Elsa Ponce

Elsa Ponce is a Mexican-born architect, interdisciplinary designer, and educator based in Brooklyn. She leads Studio Elsa Ponce, an architecture and design practice focused on spatial justice and community access. Inspired by grassroots movements, Elsa employs a creative methodology grounded in solidarity and participation to co-design environments with communities.

Collaborating with nonprofits like the Workers Justice Project and the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, Studio Elsa Ponce designs pioneering community centers in New York. These projects advocate for community-led design, creating culturally resonant environments that foster liberation, connection, and belonging.

Elsa’s work has received support from NYSCA, Mexico’s Endowment of the Arts, Art Omi, and the Rema Hort Mann Foundation. She teaches at the Spitzer School of Architecture at the City College of New York and co-founded WIP Collaborative, a feminist practice engaging with community and public realm projects.