For Andrew Caruso (A'06) , San Juan offers a siren call. It is there where he recently enjoyed his first international commission, designing a gallery for Caribbean painter Maria de Mater O'Neill, billed as "Artist Interrupted," at the Smithsonian-affiliated Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico.
"The intriguing thing about the project is that it was based on collaboration, which is where our [architecture] profession is headed," says Caruso, who is president of the 6,000-member American Institute of Architectural Students, where he oversees advocacy and policy initiatives. "As an emerging professional, it was quite an experience working with a curator, a museum, and an international artist."
Caruso presents O'Neill's midcareer retrospective using bold hues and subtle textures, placing visitors into rooms of creative interior space. The exhibit is just one of many in which the 22-year-old Morristown, N.J., native has participated.
Later this summer, Caruso will take his ideas to the Washington, DC-based American Institute of Architecture Students, where he will be the national student director. Once he completes all of his profession's licensing exams, he hopes to eventually team with the International Olympic Committee on future Olympic Village designs, ensuring their viability long after the games are gone.
