Fab 5: Karen Stonely
“An architect, an artist, a mentor, a business owner, a mother, and a philanthropic volunteer with a passion for improving how we experience our environment” is how Karen Stonely identifies herself. That’s a framework that has guided a career spanning art, architecture, and public service.
Before co-founding the international, award-winning SPAN Architecture in 1995 with her husband, Peter Pelsinski, Karen had already built a richly layered creative life. She trained as a glassmaker at UrbanGlass in Brooklyn and worked as a professional illustrator before establishing her own practice in New York and Maryland. Her glasswork became part of the permanent collection at Rice University, her alma mater, where she earned both a Bachelor of Art and a Bachelor of Architecture. An internship at Robert A.M. Stern Architects proved to be an education in itself, sharpening her architectural fluency and sense of craft.
That multidimensional path continues to inform her work at SPAN. Alongside leading the firm, Karen remains deeply engaged in public service: The studio completes annual pro bono work, including the office for the NY Council for the Humanities. Among other philanthropic pursuits, she serves on the board of civic nonprofit Open House New York, mentors through the NJ School of Architecture, and is a founding chair of the “Friends Committee” for the Design Trust for Public Space. Most personally, she established a memorial endowment fund supporting research into rare neurological disorders in honor of her parents.
As adept at business and management as she is in architecture and design, Karen approaches her work with both strategic clarity and creative depth. Her curiosity and conviction propel her toward socially responsible projects that not only improve the built environment but also shape human experience. Here, she reflects on ideas and influences that inform her work.