Youth, like art, is a mindset, not an age. The handpicked individuals that follow radiate with the energy of potential.

The age of the super-curator, who makes themselves the main attraction, is over. A new generation of curators, who are often more interested in social practices, in overlooked histories, in the unglamorous side of exhibition-making, in asking, “what if?” are now coming into their own. Here are eight New Yorkers putting the work first.

For our inaugural young architects list, architecture and design editor Elizabeth Fazzare surveys the innovators transforming the field of architecture, designing for a sustainable future and working for social justice. These are twelve designers to watch in 2021.