Generations of Design Diversity:
Stories of Education & Practice Leaders
contributing to a favorite cause while sharing and learning from stories of diversity in the design and building disciplines


Mutual Mentors: Steven Arai AIA, Jon Magnusson Hon. AIA, Dr. Sharon E. Sutton FAIA, Denice Hunt '03 Intern Kristin Kildall, S. Keli Hagen Assoc. AIA, and CAUP Diversity '03 Scholarship recipient Maria T. Do, at Mithun

At the sixth annual AIA Seattle Summer Solstice event, members of the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable facilitated a series of interactive sessions in a 'learning procession' led by leaders in practice and education. Participants of all ages, backgrounds, and design disciplines together explored concepts and personal case studies related to the social agenda of design, to discover the elements of mutually beneficial mentoring relationships.

As the Solstice coincides with the June 'Teenth observance of the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, this year's event had a special introduction on Thursday June 19: Donald I. King FAIA told the story of his life and career, which has led to his current role as the leader of a community activist practice (DKA) with roots in his experience in African American, African, and other multicultural work, in the AIA Seattle Fellows Series.

On Friday afternoon, the Solstice procession included three locations along Seattle's Central Waterfront (Bassetti Architects, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, and Mithun). As the longest day of 2003 neared, fifty-some design professionals shared their stories - contributing not only their experience but their support of all kinds to future generations of design students. Using a walking stick and a talking stick – made for Diversity Roundtable Chair S. Keli Hagen Associate AIA by her uncle – helped facilitate both movement and exchange. Speakers added their own symbolic creations to decorate and strengthen the sticks.

In the closing circle, at Mithun on Pier 56, AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable Chair Keli Hagen thanked sponsors and contributors (see lists at right) whose generosity produced more than $5,000 in proceeds, toward the endowment of the AIA Seattle Fund for Design Diversity at the University of Washington College of Architecture and Urban Planning. (The Roundtable's earlier efforts endowed the Denice Hunt K-12 Internship at UW CAUP, honoring the memory of AIA Seattle's 1995 President, the late Denice Hunt AIA.)

In three story-tellng circles, participants shared their experiences, as briefly summarized below. In the final session, Dr. Sharon E. Sutton FAIA, Director of the UW Center for Environment, Education, and Planning Studies (CEEDS), introduced Maria T. Do, recipient of the UW CAUP 2003 Diversity Scholarship, and Kristin Kildall, the 2003 Denice Hunt K-12 Intern. Jon D. Magnusson Hon. AIA described the experience of creating and now seeing the results of the ACE Mentor program, which involves high school students with interdisciplinary team teams. AIA Seattle 2003 Community Service Award recipient Steven N. Arai AIA described the value of allying with others to create community influence and change. For the College, Professor Dennis Ryan expressed gratitude for the sustained effort to bring new voices into design and planning endeavor.

The evening closed with feasting on delicious sushi and sake as the sun made its way toward the horizon, with music by a quartet of talented musicians: L Kent Stevenson, keyboards; Jeff "Bongo" Busch, drums and percussion; Frank Clayton, bass; Jeff Santerre, sax and flute. In the Solstice tradition, participants gathered in a circle to join in a song appropriate to the occasion. Keli Hagen brought her grandmother's suggestion that "singing this song will always make you feel better:" 'You Are My Sunshine.'

Story-Tellers Circles
Circle One:
Nancy Callery AIA, Convener
Karen Braitmayer AIA
Studio Pacifica
Marilyn Brockman AIA
Bassetti Architects, AIA Seattle Secretary
Abdul Chahim PE
Berger/ABAM Engineers
Rena Klein AIA
RM Klein Consulting, AIA Seattle President
Kristen M. Scott AIA
Weber + Thompson, AIA Seattle President-elect
Barbara Swift ASLA
Swift & Company Landscape Architects

Circle Two:
Clarence C. Kwan AIA, Convener
Jennifer Guthrie
Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
S. Keli Hagen Associate AIA
AIA Seattle Community Service Award 2002; Mithun Grace Kim AIA
PLACE Architects, WA State IDP Coordinator
Clarence Kwan AIA
MulvannyG2 Architecture
Shannon Nichol
Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
Rico Quirindongo Assoc. AIA
DKA

