SAY IT LOUD
Curated by Pascale Sablan,
Beyond the Built Environment
Sponsored by AIA Cleveland
The role of architects in community life has been rendered largely irrelevant as the profession has historically been, and continues to be, an exclusive resource serving primarily wealthy patrons. Such exclusivity fosters and perpetuates great inequity in the built environment—inequities that more adversely affect communities of color. In 1968, activist Whitney Young sharply rebuked the profession by stating, “you are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights…You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence and your complete irrelevance.”
The belief is that strong and healthy communities, rich in diversity make strong nations. As architects, we have the power to represent more than ourselves and representation is essential to achieving equitable diversity.
Beyond the Built Environment uniquely addresses the inequitable disparities in architecture by providing a holistic platform aimed at supporting numerous stages of the architecture pipeline. We promote agency among diverse audiences and advocate for equity in the built environment through our approach which utilizes the “triple E, C” method. The “triple E, C” method is a strategy to: Engage, Elevate, Educate, and Collaborate. We engage diverse audiences through programming that promotes intellectual discourse and exchange to better achieve a just and equitable built environment. We elevate the identities and contributions of women and of diverse designers through exhibitions, curated lectures, and documentaries that testify to the provided value of their built work and its spatial impact. We educate the masses through formal and informal learning opportunities that introduce architecture as a bridge to fill the gaps of inequity. We collaborate with community stakeholders and organizations to crowdsource information and amplify opportunities to advocate for equitable and reflectively diverse environments.
This exhibition features projects by diverse design professionals, as well as quotes and video interviews that focus on their experiences in the architecture and design professions. The concept of this exhibit is “to see our faces, hear our voices, feel our impact within the colorful tapestry of our heritage.” SAY IT LOUD is the activation of a national movement of sharing, protecting, and celebrating the journey of the underrepresented to inspire the next generation.
Featured Designers
Sandra Madison, Yanitza Brongers Marrero, Jonathan Moody, Jennifer Rittler, Sarah Klann, Jodi VanderWiel, Jill Christoff, James Cowan, W Daniel Bickerstaff II, David Hughes, Malaz Elgemiabby, Robert P. Madison, Syed Shariq Ali, Amanda Dunfield, Nicole Rose Davis, Laurie A Gunzelman, R. Kevin Madison, Mika Yamaguchi, Jonathan Moody, Lindsay Mitchell, Mary Rogero, Larissa Burlij, Elizabeth Corbin Murphy, Adrienne Denise Hankton, Utako Tanebe, May Madison, Aubrey Flores, Yuanshuai Si, Sara Boyer, Jennifer Rittler, Ann M Dunning, Robyn Wolf, Terry White, Terry White, Jill Van Auken, Jill Van Auken, Melanie Lewis, Reuben D. Shaw II, Kemet C.T. Floyd, Nicole Rose Davis, David Hughes, Crystal Knapik, R. Joyce Whitley, Badr Ahmed Zabarah, James Whitley, William Whitley, Scott Whitley, Michele Crawford, Curtis Moody, Wendy Klepcyk
Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMA, LEED AP, Associate at Adjaye Associates, with over 14 years of experience, has been on the team for a variety of projects around the world. Pascale is the 315th living African-American, woman registered architect in the U.S. She is an activist architect who works to advance architecture for the betterment of society, bringing visibility and voice to the issues concerning women and BIPOC designers. She is the founder of Beyond the Built Environment (BBE), an organization uniquely positioned to address the inequitable disparities in architecture.
In 2020 Pascale was voted President-Elect of the National Organization of Minority Architects, the 5th woman to hold this position in the organization’s 50-year history. She was awarded the Architectural League 2021 Emerging Voices award and the 2021 AIA Whitney M. Young, Jr. Award for her advocacy efforts. Sablan was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows, the youngest African-American to reach that honor in the organization’s 164-year history. Sablan holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute and a Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University.
Beyond the Built Environment elevates the identities and contributions of women and BIPOC designers through exhibitions, curated lectures, and documentaries that testify to the provided value of their built work and its spatial impact. BBE has curated 26 SAY IT LOUD exhibitions including SAY IT LOUD — United Nations Visitors Centre.
