Molly Hunker grew up with a brother and a sister in Wyoming. Her parents were mountain guides and farmers, so her childhood was filled with wandering in nature and exploring the landscape around her. Greg Corso is from California, where he grew up with an older brother. His childhood was one of skateboarding and developing a unique way of looking at the urban surfaces around him.

They say that while their families appreciated and supported art and architecture, it wasn't at the forefront of their childhoods. Creativity was, however, as well as perhaps the seed of architecture.

The couple now lives in Syracuse, New York, with their daughter and cat, who seems to like architecture, too. Their daughter likes to build strange houses and cities with her blocks, and their cat snuggles up in the odd and forgotten nooks of their 1920s home.

Neither of them studied architecture as undergraduates, instead coming to it much later. They feel lucky that their design careers were informed by their other interests and perspectives.  

As an undergraduate, Molly double-majored in studio art and geography, and Greg majored in economics and minored in philosophy. They feel that architecture makes a lot of sense with all those ingredients. Several professors from the University of California Los Angeles in the early 2000s shaped how they saw their possible trajectory—small offices building interesting and strange work. 

Their installation for Exhibit Columbus was informed by the context of the city and at The Commons' site. They were interested in the idea of interior and exterior connections, a tenet of a lot of modern architecture, and the uniqueness of The Commons as a site. 

Most of their previous work has addressed unused or stagnant urban spaces to transform them into something productive. On the other hand, this project was a fun challenge because The Commons is already an active, vibrant place filled with local events and a playground for children, so the installation became more about reframing a well-known and well-used space and seeing it perform differently. 

Communicating about design has recently become a focus. They have been asking themselves how they, as designers, communicate the value of design. How do they cultivate an audience for architecture outside of architects in the way food and fashion have? 

They said they think this is why Columbus is such a special place. That this is incredible and hope it will be the norm in the United States someday.

This excerpt is from the 2023 Field Guide. Download it here.