Circle Three:
S. Keli Hagen Associate AIA & Dr. Sharon E. Sutton FAIA, Conveners
Steven N. Arai AIA
AIA Seattle Community Service Award 2003; Arai/Jackson Architects + Planners
Maria T. Do
UW CAUP Diversity Scholarship 2003
Kristin Kildall
Denice Hunt K-12 Intern 2003 @ UW CAUP
Jon Magnusson PE, Hon. AIA
ACE Mentor Program; MKA
Dennis Ryan, AICP
Professor, UW Dept. of Urban Design & Planning
Dr. Sharon E. Sutton FAIA
Professor, UW College of Architecture & Urban Planning; Director, CEEDS

Stories of career discovery and strength:
* Translate avocations into professional skills.
* Capitalize on what is fun for you in your profession.
* Become an active member in your community.
* Listen for seeds of inspiration; accept personal experience as a professional asset.
* We can all be teachers by telling our stories.
* We can each have a profound impact on others.
* We repay debts to those who gave to you.
* We can send notes of encouragement and support to help people feel safe.
* It is important to mobilize our passions and to care about leadership.
* We can each step out of the closet and take a stand. There is power in being authentic!
* Professionals organizations (APA) Codes of Ethics that state encouragement to include women and minorities help all people feel a part of the profession.
* Listen to the stories of the elders and ancestors to gain respect and strength in your beliefs.
* The Diversity Roundtable gives strength to those who straddle two worlds.
* "I used sewing as a tool to explore design."
* Make your architecture project by working with a potential client early; i.e. seek funding.
* Listen to what others say....as you might find it helpful now or later.
* Diversity is a natural thing... growing up in a diverse society provides a feeling that diversity is just part of life. Providing our children with this environment helps strengthen this understanding.
* Teachers inspire, support, challenge and reward their students - to build confidence!
* Changing [i.e. 'Anglicizing] my name makes it easier for you but harder for me....who adapts to whom?
* Be active! care about leadership!
* Take a stand for what you believe in....you can create a better built environment, but being an activist takes time + commitment.
* Be authentic...be true to yourself.
* Attend events of allied professions to understand how they work.
* Being professional...means you think about others, not just yourself.
* Parents provide a foundation for their children to build upon, offering an example of sacrificing for the familia. Show respect. Be persistent.
* Gain strength from ancestors.
* Diversity can be a collaborative and supportive environment.
* Follow your passion! leaving a trail of crumbs for the young to follow, to learn from your success + failures.
* Learn from each other...including the young and the old mutually.
* Rebel to find yourself. Everyone has something to give. One may describe an attribute as a weakness, yet others may find it as a source of strength!
* There are many paths to success, keep moving forward....keep adding experience.
*Make a personal journey: follow your interests. Design success can be like theatre where everyone is responsible for a task, which creates a supportive family atmosphere.
* Be comfortable with who you are! Embrace being different!
* An engineer in a room full of architects is in the minority....The business of design encourages collaboration, and working together. The Seattle design community embraces diversity through the interaction of disciplines (architects, engineers, landscape architects, developers, owners, code officials, etc.).
* Focus on what's in front of you....build upon it.
* Find common connections, celebrate our differences.
* Diversity is about people as much as it is about our work.
* Acknowledge + respect our diversity by listening to one another.
* Others' identity of you in a certain category (e.g. 'architecture student') doesn't define you, you define yourself!
* "Follow your passion."
* "Looking for ways to be in leadership role - to be mentors and role models."
* "Wanting always to leave a good trail of crumbs for others."
* "Learning from the others - trying to make a place for people to connect with one another."
* "Keep moving forward - it's a positive thing."
* "To encourage students who don't fit the mold to find out what their passions are and nurture them."
* "Reaching out to people who are different from me."
* "This business embraces diversity but can do more. Things like sustainability, LEED, etc. are ways to have us work together."
* "This profession is very appreciative of different cultures and backgrounds. Collaboration keeps everything interesting and changing."
* "The greatest plan is have no plans."
* "Work has given me exposure to all walks of life."
* "What looks great to you now may not be the path for you tomorrow."
* "Go with the values that you identify with."
*"My mentors were the people who believed in me."
* "It's easy to get pigeon-holed into the not-so-glamorous aspects of work. But we have to see beyond that."
* "Exchanging the ideas - mentoring the kids."

THANKS, EVERYONE!

References:
* Solstice Report '02: DIVERSIFYING THE MAINSTREAM . Elevating Issues, Lifting Voices, Raising Funds, with keynoter Dr. Kathryn Anthony at MulvannyG2
* Solstice Report '01: Processional at The HopVine Pub, Environmental Works, Arai/Jackson Architects + Planners
* AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable