Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio is the first North American retrospective of the work of visionary British architect and designer, Thomas Heatherwick. This groundbreaking exhibition shares the celebrated works and innovative work process of Heatherwick Studio with an entirely new North American audience. Organized by guest curator Brooke Hodge for the Nasher Sculpture Center, the exhibition will open at the Nasher in Dallas, Texas before traveling to the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York. This mid-career survey of Heatherwick's work-to-date showcases the process behind the innovative and visually compelling structures designed by Heatherwick Studio, while also illustrating the astonishing range and development of the studio's work and illuminating the studio's unique "problem-solving" approach to design.

Thomas Heatherwick is the founder of Heatherwick Studio, formed in 1994 in London. Notable projects include the Olympic Cauldron for the 2012 Olympic Games, the New Bus for London, and the award-winning UK Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. Heatherwick is an honorary fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects; a senior research fellow at the Victoria & Albert Museum; and has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art, the University of Dundee, the University of Brighton, Sheffield Hallam University, and the University of Manchester. In 2004, Heatherwick was the youngest practitioner to be appointed a Royal Designer for Industry. He was awarded the Prince Philip Designers Prize in 2006 and the London Design Medal in 2010. In 2013, he was awarded the Critics' Circle Visual Arts and Architecture Award and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), for services to the design industry.

Established in 1994, Heatherwick Studio is recognized for its work in architecture, urban infrastructure, sculpture, design, and strategic thinking. Today a team of 120 architects, designers, and makers work from a combined studio and workshop in London. In the twenty years of its existence, Heatherwick Studio has worked in many countries, with a wide range of commissioners, and in a variety of regulatory environments. This includes a number of nationally significant projects for the UK, including the award-winning UK Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010, the Olympic Cauldron for the 2012 Olympic Games, and the New Bus for London.

Brooke Hodge, curator of the exhibition, is deputy director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. From 2010 to 2014, Hodge was director of exhibitions and publications at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Prior to that, she was curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, where she organized major exhibitions on the work of architect Frank Gehry and car designer J Mays, as well as Skin + Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture, which examined the relationship between contemporary fashion and architecture. From 1991 to 2001, Hodge was director of exhibitions and publications at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design, where she also held the positions of adjunct curator of architecture at the Fogg Art Museum and assistant dean of arts programs at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University. At Harvard, Hodge organized exhibitions of the work of architects and designers, including Gio Ponti, Zaha Hadid, Robert Wilson, and Rei Kawakubo. Hodge holds a master's degree in architectural history from the University of Virginia.

Jed Morse, chief curator, joined the Nasher in 2002. At the Nasher, he has organized numerous exhibitions, including Frank Stella: Painting in Three Dimensions (2005); David Smith: Drawing and Sculpting (2005); On Tour with Renzo Piano: Selected Projects from the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (2006); The Art of Architecture: Foster + Partners (2009); Tony Cragg: Seeing Things (2011), and Return to Earth: Ceramic Sculpture of Fontana, Melotti, Miró, Noguchi, and Picasso, 1943 to 1963 (2013). Morse holds an MA in modern art history from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in art history from Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont.

Catherine Craft, adjunct assistant curator for research and exhibitions, joined the Nasher Sculpture Center in November 2011. A scholar, curator, and lecturer specializing in modern and contemporary art, she is the author of An Audience of Artists: Dada, Neo-Dada, and the Emergence of Abstract Expressionism (University of Chicago Press, 2012) and Robert Rauschenberg (Phaidon, 2013), as well as  articles in journals, such as the Burlington Magazine, Art in America, and Master Drawings. Craft holds a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, an MA from the University of Virginia, and a BA from Texas Christian University.

Melisa Durkee, head of registration and rights and reproduction, joined the Nasher Sculpture Center in January 2012. She has more than fifteen years of experience working with fine art institutions and collections. Prior to employment at the Nasher, Durkee was a museum assistant in the Registrar's Office of the Yale University Art Gallery and project supervisor for an independent museum consulting firm in the Boston area, where she collaborated with local historical societies and house museums on several collection planning projects. Durkee holds a BFA in arts administration, with a concentration in ceramics and photography, from Marywood University in Pennsylvania.

Jeremy Strick, director, joined the Nasher Sculpture Center in 2009. He oversees all operations, with a focus on artistic, educational, marketing, and fundraising endeavors. Prior to the Nasher, Strick served as director of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MoCA). During his tenure, MoCA produced landmark exhibitions, substantially grew its permanent collection, and expanded its membership base to become the largest contemporary art museum in America. Strick holds a BA from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University.

The mission of the Nasher Sculpture Center is to be the global focal point for the study and appreciation of modern and contemporary sculpture. Founded in 2003, the Nasher advances the understanding and appreciation of this important art form while engaging North Texans with new experiences and great works of art. The Nasher Sculpture Center is home to one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculptures in the world.