vest-pocket pools, and atypical pools. Each type
is paired with a speculative design or programmatic proposal that amplifies
the potential of this existing civic infrastructure and promotes bathing
culture.
These proposals draw on research into global bathing cultures, time spent
at each site, conversations with pool users, and investigations of policy
initiatives. Together, they aim to foster a broader public conversation
about the importance of free, accessible spaces for water recreation while
offering a starting point for meaningful change.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Czeczek and Morgowicz will hold a
public lecture at the Cooper Union Foundation Building on April 15, 2026,
6:30 – 8:30 PM Lecture location: The Cooper Union, Third Floor Hallway
Gallery Room 315F | 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003
Karolina Czeczek is an architect and Principal at Only If, a New York
City-based design practice for architecture and urbanism. Only If’s
projects span a range of different types and scales, from single- and
multiple-family housing to larger-scale urban planning, research, and
speculation.
Karolina is also a Critic at the Yale School of Architecture and has
previously taught design studios at the University of Pennsylvania,
Syracuse University, the University of Kentucky, Pratt Institute, and the
University of Cincinnati.
She previously worked at the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in
Rotterdam and Hong Kong. Karolina is a Fulbright Scholar who holds two
master’s degrees in architecture and urban design, from Yale University
and the Cracow University of Technology, and is a registered architect in
the Netherlands and Poland.
Anna Morgowicz is a New York–based photographer working across
architecture, interiors, and still life. Her work spans commissioned
projects and long-term photographic research focused on the built
environment and public space, typologies, and everyday objects as
interconnected systems of contemporary life.
She holds a BFA in Photography from the Institute of Creative Photography
in Opava, an MA in Sociology from the University of Wrocław, and an MPS in
Photography from School of Visual Arts. She also studied at the
International Center of Photography and interned at Magnum Photos. In 2019,
she documented postwar modern architecture in Wrocław for the book Całe
Morze Budowania by Dr. Agata Gabiś, published by the Museum of
Architecture in Wrocław, Poland.
She collaborates with architects, designers, and cultural institutions, and
her work has been exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, Citygroup gallery,
Syracuse University School of Architecture, and Milk Gallery, among others.
Anna is represented by Esto Photographics.
Project Credits Research, drawings and design: Karolina Czeczek and Only If
ArchitecturePhotography and visual research: Anna MorgowiczVideo: Hudson
Lines for The Museum of Modern Art (New York, NY)Installation Craig Branum,
Sofia Gutman, Coco Klockner, Daniel Luo, Natalia Naugle, Saman Nauman,
Renato Pasion, Mia Press, Salina Shih, Asa Simms, Ilea Wunder, Kevin
YangModel Karolina Czeczek/ Only If + Daniel Luo, Mia Press, Kevin Yang
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