Join us for our Mobile Makers Boston pop-up events on:
Maya Bird-Murphy, M.Arch’17, wasn’t happy with the demographics of design. According to NCARB’s By the Numbers report, 83% of newly licensed architects were white, and 65% were male. She set out to change that by founding the nonprofit Mobile Makers.
Mobile Makers brings design directly to neighborhoods around Chicago. The Mobile Makerspace is an old delivery van, cleverly transformed into a well-equipped, contemporary mobile design studio that opens its doors to children around the city. Mobile Makers offers community pop-ups and partners with schools, museums, and local nonprofits for presentations and workshops. The first permanent Mobile Makers hub recently opened at Chicago’s Kimball Arts Center.
Maya has seen Mobile Makers make a difference already. In 2020-21 they engaged more than 320 youth in design-thinking and problem-solving workshops. “Our programs show young people all their options when it comes to design,” Maya says. “Our hope is to mentor and support kids who decide to pursue design-related careers.”
A Mobile Makers truck will be seen on the streets of Boston this spring, with The Boston Architectural College (BAC) serving as the on-the-ground implementation partner, and with BAC staff and students supporting this impactful programming. The goal is to help kids understand how design shapes their lives, and ultimately to nurture a more socially, economically, and racially diverse generation of architects, landscape architects, and designers.
Karen Nelson, BAC Dean of Architecture, believes the College is the ideal Mobile Makers partner since it’s already an integral part of Boston. “BAC students are engaged in local design practice — they’re changing the city through their work every day,” she says. “And faculty, staff, and board members have robust networks in place, that we can build on to support the Mobile Makers Boston launch.”
Volunteers speak with participants at a Mobile Makers event
Mobile Makers’ expansion to Boston is being made possible by a generous multi-year gift to the BAC from donors Joan Shafran and Rob Haimes. They’re both very excited about the truck. “Our hope is it becomes a visible presence in the city – one that inspires Boston youth,” says Joan.
As longtime donors to the BAC, Joan and Rob are impressed by the College’s engagement with Boston. They were early supporters of the BAC’s Gateway Initiative, which sees students providing design-related services to local nonprofits, community organizations, and municipalities on a pro bono basis.
"The BAC teaches an inclusive design process, and always looks for ways to engage parts of the city that may be unfamiliar with design,” says Rob. “Supporting a BAC-Mobile Makers collaboration made sense to us. We believe it’ll help kids understand the role design plays in how well communities work."
Rob and Joan are passionate supporters of a variety of design-based organizations. Ten years ago, Joan joined The Cultural Landscape Foundation board. With a growing commitment to the often-downplayed field of landscape architecture, she and Rob made the lead gift to endow the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize, intended to become the Pritzker Prize equivalent for landscape architecture. The first laureate, Julie Bargmann, selected in October 2021, has an inspiring, activist practice, transforming sometimes abandoned or toxic sites into beautiful, inviting spaces.
Joan and Rob met in 1980 at the Visible Language Workshop (VLW) in Cambridge, one of the groups that later became the MIT Media Lab. Joan, one of the program’s first graduate students, and Rob, a staff member, taught together and eventually married. “The VLW was about exploring how technology would be integrated into design and publishing, and how messages get altered using different means of communication,” says Rob.
When they learned about Maya and Mobile Makers, Joan and Rob recognized the connections between the VLW’s work in media literacy and Mobile Makers’ impact on design literacy. They feel this kind of critical thinking is especially important today and appreciated how Maya, with her hands-on approach, was taking it out into the world. And Maya couldn’t agree more. “When I was working on Mobile Makers as my thesis at the BAC, I envisioned that the work would mostly stay in the classroom. The pandemic made us rethink everything and now we’re making actual, physical change in communities.”
Maya shared that she recently worked with students who designed a large sculpture that transformed an empty lot in their neighborhood. It was a rewarding experience for the students and her Mobile Makers colleagues. “When students become engaged in their communities, they are better equipped to identify issues and propose positive change,” Maya says. “The greatest thing I see during workshops is when students realize they have agency and have the power to voice their concerns.”
Rob and Joan are confident that Mobile Makers will empower Boston-area young people as well, and as Joan says, “It will open their eyes to how design is present in your life wherever you live.”
