Photo Urbanism 2026-2027
Seeing Public Space as a Stage for Arts and Culture
The 2026-2027 fellowship was awarded to Manuela Hurtado, who will begin her work in October 2026 and present a final exhibition in June of 2027.
This cycle will explore public spaces as lively venues for arts and culture, in tandem with our “Untaped” initiative aiming to make it easier for New Yorkers to use their neighborhood commons. Manuela will document how public spaces come to life with creative programming, markets, live performances, art exhibitions, educational opportunities, and beyond. These stories will advance Untaped’s mission to reimagine NYC with less bureaucratic red-tape and simpler permitting processes. Learn more about Untaped.
Manuela Hurtado
2026-2027: Untaped
Manuela Hurtado is a Colombian American architect, videographer, editor, and photographer, born and raised in New York City. She holds a Master’s in Urban Design from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) with professional experience in architecture based in Colombia. Her practice spans social architecture, urbanism, visual storytelling, and creative research, with a focus on community-based practices.
She is currently a Teaching Associate at the University of Hong Kong. Her recent work includes a short documentary produced in collaboration with architect Lidia Ratoi, exploring her research on living species and spaces of care. Through photography, film, drawing, collage, and mixed media, Hurtado approaches visual representation as both a creative practice and a method of research. Her work has been published in PATIO by Latingsapp and URBAN MAG, the GSAPP urban design magazine.
