A Creative Inquiry course and an architecture student recently took home two awards from the South Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA SC) 2024 Storytellers + Creators Art Challenge.

The students of Design Justice, a Creative Inquiry course led by Principal Lecturer Clarissa Mendez and Lecturer Shan Sutherland, were awarded the #SCulp AWARD for an exhibit produced during the Spring 2024 semester, and a submission by graduate architecture student Kimiya Omani was awarded the #SChoot AWARD.

According to AIA SC, the 2024 Storytellers + Creators Art Challenge asked participants to “Tell a story. Send a message.” The story themes range from artificial intelligence to sustainability, resilience, community, and the environment. Entries were asked to “embody a real or imagined place and its interaction with nature and/or people” or “encouraged to highlight architecture or any other built, unbuilt, or natural environments in South Carolina.”

The challenge had five categories for participants to enter: #SCetch, which looked at stories told through the lens of drawings and paintings; #SCulp, which looked at stories told through the lens of  3D models and sculptures; #SChoot, which looked at stories told through the lens of photos, videos or audio; #SCribe, which looked at stories told through the lens of creative writing and poems; and #SChatbot, which looked at stories told through the lens of AI-generated images and text.

Casting Connections

The exhibit titled “Casting Connections” by students in the Design Justice Creative Inquiry class presented material explorations in cast steel and aluminum that were created with digital and analog technology. The pieces in the exhibit examine and question current architectural building methods. Through cast pieces, specific issues of material usage, inclusivity and environmental stewardship were analyzed.

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“Students learned how scales and narratives vary from monument to memorial and from memorial to tribute,” explained Mendez. “The connection between planning, costs, materials and making, can have different impacts on the environment, the culture and diverse communities.”

According to Mendez, architects are responsible for the built environment, considering a material’s carbon footprint and the amount of access given to every community member.

“Architects are responsible for the built environment, from the birth of an idea to the occupation of land, justice in architecture, in the design of homes and cities,” Mendez said. “We need to continue to educate and reveal the uncomfortable truths of injustice in discriminative practices to open the doors to everyone.”

Narrative Architecture

Omani’s #SChoot AWARD-winning submission titled, “Windows,” was produced in the Narrative Architecture course, led by Co-Director of the Ph.D. in Design and the Built Environment program, Ufuk Ersoy.

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Omani’s research examines the various roles that windows have played in human history, specifically looking at how they improve comfort, well-being and quality of life.

“The inspiration behind this project stems from an interest in the multifaceted role that windows play in architecture and human life,” explained Omani. “While often viewed simply as functional openings, windows profoundly impact our well-being and understanding of the world around us.”

Her research led her to create the “Windows” video that she submitted to the 2024 Storytellers + Creators Art Challenge.

“Being named among the winners of the Art Challenge is both an honor and a humbling experience,” shared Omani. “It is rewarding to see the work acknowledged, especially as it touches on the deeper, often overlooked aspects of architectural design, such as the symbolic power of windows. This recognition serves as a reminder that architecture is not just about creating functional spaces but about fostering connections—between people, culture, and the environment.”