View full entryThe Boston Architectural College (BAC) announces the launching of its newest video venture, BAC Channel with Mahesh Daas. This ongoing program will offer a series of exclusive, insightful, and one-on-one conversations between President Mahesh Daas and thought leaders from around the design... View full entry
The BAC is thrilled to announce the launch of BAC Channel with Mahesh Daas. We are honored this inaugural episode features President Daas speaking with Professor Balkrishna Doshi–the first Indian architect to win the Pritzker Prize, and one of the greatest influencers in architecture and design... View full entry
The BAC 2022 Spring Lecture Series events can be viewed below or on our website at: https://the-bac.edu/events-ind... View full entry
HMFH Architects, in partnership with The Boston Architectural College (BAC), announced the establishment of the HMFH Scholarship Fund, created to expand academic opportunities for students underrepresented in the architecture and design professions. This new Scholarship aims to increase access to... View full entry
“If you talk to anybody that knew my husband they will tell you, ‘My goodness did that man like to talk about the Boston Architectural College,’” says Maria Latimore of her late husband, Bobby G. Foster. “In social settings, he’d introduce himself and immediately it would morph into... View full entry
Learn how to attend this free virtual lecture, Friday, November 5 at 7PM ET, featuring Yung Ho Chang, FAIA, a founding partner and principal architect of the Beijing-based Atelier—China’s first independent private architectural firm—Feichang Jianzhu (FCJZ). Yung Ho Chang says about the... View full entry
Amanda Zettel graduated from the BAC with her Master of Design Studies in Historic Preservation and Conservation in May of 2021. She was also awarded the BAC’s first-ever Historic Preservation Fellowship to assist Institutional Advancement and Facilities in the pursuit of Community Preservation... View full entry
We are thrilled to announce that Denise Rush, BAC faculty and dean of interior architecture, has been inducted into the 2021 ASID College of Fellows.The ASID College of Fellows is the Society’s ultimate honor. Fellowship and Honorary Fellowship are bestowed upon ASID members who have made... View full entry
From the Office of the President: Yesterday, we witnessed an insurrection and an attack on the U.S. Capitol complex timed to disrupt both houses of Congress in session to certify the election of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. Like you, my family and I watched in... View full entry
Prasanna Lachagari grew up in Hyderabad, India. She moved to the United States to continue her education and graduated from the BAC with her Masters of Architecture in 2019. Lachagari is now the Design Director at SDI Architecture in Boston, MA and Co-Founder and Principal Architect of SDI's... View full entry
On December 11, 1889, The Boston Architectural College was founded as the Boston Architectural Club by a group of young and established local architects. The BAC's founders envisioned the Club would provide encouragement and support to those interested in the profession of architecture through... View full entry
Created by BAC landscape architecture students and faculty, this video explores the issues of social and environmental justice and the role of design education in fostering lasting change. Featuring David Lee, FAIA, NOMA; C.L. Bohannon, PhD, ASLA; Kona Gray, FASLA, PLA; Jessi Flynn; Olga... View full entry
Join us for our Fall Lecture Series all season long! Speakers include:Sept. 23, 2020 – Kia Weatherspoon6:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this lecture! Oct. 7, 2020 – Juan Miro6:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this lecture!Oct. 28, 2020 –... View full entry
The path to becoming a licensed architect is not for the faint of heart. According to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), in 2019 the average time to earn a license was 12.7 years, with the average age at licensure being 32. Through the Boston Architectural College's... View full entry
Celebrate with us! Please join us in virtually celebrating the outstanding achievements of our 2020 BAC Alumni Award Winners on October 2, 2020 at 7PM- 8:30PM EST. We will be honoring four outstanding BAC Alums who have made incredible contributions to the world of design and our community. ... View full entry
I am from Lebanon and have lived my whole life there. I came to Boston and started the MLA program at the BAC in August of 2019. I was supposed to visit Lebanon during the summer, but due to all the travel restrictions on leaving and entering the United States because of COVID and a second... View full entry
What started as a BAC thesis project has now become Ahlan, an app that has been launched in three languages (English, Spanish, and Arabic) across three major cities in Californa, Texas, and Washington and expanding to Germany and Sweden. BAC alumna Rania Qawasma shares, "I created an infographic... View full entry
Congratulations to BAC alumna Britt Ambruson (M.Arch '17) and alumnus Phil Reville (M.Arch '17) for being shortlisted in The Vale De Moses Meditation Cabins competition! This competition is the first in a series of competitions based in Portugal and the first in partnership with Vale de Moses... View full entry
Did you know the number of international students in the United States was at its peak in the 2018-19 academic year with more than one million international students? The total number of international students, 1,095,299, makes up 5.5% of the total US student body.International students are a... View full entry
As most of you are aware, the government recently announced it would rescind the July 6, 2020 ICE SEVP guidance that would prohibit F-1 students enrolled in online-only schools during the Fall semester to maintain visa status. We join The Presidents’ Alliance in its ardent support and exuberance... View full entry
The unique education model at the BAC offers students real life experience not just after they graduate but while they're still in the classroom. One course in particular that equips students for their lifelong careers is Practice Management, a NAAB required course designed to help students become... View full entry
President Mahesh Daas shares an important update regarding BAC's decision for the fall semester and new initiatives going forward. We encourage you to watch his video message here. View full entry
In our 130th year, the Boston Architectural College commends a new generation of socially conscious designers with this exhibit! We present the work of the BAC 2020 degree recipients from undergraduate and graduate programs in Architecture, Design Studies, Interior Architecture, and Landscape... View full entry
The Masters of Design Studies in Design for Human Health (DHH) program at the Boston Architectural College is uniquely poised to leverage design’s powers to transform the built environment and public health, especially now, at this time of increasing awareness of this connection. “DHH was... View full entry
Our friends at the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) are calling on all AEC industry workers to collaborate and assist with identifying, evaluating, documenting, and retrofitting buildings and other facilities to accommodate the anticipated surge in acute inpatient care due to COVID-19. We... View full entry
After winning the green card lottery, Erion Nikolla (B.Arch '17) migrated from Albania to Boston with nothing but one thing: a clear passion for pursuing architecture. Now, after graduating from the BAC, he is an architect at Wilson Butler Architects and plans to become a project leader.What... View full entry
In order to design for a climate ready future, we must learn lessons from our past. Climate change calls for a new way of thinking, a new way of approaching problems, and a constructive effort to building a collective consciousness around the issues our planet is facing and will continue to face... View full entry
The #BACbuzz blog will help to inform, educate, and share relevant and noteworthy architectural and design news happening within the Boston Architectural College and around the Boston community.
