Welcome to the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group Virtual Programs!

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The SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group Virtual Programs support the SAH mission and are created by SAH WiA AG members as a global initiative with the purpose to recognize and champion the cause of women in architecture, celebrate women’s professional leadership, and uncover inclusive and diverse women’s contribution to the built environment across continents. The virtual programs are envisioned as the open-access resources of education and information that represent the breath of interests of the SAH WiA AG community.

The growing collection of SAH WiA AG recorded virtual programs is supported by SAH CONNECTS Program and also integrates the variety of programs organized by SAH WiA AG members with support by academic institutions around the globe. The recordings are facilitated online linked to the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group primary website.

The SAH WiA AG Virtual Programs website has been launched on March 15, 2023, as part of the Annual SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group Program, March 2023: Celebrating Women’s History Month.

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Could there have been a woman architect before the modern era?  When Despina Stratigakos published her critical text Where are the Women Architects? (2016), historians were just beginning to uncover the presence of women in architecture in the late nineteenth century.  No one thought (or dared) to ask if women performed the role of architect before the advent of modern professionalization.  Yet, evidence can be found – hiding in plain sight – in the archives of early modern Europe of women designing, renovating, and building architecture, and not necessarily through patronage of the work.  Bringing together academic scholarship from various regions in Europe, this session aims to break through a firmly-held cultural belief that women did not design or build in earlier historical periods.

The veil that has until now obscured our recognition of women as designers can be attributed to the consensual, binding, and perpetuated grip of historical attitudes and language.  The speakers in this session will present distinct socio-historical settings in which women in the seventeenth to early nineteenth centuries engaged in design.  They examine how these women acquired design and technical knowledge, and, with the aid of drawings, executed designs for architecture and interiors.  This session asks, does design or construction follow a different process when a woman is engaged?  What language or omissions in the sources obscure women’s roles in design?  In what context should the term architect, amateur, or ‘author of the work’ be applied to a woman’s role?  Our objective is to build a new framework and language for interpreting women’s roles in shaping the built environment.  The question should no longer be why women have been absent from the making of architecture, but rather, why their history before the modern era has not yet been written. 

Session chair: Shelley E. Roff, University of Texas at San Antonio

Speakers:

Shelley E. Roff, University of Texas at San Antonio, “Did She or Didn’t She? Design and Authorship in Early Modern Architectural Works.”

Consuelo Lollobrigida, University of Arkansas Rome Center, “Plautilla Bricci (1616-1705) and the Practice of Architecture in a Male World.”   

Alba Carballeira, Independent Scholar, Madrid, “Design and Diplomacy: The French Interiors of Marie-Anne de la Trémoille in Bourbon Spain.”

Izabela Kopania, Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences, “Magdalena Morska and the Picturesque: Designing Zarzecze Village in Search of Private Homeland.”

Respondent: Conor Lucey, University College Dublin

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  • SAH CONNECTS: Indigenous Women in Architecture in the US and Canada. March 8, 2024, 10:00–11:30 PM CST. This roundtable aims to increase awareness of the contributions and creative works of Indigenous women in architecture. It is pioneered as the first collaboration of two SAH affiliate groups – SAH Women in Architecture affiliate group and SAH Indigenous Architecture affiliate group, in honor of the International Women’s Day, March 8, 2024, and as part of the SAH Women in Architecture AG Annual Program: Celebrating Women’s History Month.  With gratitude for generous support and promotion efforts to Society of Architectural Historians, with vital administrative support by Christopher Kirbabas, SAH Director of Programs.  URL: Indigenous Women in Architecture in the US and Canada (sah.org).

