by: Alexis Clarke, WEDG, ENV SP; Ivan Himanen, AIA; Ami Mehta, Assoc. AIA; David Polk, AIA; k. kennedy Whiters, AIA
Text by Alexis Clarke, WEDG, ENV SP; Ivan Himanen, AIA; Ami Mehta, Assoc. AIA; David Polk, AIA; k. kennedy Whiters, AIA
On Thursday, November 9, the 2023 class of the AIANY Civic Leadership Program (CLP) hosted a public event, organized by Alexis Clarke, WEDG, ENV SP; Ivan Himanen, AIA; Ami Mehta, Assoc. AIA; David Polk, AIA; and k. kennedy Whiters, AIA. The centerpiece of the event was an open mic story slam, for which the Civic Leaders invited members of the public to share personal stories about how the built environment has impacted their lives. Afterward, a panel discussed the importance of storytelling in architectural practice. The two-part event curated a unique environment of listening and sharing.
Why Stories?
The Civic Leaders conceived this event while grappling with recurring, fundamental themes at the heart of the CLP and the profession:
- How can architects better listen to the diverse voices of the communities they claim to represent?
- What are the limits to architects’ agency and influence?
- How can we lead unless we know how to listen and to follow?
- Architecture is a shared enterprise and design professionals do not always have all the answers.
The cohort decided to shake up the traditional expert-centric format of events at the Center for Architecture by yielding their platform to the public. Tafel Hall was arranged without a stage or podium, with chairs concentrically arranged like an amphitheater around a high-top table. Participants responded to the prompt:
“Tell us about a time a _______ (building/place/neighborhood/etc) made you feel _______ (laughter/sadness/joyous/uncomfortable/etc).”
Attendees heard stories about:
- Finding refuge
- Mentorship
- Basements
- Memories of fathers
- Views of New York
- Hidden stairways
- Governor’s Island
- and more
During the readings, attendees were free to roam about and view printouts of submitted stories that were posted on a wall.
The second part of the event convened a panel to reflect on and discuss the importance of storytelling to design practice and for panelists to share their own professional stories. Each panelist was invited for their broad experience engaging with the public through design, their unique definitions of community engagement, and their ability to disrupt traditional design practice through storytelling. Immanuel Oni is an artist, sculptor, self-titled “space doula”, and founder of the art non-profit Liminal. Sabina Sethi Unni is a writer, community organizer, theater artist, and recently a New City Critics fellow at The Urban Design Forum. Cassim Shepard is a filmmaker, urbanist, educator, and currently Distinguished Lecturer at City College.
The ensuing discussion began by addressing the notion of assigning value to certain voices over others. Recognizing architecture’s power and privilege to shape public space as the current starting point, the challenge lies with building trust with communities by a variety of available means (gossip, acts of service, or time spent together). The panel mentioned their experience tapping into certain emotions in a community—like fear or grievance—in order to empathetically draw out prevailing narratives. Rhetorical questions like “how can we listen better?” or “who is best at reading communities?” were projected on the wall throughout the discussion in order for everyone to come away from the event with a motivating framework for future project work.
k. kennedy Whiters, AIA, 2023 CLP cohort member, concluded the night with two calls to action: (1) For her initiative, (un)Redact the Facts, she asked attendees to complete a survey on the way grammar and language choices in stories about uncomfortable histories affect the way people feel and (2) To support pay equity in the architecture field, she asked attendees to sign a petition to ask AIANY to increase the budget for the Civic Leadership Program. She proposed this budget increase with revenue data on the non-profit’s 2020 IRS reporting and provided context about the time commitments of the 2023 cohort and limited speaker stipends. In response, an AIANY CLP co-founder replied that AIANY is a non-profit and disagreed with kennedy for making, in their opinion, a request that is one of economics for what is a rewarding opportunity to serve. The entire 2023 cohort continues to process the personal, programmatic, and institutional impacts of this final exchange.
Special thanks to:
All the participants who submitted and read their stories
Andrea Kahn, designCONTENT
Mariana Mogilevich, The Architectural League of New York
Didintle Ntsie, Brooklyn Arts Council
Chat Travieso, Yeju & Chat, Columbia GSAPP
Security & IT Staff at the Center for Architecture