Black Women in Architecture Network
for and by Black women in architecture.
Join us to connect and uplift Black Women in Architecture at the 2024 BWA Brunch.
Organized in 13 cities around the US, we will join simultaneously. Then break for in-person networking and brunch.
Participate in a location of your choice or join in the virtual program from wherever you are.
An important component of the Riding the Vortex conference sessions is presenting the data on the demographics of the architecture profession to inform and allow attendees to discuss this information.
The data presented at the 2023 NOMA conference can be downloaded. The raw data is from the Directory or African American Architects and NCARB’s By the Number publication.
Riding the Vortex for the 2022 NOMA conference was presented at a 180 turn from the usual sessions and focused on highlighting men and their stories. This was largely because we see int he data that the growth of the numbers of Black men in the architecture profession is flattening.
An important component of the Riding the Vortex conference sessions is presenting the data on the demographics of the architecture profession to inform and allow attendees to discuss this information.
The data presented at the 2022 NOMA conference can be downloaded. The raw data is from the Directory or African American Architects and NCARB’s By the Number publication.
Riding the Vortex accepted the Whitney M Young Jr from the American Institute of Architects at A’22, the Conference on Architecture, in Chicago at the end of June.
Our time there involved presenting a panel session on Wednesday, June 22. We shared a brief history of Vortex and invited Sabrina Herrell to share her career path, as we would do in a traditional Vortex panel. Sabrina is local to Chicago. She has an architecture degree and is a practicing attorney. We had great audience questions and heard from attendees on their experiences being in previous Vortex sessions. We even received kudos from attendee and 2022 Edward C. Kemper Award, Bob Berkebile, FAIA, who was in attendance when Young spoke at the AIA conference in 1968.
The collaborators also had a panel on the Expo floor. This session also highlighted the 15 year history of Vortex and allowed the collaborators to do more Q&A with each other and take audience questons.
The WMYJ Award winners from the past three years were invited to receive their medals as part of the Thursday keynote session. This included WMJY 2020 winner Gabrielle Bullock, FAIA and 2021 Winner Pascale Sablan, FAIA. They previously accepted their award virtually since the 2021 and 2020 were not in-person because of COVID. It was a great moment to be recognized by thousands of our peers.
On Friday, Vortex attended the AIA awards reception at the Chicago Architecture Center and had the chance to meet the other 2022 award winners including Mr. Berkebile.
Last, Riding the Vortex had the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot with President Barack Obama, before he participated in the Friday keynote. This was a great way to cap off our time of celebration at A’22.
Riding the Vortex was presented at the 2020 NOMA conference. Hosted by the San Francisco NOMA chapter, the conference was scheduled to be held in Oakland, CA. The event was transformed to a virtual gathering because of COVID.
2019 BWA Brunch attendees Photo by Harry Connolly
Number of Living, licensed African-American Women Architects Tops 500
Washington, DC – On October 18, 2020, the Directory of African American Architects (blackarchitect.us) added its 500th living, licensed African-American woman architect. African-American women make-up only 0.4% of the over 116,000 licensed architects in the United States.
The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) relaunched the directory in 2020 and manages the database, a responsibility formerly performed by the Center for the Study of Practice at the University of Cincinnati since its inception. The directory was originally published as a book by professors Brad Grant and Dennis Mann in 1991.
The milestone was marked by the Black Women in Architecture Network which held its annual brunch on the same day. The virtual event provided a venue for over 100 Black women and others to celebrate and encourage participants to continue the collaborative effort to increase the number.
Continue reading “500 African-American Women Architects!!”
Riding the Vortex was presented September 23 at NTA 20/20, the annual national conference of the National Technical Association.
Moderated by Katherine Williams
Panelists: Kathryn Prigmore, Katherine Williams, Melissa Daniel, Devanne Pena
Learn more about NTA, a 90-year ord organization founded by Black, architects, engineers, and technical professionals. Mission: “to diversify the practitioners of science by providing programs to encourage under-represented minority students in middle school, high school, and college, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.”
Black Women in Architecture & Design
Lifting As W Design: How to Start a Successful Design Practice
Saturday, July 18, 2020, Black Women in Architecture & Design hosted a panel discussion with Black women architecture firm owners. The discussion was the impetus of a desire by Black women to get advice on starting an architecture firm. The lively discussion was attended by nearly 60 attendees of diverse backgrounds. The panel answered scheduled questions and also took audience questions.
Event Host: Mashawnta Armstrong-Boykin
Moderator: Katherine Williams
Panelists: Chandra Moore, Nakita Reed, Saundra Little, and Kathy Dixon
Resources mentioned in the presentation:
Download the CHAT TRANSCRIPT.
Walt Disney Imagineering Announces
Barbara Hammond Bouza, FAIA, NOMA, as President, Business Operations, Design & Delivery
Announcement
LinkedIn post from Robert Weis, President, Walt Disney Imagineering
RAAS Architects-Bement Teklemariam
Domus
“Built projects …. All have the aim of being innovative while using local knowledge, and being sensitive toward the context and landscape that hosts and generates them.
Highly aware of the strong social component of her trade and position, Shawl has been using Raas Architects as an open platform to encourage young female architects working in a male-dominated industry and culture.”