In the past, histories of architecture ignored women’s agency and the presence of female leaders, but more recently women’s work and its impact is more broadly recognized and studied across the discipline and culture. Indigenous architects of both genders have received even less attention with the exception of a few Indigenous male architects such as Douglas Cardinal, Johnpaul Jones, Louis Weller, David Sloan, Daniel Glenn, and Patrick Reid Stewart, although there are quite a few more. Only rarely are architects or architectural historians able to name an Indigenous woman architect. One exception is the American Institute of Architects’ recognition of a female Indigenous architect with the Whitney Young Award in 2018. Although most architecture schools’ required curricula include a survey of architectural history, until recently, most of these survey courses focused on the Western canon and male architects. But now, architectural educators are re-educating themselves in search of a broader, completer and more accurate, diverse, equitable, and inclusive history to present to their classes.

Perhaps one of the first Indigenous women in North America to be trained in architecture was Rina Swentzell. She has written and spoken about deciding that it was clear to her that going into a standard architectural professional practice was not her path. Therefore, she earned an advanced degree in American Studies–no programs or degrees in American Indian or Native American Studies were offered at that time—and built a career writing about Indigenous architecture and place. Swentzell frequently pointed out that traditionally the making of architecture for many Indigenous communities was primarily the responsibility of women. In some cases, men assisted, but in fact, women were in charge. Although we mourn Swentzell’s recent passing, today an increasing number of Indigenous women practice architecture in a broad range of ways. The speakers in this roundtable will address their own paths and practices in architecture, barriers they face or have faced, and their efforts to mentor all Indigenous architects. They will also present their positions regarding Indigenous design, their values, relationship to place, sustainability, and resistance to colonialism. These presentations will stimulate audience questions and dialogue. This conversation will engage debates, broaden the field, and open horizons for further collaboration.

CONNECTS: Indigenous Women in Architecture in the US and Canada. March 8, 2024, 10:00–11:30 PM CST.

  • SAH WiA AG Special Virtual Event celebrating The International Women’s Day: “Women Builders and Earthen Architectural Heritage in Africa: Practical Case in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Niger. Director and Script: Amélie Esséssé, Architect.” March 8, 2023, 1:00–2:30 PM CST. Program: Documentary film screening and discussion with film director, architect Amélie Esséssé. Moderator and poster: Dr. Gül Kale, Panelists: Diane Elliott Gayer, AIA, FWIA, Dr. Anna Sokolina, Dr. Elisa Dainese, Dr. Rebecca Siefert. With gratitude for support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. Event organized in collaboration with the School for Studies in Art and Culture, Art & Architectural History, Carleton University, Canada.

Free and open to the public. Part of the Annual SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group Program, March 2023: Celebrating Women’s History Month. Announced in SAH Opportunities with vital support by Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, in SAH Commons Group Discussion Forum: Discussion – SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group – SAH Commons, across SAH and SAH WiA AG media platforms, and through SAH WiA AG listserv.

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  • SAH WiA AG SAH CONNECTS Webinar, “Conserving Histories: Women and Transnational Collaborations.” Thursday, January 26, 2023, at 4:24 PM EST. Moderator: Margaret B. Vickery, University of Massachusetts, Speakers: Kathleen James-Chakraborty, University College, Dublin, Patrícia Santos Pedrosa, University of Beira Interior, Svava Riesto, University of Copenhagen, Brinda Somaya, Somaya and Kalappa Associates, Henriette Steiner, University of Copenhagen. With gratitude for generous support and promotion efforts to Society of Architectural Historians, with vital tech administrative support by Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications. Conserving Histories: Women and Transnational Collaborations on Vimeo. URL: https://vimeo.com/793136966?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=113550016.

How do we write an architectural history that is inclusive and nuanced? How should we approach the work of women architects and landscape architects to better understand their roles in shaping our built environment? As women architects and landscape architects struggled to find a seat at the historical table, they often looked outside the mainstream for architectural inspiration or expression. The speakers in this roundtable discussion offer insight into the breadth of architectural and landscape sources and platforms that women have turned to and developed as alternatives to the architectural mainstream. From the popular magazine House Beautiful to vernacular traditions in Indian architecture or Danish landscapes, our speakers’ research deepens our understanding of how global trends in 20th-century architecture were adapted and developed by women and conditioned by their struggles for recognition.

