DIVERSECITY EXHIBITION
PAST VENUES AND DATES
- Luxembourg Tradefair
September 2003 - London RIBA
September/October 2003 - Boston Build Boston Exhibition
November 2003 - Los Angeles exhibited
January/February 2004 - Sydney AIA
March 2004 - Auckland exhibited
March 2004 - Beijing and Zhengzhou exhibited
May 2004 - Chicago exhibited
June 2004 - Dublin RIAI
November/January 2005 - Brussels exhibited
May 2005 - Istanbul UIA Conference
July 2005 - Paris exhibited
October 2005 - Athens exhibited
November 2005 - Newcastle RIBA
March/April 2006 - Oxford RIBA South
June 2006 - Birmingham RIBA West Midlands
October 2006 - Cambridge RIBA East
October/November 2006 - Manchester RIBA Northwest
November 2006 - Cardiff RIBA
December 2006 - Delhi exhibited
March 2008 - Paris exhibited
March 2008 - Athens exhibited
April 2008 - Palestine exhibited
July 2008
Spreading the Word
Selected Quotes from the DiverseCity
Global Snowball Journey
- Architecture is essentially about diversity. Architects make spaces that address and reflect the diverse needs of society. To make good architecture, diversity needs to be reflected in the profession itself – both in terms of gender and access. Through individual stories and projects, the DiverseCity exhibition makes a powerful case that the ethics and the process are as important as the end result.
Dr Sandra O’Connell
DiverseCity Exhibition Dublin, Ireland - The seven-year snowballing DiverseCity exhibition strives to complete a global tableau of design practices. As part of the delegation to China, the opportunity to broaden the discourse with the Chinese and UK community enhanced my appreciation of talented designers who effectively negotiate diverse challenges in all corners of the world.
Annie Chu
DiverseCity Exhibition Los Angeles, USA
- Initiated by Angela Brady and her team at RIBA Architects For Change, the DiverseCity Global Snowball Seminar and Exhibition of women and minority architects was a great success in Beijing and Zhengzhou in China in 2004, as well as other cities worldwide. The concept was widely recognised and highly spoken of and was very well promoted among our architectural profession. I had the honour and pleasure of being able to organise it in China and I still feel very proud of contributing to its complete success.
Charles Qin
DiverseCity Exhibition Beijing, Zhengzhou, China
- As responsible for one out of the three schools in Norway educating architects, and being the first female head of an architecture school in Norway I am aware of the responsibility of giving female students the courage and inspiration to act as professionals. Having role models is probably the most efficient way, and unfortunately surprisingly difficult sometimes to find. I support fully the work of promoting women architects around the world; the need for this work is obvious. The two last years the master students having a distinction in Bergen school of architecture have all been women. We have a special obligation to help these talented women to succeed. I wish you all the best for the exhibition.
Marianne Skjulhaug
DiverseCity Stavanger, Oslo, Norway - The desire for equal opportunities or increasing diversity in the architectural profession is not only about access and inclusion, but also about recognising and harnessing the strengths that architects from diverse backgrounds can bring to architecture. The range of architects and the work on display in the exhibition demonstrates that alternative perspectives and contextual understanding can both enrich our cities and alter the terms by which we judge them, connecting architecture more meaningfully to the increasingly global society in which we find ourselves.
Samir Pandya, Chair
Architects For Change - The RIBA Equality Forum - The DiverseCity exhibition celebrates diversity of people in architecture . It has travelled to twelve major cities around the world spreading the word on diversity in our profession and collecting a parallel exhibition from each country. This exhibition shows a selection of people and projects who have taken part in this Global Snowball celebrating ethnicity and gender.
Angela Brady, Chair, Women In Architecture
Architects For Change - The RIBA Equality Forum - Diversity in our profession is not only required it is desirable. Gender balance and ethnic variety brings a richness to our practices that reflects the richness of our society on our small planet.
Jack Pringle
RIBA President elect - For the RIBA equality of opportunity is inextricably linked to quality of architecture. This exhibition shows that diversity in the background, culture and experience of architects can sharpen our perceptions and enrich our cities.
Sunand Prasad, RIBA Policy Chair
CABE Commissioner with responsibility for Learning and Skills - We gladly threw ourselves very fully into this DiverseCity initiative because a commitment to inclusive practices lies right at the heart of RIBA-USA's core values. Our rolling programme of competition-exhibition-competition took on a life of its own and the outcome truly celebrates the hard work of talented architects for whom DiverseCity is a unique new entree. The more we worked with this astounding group of highly motivated people the more tangible our collective impact. Thanks to DiverseCity, RIBA is now seen around the world as the profession of choice for architects who care about gender and race.
Tim Clark
RIBA USA - In a striking contrast to the other arts and to society at large, the architectural profession remains far too homogeneous - too male - too pale and TOO passive towards the subject of diversity.
This DiverseCity exhibition was conceived as a celebration of the work of WOMEN and minority ethnic architects, as well as individuals and organisations that contribute to the promotion of diversity within the architectural profession and education.
Central to the content of the exhibition is the contribution of women and minority ethnic architects. Their personal statements and reflections on architecture allow us to hear voices rarely heard, comprehend new experiences and be presented with alternative perspectives in architecture.
In the context of this exhibition, the work of the contributors is as important as their personal experiences in education and profession, which is where we believe much of the value and richness of this exhibition can be found.
The overarching aim of DiverseCity is to sensitise the viewer to the issues surrounding the lack of diversity in architecture. This lack of diversity is a complex and deep-rooted problem. At a time when attempts are beginning to be made through research to define the extent and severity of the problem, DiverseCity is offered as an inspirational and informative introduction to groups and individuals who are calling for the transformation of architecture into a modern profession that truly embraces diversity.
Architects For Change
The equality forum at the Royal Institute of British Architects.