Humanist modernity. Maciej and Stanisława Nowicki

Maciej (Matthew) Nowicki and Stanisława Sandecka-Nowicka and are two significant figures in the history of American and Polish architecture.

She was a talented graphic artist and designer and the first female professor of architecture in the history of the United States. He collaborated – despite his young age – with renowned architects on prestigious projects whose implementation was interrupted by his tragic death. Their story is a fascinating tale of creative passion, their life together, and the possibilities and limitations of the turbulent beginning of the 20th century. The dramatic history of their homeland, their lived experiences, but also a great hope for a better future laid the foundation for an innovative curriculum and architectural designs that changed the history of the profession. By combining the latest building developments with great respect for the local context, their readiness for dialogue and understanding of others, as well as their enormous talent, they created a humanistic modernism that opened the contemporary understanding of architecture to previously unknown realms.

Info – Warsaw 2025

Place and dates – Warsaw 2025

ZODIAK Warszawski Pawilon Architektury

Pasaż Stefana Wiecheckiego Wiecha 4, Warszawa

Dates: April 3 – July 13, 2025

Info – Raleigh 2024

Place and dates – Raleigh

James B. Hunt Jr. Library
1070 Partners Way, Raleigh, NC 27695
Dates: September 13 – September 23, 2024

Colophon – Poland

Organizer: National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
Co-organizer: ZODIAK Warsaw Architecture Pavilion
Curator: Kacper Kępiński
Curatorial collaboration: Karolina Częczek, Grzegorz Piątek
Exhibition architecture: Only If Architecture (Karolina Częczek)
Visual identity: Katarzyna Nestorowicz
Exhibition graphic design: Karolina Częczek, Katarzyna Nestorowicz, Weronika Nowak
Exhibition coordination: Mateusz Włodarek
Production and licensing: Mateusz Włodarek, Kacper Tomaszewski, Weronika Sołtysiak
Communication: Dominik Witaszczyk, Aleksandra Zaszewska
Coordination of accompanying events: Marta Baranowska
Educational program: Karolina Scheibe-Skorczyk
Zodiak team: Monika Komorowska, Natalia Cichoń, Wioletta Januszko, Artur Wosz
Editorial team: Urszula Drabińska
Translations: Natalia Raczkowska
Photo post-production: Weronika Nowak
Exhibition implementation: Artpath
Models: Onimo, Marta Dachowska
Artists: BAL architektek (Barbara Nawrocka, Dominika Wilczyńska, and Dominika Janicka), Alicja Bielawska, Centrala (Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Simone De Iacobis), Jakub Ciężki, Wiktor Dyndo, Szymon Rogiński
Archival materials: Centre Pompidou, NCSU University Libraries, Museum of Warsaw, National Museum in Warsaw, Museum of Architecture in Wrocław, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, UPenn Architectural Archives, Walker Arts Center, Smithsonian Archives of American Art, The Art Institute of Chicago
Acknowledgments: Peter Nowicki and family, Burak Erdim, Dominika Stecyk, Izabela Gola, Izabela Iwanicka-Dzierżawska, Piotr Kibort, Ewa Perlińska-Kobierzyńska, Katarzyna Iwańska-Rybka, Wanda Urbańska, Katie Mullen, Ireneusz Kotlewski

Colophon – USA

Organized by: National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning
Co-organized by: Permanent Mission of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York, Under the patronage of Krzysztof Szczerski, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Poland to the United Nations in New York
Collaborative input: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
Programming partner: Polish Cultural Institute New York
Scientific curator: prof. Bolesław Stelmach Ph. D. Arch.
Curator: Kacper Kępiński
Exhibition architecture: Only If Architecture (Karolina Częczek)
Visual identity: Katarzyna Nestorowicz
Editing: Urszula Drabińska
Translations: Natalia Raczkowska
Acknowledgments: Peter Nowicki, Dominika Stecyk, Izabela Gola, Agata Lupoměská, Izabela Iwanicka-Dzierżawska, Piotr Kibort, Ewa Perlińska-Kobierzyńska

Co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

photo: General view, source: Division of Archives and History Photograph Collection (State Archives of North Carolina Collection 4.1), State Archives of North Carolina