POSTPONED – (Re)group: Collective Practices of Architecture

This event has been postponed and will be updated when the new date is confirmed.

This event, hosted by the AIANY Civic Leadership Program, offers a platform for architects committed to mutual aid, political action, and community engagement to examine how their work can be sustained between crises and become more proactive than reactive.

In 2020, COVID-19 disrupted our daily lives, both personally and professionally, and created a crisis of authority that laid bare social injustices. From this moment of forced isolation, the world began to see a new definition of community and collaboration. Many began the practice of mutual aid, knowledge-sharing, and people-led movements and actions. The architectural community was not exempt–this new lens led to collaborations that crossed borders and disciplines. This focus on social impact allowed many to find purpose during a time of uncertainty.

With the declared ending of the nation’s public health emergency earlier this year, there has been a rapid return to “normalcy,” and with it, a decline in engagement in collective care and action. This disengagement may lead to the field of architecture losing the knowledge and perspective gained during the pandemic. This event is an effort to avoid such loss. In this critical moment in which the architectural profession is redefining itself, we ask:

• How do we help shape the "new normal” of architecture to include collective care and action?
• What can architects today learn from the histories of people-led movements? 
• How do we create sustainable practices to avoid mental strain or burnout?

AIANY Civic Leadership Program fellows Adam Achrati, Dongzoo Han, Tiana Howell, Dean Labowitz, and Nicole Vlado-Torres will lead this event.

Speakers:
Deena Darby, AIA, NOMA, Design as Protest, Dark Matter U
Lindsay Harkema, AIA, Cofounder, WIP Collaborative (Work in Progress/Women in Practice)
Adrienne Luce, Vice President DEI and Social Impact, HMC Architects

About the AIANY Civic Leadership Program
The AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP) is designed to cultivate architectural professionals into civic leaders. Through a six-month mentorship and training program, ten designers develop skills to engage in the civic process. The CLP provides opportunities to interface with government officials, community development organizations, and local stakeholders through development sessions and public events. The program also provides opportunities to improve communication and public speaking skills and engage in community outreach and consensus building.