The work and accomplishments of female architects have historically been overlooked in the profession.
To help address this issue, the Women in Architecture Student Organization (WIASO), in collaboration with the School of Architecture, presents the fall lecture series Make Space: Women in Architecture.
“Part of our mission is to spread a greater understanding of the contributions and achievements of women in the field. We want this series to be a platform that exemplifies this,” explained WIASO organizers Mary Begley, Neva Hubbert, Erin Kindell, and Dana Saari (all Architecture). Inspired by the 1980s British architectural firm Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative, WIASO named the lecture series after the firm’s book, Making Space: Women and the Man-Made Environment. “We were inspired by the content of this group. Their exploration of the socio-political context of the built environment and their organization, which uses non-hierarchical and collaborative ways of working. Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative made space for feminist thought in architecture. We hope to follow their footsteps and make space in our community for ever-evolving feminist discourse.”
This year’s lecturers and panelist participants were selected for their leadership in the field and boundary-pushing work. “It was important to us that we select lecturers from both the profession and academia. We also wanted to ensure that the series represents a diverse set of work and ideas,” explained the WIASO leaders. “We hope attendees will be inspired by the work presented and continue to expand their frame of reference. We want to make space for new perspectives that are not conventionally highlighted in academia.”
A full listing of the lecture series events can be found below. For information about each specific event, visit the College of Design event calendar.
For architecture students, the road to becoming licensed is a long one. Between school, internships, and preparing for the licensure exam, the mean time from high school graduation to becoming licensed is 13.3 years.¹
Today the College of Design announced that Jennifer Yoos, FAIA, will be named the next head of its School of Architecture, effective June 8, 2020, and pending approval by the Board of Regents.