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  • SAH WiA AG Virtual Roundtable, “Doing Fieldwork: Opportunities and Challenges,” a free virtual event held Wednesday, November 30, 2022, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM CDT/12:00–1:30 PM EST. With gratitude for generous support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. Event organized in collaboration with the School for Studies in Art and Culture, Art & Architectural History, Carleton University, Canada. Organizer/Moderator: Dr. Gül Kale, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, SAH WiA AG Mentoring Program Coordinator. Panelists: Dr. Annapurna Garimella, ART Trust, Bangalore, India, Dr. Zeynep Kuban, Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, Dr. Bethany Walker, University of Bonn, Germany. Announced with support by Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, in SAH Opportunities, and as part of SAH WiA AG Mentoring Program in the SAH Commons Group Discussion Forum: Discussion – SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group – SAH Commons.
  • SAH WiA AG Virtual Roundtable, “Digital Humanities in Architectural History,” is a free event held Tuesday, June 28, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM CDT/12:00–1:30 PM EST. With gratitude for generous support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. Event organized in collaboration with the School for Studies in Art and Culture, Art & Architectural History, Carleton University, Canada. This is a second collaborative project of SAH WiA AG and Carleton University | Art & Architectural History, and with SAH Archipedia. Organization and poster by Dr. Gül Kale, SAH WiA AG Mentoring Program Coordinator. Panelists: Dr. Gabrielle Esperdy, Editor, SAH Archipedia and Buildings of the United States, Professor of Architecture, New Jersey Institute of Technology; Dr. Catherine Boland Erkkila, Managing Editor, SAH Archipedia and Buildings of the United States, member of SAH WiA AG Legacy Committee; Dr. Yelda Nasifoglu, Associate Member of the Faculty of History, University of Oxford, UK. Announcement with support by Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, in SAH Opportunities: Digital Humanities in Architectural History – Mentoring Program Virtual Roundtable (sah.org)
  • SAH WiA AG SAH CONNECTS Webinar, “Intersections: Architectural History and Conservation in South and East Asia.” Program Date: June 8, 2022.

This SAH CONNECTS panel discussion explores the often-overlapping realms of architectural history and heritage conservation in Asia. It features four short talks by scholars in China and India whose research, teaching and practice are situated at the intersections of these disciplines, followed by brief commentaries from two scholars who have traced broader themes in architectural history and practice in these countries. The session concludes with a moderated discussion among the panelists and audience. Proposed as a dialogue that explores points of similarity and divergence, the roundtable poses questions such as: What is architectural history research in the context of Asia? Does or can it exist in isolation from conservation and design efforts? What are the major themes and contemporary issues confronting teachers and students alike? How, if so, has recent research interest in “global”, “non-western” and “postcolonial” readings of Asian architecture (often generated outside the region) impacted teaching and research in India and China? We believe this discussion is timely and facilitates communication between a global community of scholars engaged and interested in architectural studies in South and East Asia. The roundtable is supported by the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group.

With gratitude for generous support and promotion efforts to Society of Architectural Historians, Intersections: Architectural History and Conservation in South and East Asia on Vimeo, and for vital support to Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications. URL: https://vimeo.com/718747494?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=113550016.

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  • SAH Women in Architecture AG Virtual panel at AI 2022 Conference, “Inspired by History to Form the Future.” With gratitude for support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. April 19, 2022, Computer History Museum, Mountain View, Silicon Valley, CA. SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group National Outreach Program | Virtual Panel at Architectural Intelligence Symposium | The American Institute of Architects | Silicon Valley Chapter. This panel, supported by the Women in Architecture Affiliate Group of the Society of Architectural Historians with vital technical support and promotion by Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, brings together speakers from across continents to discuss how the recent research has transformed the way we examine women’s contribution to the built environment, and how women who practice architecture around the world continue to change the face of our profession. Among the narratives that emerge from evaluations of historic gender roles in architecture and design are those reflecting on the guidelines employed by scholars. In seeking to uncover latent stories of exceptional records, historians are the first to question assumptions and alter conventional agendas. Our panelists address the gap between the critical misconceptions, recognize women’s past and present accomplishments and leadership, advocate and inspire new role models from diverse backgrounds and geographies.

