The Power of a Women’s Archive: Revealing Diverse Cultures

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