Evidence of a Treasure: For the Future – Creating Constellations, Celebrations, and the Tracery of a Network.
Thursday, Oct. 22, noon-1:30 p.m.
Come and find out how you can be a part of the ongoing work of the International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) to create a beautiful mosaic of women’s involvement in architecture with three glimpses into the IAWA constructing an invitation to you.
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The event is free but registration is required.
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A collection of original, revelatory work by women in architecture and design, curated and hosted by the International Archive of Women in Architecture
The International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA) seeks to discover, collect, and preserve the work of women in architecture and the design-related fields, as well as sponsor research that will help fill the voids in the history of the disciplines. This unique archive receives work of women, be it in installments or as a whole body of work in its diversity of material. Founded almost 35 years ago by Prof. Milka T. Bliznakov from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech together with the University Libraries, the archive currently preserves more than 450 collections in Newman Library on the Blacksburg, Va., campus.
Members of the Executive Committee of the IAWA Center are hosting an experiential session at Architecture Exchange East (ArchEx) 2019 to propel knowledge of under-represented groups and frequently hidden methods in architecture. The 90-minute workshop, titled “The Power of a Women’s Archive: Revealing Diverse Cultures,” will take place on Friday, Nov. 8. You can register to participate online.
To capture the experience of building an archive in real-time, women architects and designers attending ArchEx 2019 are invited ahead-of-time to contribute one piece of original flatwork, accompanied by a CV, and a handwritten paragraph noting the work’s significance, describing how this piece sparked a breakthrough in their education or practice. Flatwork may include sketches, drawings, diagrams, collages, prints, screenprints, photographs, outlines or synopses of written work, among others, artifacts of a “revelatory moment.”
All ArchEx attendees and workshop participants are invited to contribute an original work by other women. Work collected for this exhibition will become a part of the 1×1 collection of the IAWA.
The exhibit will be on display on Thursday, Nov. 7 and during the session on Friday, Nov. 8 at 8:45 a.m. In order to prepare the display and the discussion, the moderators request that you mail the material, CV, and the accompanying text by Nov. 1, 2019 to: IAWA Center c/o Prof. Donna Dunay School of Architecture + Design (MC 0205), 201 Cowgill Hall, Virginia Tech 1325 Perry St., Blacksburg, VA 24061 United States
Please contact the organizers via email with your questions: Donna Dunay ddunay@vt.edu Paola Zellner pazb@vt.edu
Though time is short, the moderators look forward to receiving your work and are intrigued by the prospect of an exhibition created under the auspices of ArchEx becoming part of the historical record.
See samples from the archive below:
Courtesy of IAWA, Special Collections, Virginia Tech
Sigrid Rupp, Sketchbook, 1998
Dina Stancheva, Architectural Drawing, 1963
Anne Tyng, Design Sketch in Ink
Joyce Oron, Architectural Drawing
Nobuko Nakahara, Photograph
Alison Smithson, Sketch
Kimiko Suzuki, Architectural Drawing
“Chicks in Architecture Who Refuse to Yield” Group, 1993
A Reception at The Branch kicks off the evening from 5:00 – 5:45 p.m.
Learning from Landmarks program will begin at 6:00 p.m.
This moderated interview with Hugh C. Miller FAIA, FAPT, will explore Hugh’s career as the National Park Service’s 2nd Chief Historical Architect between 1979 and 1988. During that tenure, he was the Park Service’s Executive Architect for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Independence Hall, and principal steward of many nationally-significant historic buildings and landscapes in the Service’s care.
The evening is moderated by Donna Dunay, FAIA, DPACSA from Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design.
Ticket Options:
Reception with Program Following: $100
($80 for Branch Museum Members and AIA Virginia Members)
Program Only:$25
($20 for Branch Museum Members and AIA Virginia Members)
Donna Dunay, FAIA was elected during the A’19 Conference on Architecture in Las Vegas to serve as the Region of The Virginias representative to the AIA Strategic Council. The term is for three years and will begin in 2020 and end in 2022. The Council serves as AIA’s “think tank”. Strategic Councilors focus entirely on big-picture, futurist-type thinking about the future of architects and architecture and the AIA’s opportunities to prepare for that future proactively.
Biography Donna Dunay, FAIA Distinguished Professor Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) G. Truman Ward Professor of Architecture School of Architecture + Design, Virginia Tech Chair, International Archive of Women in Architecture Center (IAWA)
Donna Dunay, FAIA has contributed a significant body of work constructing linkages to education, history, architecture, and planning, emphasizing the dimensions of professional and civic responsibility. As chair of the International Archive of Women (IAWA) in Architecture, Donna has situated the IAWA to build worldwide knowledge of women in architecture. In building this international network, she has orchestrated insightful strategic planning for a less recognized demographic, while making accessible records of scholarship, serving the entire architecture and design communities.
Advancing the study of human settlements, her book Town Architecture has become a planning tool and reference for those seeking a more precise understanding of scale in the built environment. Her examination of town architecture led to the creation of a national competition “A Center for Civic Activity in the Town of Blacksburg” garnering several hundred entries while bringing national attention to the integral act of civic construction.
Dunay’s work has been recognized with the Distinguished Planning Award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association; three Awards of Excellence in Architecture from the American Institute of Architects, Virginia Society; and the Inform Award for product design. She has contributed to National AIA initiatives and served and chaired multiple National Architectural Accreditation Board (NAAB) Teams and was nominated as a member of the Braun Prize Forum, an international industrial design competition. Most recently, she served as Canberra Accord Review Team Member for the assessment of the National Board of Architectural Accreditation (NBAA) of China.
The International Archive of Women in Architecture (IAWA), a center within Virginia Tech’s College of Architecture and Urban Studies, hosted the 18th Congress of the International Union of Women Architects (UIFA), July 26-31, 2015, in Washington, D.C. and Blacksburg, Va.
UIFA Congress at AIA, July 2015
The congress’s theme, “Contributing to the Constellation,” honored both organizations’ aims to exhibit and illuminate the woman’s influence in the field of architecture and other design disciplines. This idea of a constellation advances the archive’s mission to preserve the works of women pioneers – the first bright stars – in architecture and design.
Around 60 participants which comprised representatives from 15 countries on five continents trekked to Blacksburg to get a first-hand view of Tech’s International Archive of Women in Architecture.
Donna Dunay, G.T. Ward Professor of Architecture in Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design and chair of the IAWA said, “It has been almost 30 years since the UIFA Congress was first held in the United States, and the IAWA is excited to welcome a gathering that carries such weight, importance, and authority to empower, connect, and celebrate women in architecture.”
Dunay’s efforts were applauded by A. Jack Davis, FAIA LEED AP, Dean, College of Architecture and Urban Studies. “Professor Dunay is like a dedicated farmer who year after year, plants professional seeds and sows the crop for generations to come. Her selfless and dogged commitment to preserving the work of women designers from the past has created an impressive lasting legacy for all future designers.”
Read more about the Congress’ visit to Blacksburg in The Roanoke Times.
