Eric Ellingsen

Eric Ellingsen is an Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis, affiliated with the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. He teaches in the Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Architecture, and undergraduate Architecture programs. Previously, he co-directed and taught at the Institute for Spatial Experiments (2009–2014), an education project initiated by artist Olafur Eliasson, affiliated with the Berlin University of the Arts. He has held visiting roles as Mitchell Visiting Professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, visiting critic at Cornell University, and lecturer at the University of Toronto.

Earned master’s degrees in landscape architecture and architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s in classical philosophy from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland. His research integrates process-oriented work, perception, and action-based methodologies across landscape architecture, architecture, and art. He advocates for a “living-learning agency” through design, emphasizing citizen participation in self-determination of urban environments.

Key projects include the Perceiving Academy series (Cyprus, Thessaloniki, Iceland, Chicago editions), URBAN SCORE, and TOOL SHED (Sound of Segregation). He collaborates internationally, notably with Ethiopian poets, musicians, and artists on projects like Wax & Gold: Poetry Jazz. In 2017, he co-founded LEEPWORKS with Lynn Peemoeller, an experiential education design practice addressing urban connections therapy.

• Notable awards: Artectiya residency (2016), Library of Water residency (2014), and Graham Foundation grants (2012, 2014).
• Recent exhibitions include Purple House (Griot Museum, St. Louis, 2024) and Parret Pavilion (Triennial Kortrijk, Antwerp, 2024).

Ellingsen’s work bridges art and urban humanities through grants like the 2023 Black Herstory Initiative (Monument Lab) and 2022 Sound of Segregation project (The Divided City). He focuses on spatial narratives that entangle experimentation, pedagogy, and community empowerment, challenging traditional disciplinary boundaries.