My State House is a community research project and national ideas competition intended to catalyze creative conversations about the role State Houses might play in the civic and social life of today’s cities. While it takes the Rhode Island State House as its site of inquiry, the project has relevance beyond the borders of the country’s smallest state.

The second phase of the project (October 2021 – January 2022) invites community members, activists, architects, landscape architects, artists, futurists and engineers to participate in a national design ideas competition to reimagine the State House of the future by submitting design concepts based on one or more of the community-made maps from the first phase. Like the community maps, these submissions will also be made available online once the deadline for proposals has passed.

From these submissions, jury will select up to seven individuals/teams to receive an honorarium of $1,500 to expand their concepts into more fully developed proposals, due May 10, 2022.

In the third phase, the final proposals will be exhibited in the Lower Level Gallery of the Rhode Island State House from June – Oct 2022. Based on data from past years, project organizers expect that over 19,000 people will come through the building while the exhibition is on view.

The project organizers are planning a series of public programs during the exhibition, which may include an evening panel conversation with all exhibitors if travel funds can be secured.

Further information: www.ristatehouse.org