Conference Schedule: www.architecturalintelligence.org/symposiumschedule; URL: www.architecturalintelligence.org/symposiumschedule?fbclid=IwAR02KokYqhm3OqBxefx6tgq2tksfgZg2DFVZWAT51GSVgwdCAezcl7wBQ9w. Announcement in Group discussion forum: Discussion – SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group – SAH Commons

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  • SAH WiA AG Roundtable, “Textbooks in Focus: Women in Architecture Survey.” 2021 Annual SAH International Conference, Virtual Program, May 12, 2021, 12:00-1:30pm CST. Moderators: Dr. Anna Sokolina and Dr. Rebecca Siefert, Panelists: Dr. Carmen Espegel, Dr. Harriet Harriss, Dr. Mary Anne Hunting, Dr. Kevin Murphy, Dr. Shelley Roff, Dr. Margaret Birney Vickery. With gratitude for generous support and promotion efforts to Society of Architectural Historians, and Pratt Institute School of Architecture

The first roundtable of the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group aims to give voice to the discussion illuminating scholarship and teaching materials on women in architecture. A remarkable number of trailblazing studies have manifested this extensive legacy. The textbooks in focus accord with the mission of the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group and highlight the significant yet still scarcely explored professional contributions of women who, to a great extent, shaped the discipline around the world. Our aspiration is to introduce the volumes recently published or in production, and emphasize the names of pioneering women in architecture, who have inspired and built cultural, spiritual, and physical environments across time and place. The novelty of our vision is in presenting not only a collection of readings but in broadening the field by advancing a more incisive overview of the topic as a whole, and by intertwining an approach to the professional standing of women in architecture with the more explicit attention to related themes. Textbooks in Focus: Women in Architecture Survey on Vimeo. URL: https://vimeo.com/549427608?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=113550016. With gratitude to Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, and Christopher Kirbabas, SAH Director of Programs, reference on the SAH website: Textbooks in Focus- Women in Architecture Survey (sah.org), URL: www.sah.org/2021-virtual-conference/roundtables/textbooks-in-focus-women-in-architecture-survey.

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  • Second SAH WiA AG SAH CONNECTS Webinar, “New Histories and New Practices.” March 25, 2021, 10:00–11:30am CST. With gratitude for generous support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. Organized by Kathryn O’Rourke and Dasha Ortenberg, with contribution by Anna Sokolina, sponsored by SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group and Women in Architecture (WIA) Committee of the American Institute of Architects, AIA Silicon Valley Chapter. With vital technical support and promotion by: Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, Christopher Kirbabas, SAH Director of Programs, and with group’s additional media promotion by Priya Jain, Rebecca Siefert, Anna Sokolina, Danielle S. Willkens. Listing on SAH website: https://www.sah.org/conferences-and-programs/sah-connects/new-histories-and-new-practices?fbclid=IwAR3HJROpM_1hUk4NnMvvPpc7-VzICiiOlsDA-cpAzaGVw7l7YHvO1TNGh60

This SAH CONNECTS panel, organized by the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group (SAH WiA AG) and Women in Architecture (WIA) Committee of AIA Silicon Valley, in celebration of Women’s History Month considers the intersections of architectural research and practice to explore what historians, design professionals, and advocates can learn from one another as they shape histories and spaces that are more inclusive of women. From non-canonical subjects and research methods to new modes of presenting findings and acting on them, panelists discuss their investigations and the academic, professional, and advocacy fora that can support expanded methods of applying history to design. New Histories and New Practices on Vimeo. URL: https://vimeo.com/529355831?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=113550016.

