Women in Architecture. Short Biography

Women in Architecture

A. The Final Essay: intends to examine the careers of the emerging black woman architectGeorgia Louise Harris Brown, Beverly Lorraine Greene, Norma Sklarek- whose careers are identified with the mid-century modern period- 1950-1975 , who helped usher in a growing number of black woman architects and architecture educators, more aligned to the late modern/contemporary period -1975-2020 – that list includes but is not limited to, Roberta Washington, Sharon Sutton, Katherine Prigmore, Allison Williams, Kim Dowdell , Gabrielle Bullock, to name only a few of the noted female architects of this period. There are many more women architects who can without question be added to this list and who likely also serve as inspiration to you as a student of Architecture and an aspiring future Architect.
1. Prepare a short biography for the three (3) of the women architects noted above – and a short biography for up to three (3) current women architects from contemporary period focusing on these background questions:
a. What was their educational background-where they studied architecture?
b. What was their motivation to be an architect?
c. How did their career as an architect begin and what was their practice focus?
d. What were their many accomplishments – their many accolades, their “firsts”?
2. Prepare a Essay based on both the emerging black woman architect- Georgia Louise Harris Brown, Beverly Lorraine Greene, Norma Sklarek- of the mid-century modern period-1950-1975 , focusing on the questions noted below intended to give relevance to the “passing along” of accomplishments and sacrifices of one group to a another succeeding group thereby validating their historical connection and kinship to one another.
a. As a young aspiring architect, What did you learn from the sacrifices and accomplishments of these women during their life and careers as persons of color. Especially given an additional anomaly, that of being female, in a predominantly white male profession?
b. Is the resilience that each of the group of pioneering women architects exuded during their careers exceptional or are their careers as expected in comparison to the state of the architect of their respective period of influence and in comparison to to their black male or their white professional colleagues?

c. In your opinion, Which of these noted black female architects would, say is the most influential in bringing the black female architect into prominence and into the mainstream of the architecture profession?
d. Which one or more of the three women noted do you see as a professional and or life’s role model or who you find inspirational in your own emerging career choice as a future architect?