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  • First SAH WiA AG SAH CONNECTS Webinar, “The Advent of Women Architectural Professionals, a US-UK Comparative Perspective.” March 8, 2021, 12:00–1:30pm CST. With gratitude for generous support to the Board and Staff of Society of Architectural Historians. Organized by Shelley E. Roff and Elizabeth Darling, with contribution by Anna Sokolina, sponsored by SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group and SAHGB Women’s Architectural Historians’ Network. Vital tech support: Helena Dean, SAH Director of Communications, Christopher Kirbabas, SAH Director of Programs; the UK Team; additional media promotion by Priya Jain, Rebecca Siefert, Anna Sokolina, Danielle S. Willkens. Listing in SAH Opportunities and on SAH website: https://www.sah.org/conferences-and-programs/sah-connects/the-advent-of-women-architectural-professionals?_zs=BfSgX&_zl=knSQ2

This SAH CONNECTS panel, sponsored by the SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group (SAH WiA AG) and SAHGB’s Women’s Architectural Historians’ Network (WAHN), in celebration of the International Women’s Day brings together panelists from the US and the UK to discuss the circumstances—social, political, cultural, educational—during which women began to enter architecture as a professionalized and licensed practice near the start of the twentieth century. Taking a comparative view, the webinar considers whether this phenomenon could be attributed to the change in lifestyles and attitudes towards women’s work in modernity, a change in the attitude towards women’s education, or other factors. Was it linked to a new social consciousness instigated by consecutive waves of feminist activity? Did women’s presence disrupt the masculine construction of the professional persona of the architect? 381 registrants, 242 attendees from 21 countries. The Advent of Women Architectural Professionals: A US-UK Comparative Perspective on Vimeo. URL: https://vimeo.com/521848442?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=113550016.

Conferences Supported by SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group

+ 6th International Conference on Architecture and Gender (ICAG 2023), Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain, October 3-6, 2023.

Conference Website: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es

Program: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es/program

Organizing Committee is led by Professor Dr. Eva M. Ávarez Isidro ealvarez@pra.upv.es and Professor Dr. Carlos J. Gómez Alfonso cjgomez@pra.upv.es

Speakers and Chairs: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es/speakers-chairs

Committees: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es/committees

Call for Papers: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es/call-for-papers

Insights: www.instagram.com/cug_upvgva

Registration: https://icagvlc.webs.upv.es/registrations

Members of SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group are grateful to the Board and Staff of the Society of Architectural Historians for lasting support of our Group’s visionary programs, and to Polytechnic University of Valencia for organization of this extraordinary congress. We are honored to contribute, sponsor, and participate in ICAG 2023 and meet in person and virtually with our role models and long-term friends.

The city of Valencia, the Universitat Politècnica de València and the ETS Arquitectura UPV host an event of great international impact with expectations of progress of the city and the UPV.

The Conference is linked to International Archive of Women in Architecture IAWA at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, and contributes to IAWA collections. A call for the Global Initiative “1×1” has been led by members of the executive committee of the IAWA Center.

+ WoArch 2024. Women as Builders, Designers, and Critics of the Built Environment Before 1800. First WoArch Symposium, Rome, Italy, January 25-27, 2024

Symposium Website: https://www.aiwac.eu/woarch-2024

Convenors: Shelley E. Roff, Consuelo Lollobrigida, Francesca Riccardo

Program: https://www.aiwac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Program-WoArch-2024_vs.-231222.pdf

Abstracts: https://www.aiwac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Abstracts-WoArch-2024-DEF.pdf

Leaflet: www.aiwac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Leaflet-WoArch-2024-DEF_vs.-231208-1_OKAY.pdf

Members of SAH Women in Architecture Affiliate Group are honored to contribute, sponsor, and participate in the WoArch 2024 Symposium and meet in person and virtually with our role models and long-term friends.