Archinect - News

A new database is tracking contributions of women to the architecture of Illinois

2021-08-19T14:34:00-04:00

A new database is tracking the contributions of women to the architecture of Illinois thanks to a yearlong survey project by one of the state’s most important preservation authorities.

Landmark Illinois has just released its new Women Who Built Illinois database with an initial list of over 100 names that spans the years between 1879 and 1979 – a century whose physical lineage was shaped rather substantially by the hands of many prominent female architects and designers.

“This new database recognizes those who laid the path for women today and who continue to impact the built environment of Illinois and Chicago,” Landmarks Illinois Director of Advocacy Lisa DiChiera said in a statement. “We hope students and professionals in architecture, planning and public history will be inspired to study these women, their careers and built works.”

Architects like Nancy Abshire and Margaret Zirkel Young make up the list of women who paved the way for Jeanne Gang and others at a time when entry i...

Nancy Abshire wins Chicago Women in Architecture's Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021

2021-06-24T16:55:00-04:00

Former SOM veteran Nancy Abshire has been named the winner of this year’s iteration of the Chicago Women in Architecture Foundation’s annual Lifetime Achievement Award.

Abshire graduated from Northwestern University before obtaining her B.Arch at the University of Illinois at Chicago and joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in its Chicago office shortly thereafter, eventually helping the firm to establish its London office and contributing to signature local and international projects, ranging from Chicago's Quaker Tower to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Abshire went on to serve as the SOM Foundation’s Executive Director until 2019 and will join a list of past winners that includes Cynthia Weese, Roula Alakiotou, Linda Searl, and recent Topaz Medallion recipient Dr. Kathryn H. Anthony.

“Nancy is a true pioneer, who has been there for women architects in Chicago, essentially forever,” Carol Ross Barney, founder Ross Barney Architects, said.

Abshire’s presentation can be found here.

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a,DOT INTRODUCING THE 52 ARTISTS!

2011-09-01T17:14:28-04:00

Chicago Women in Architecture is excited to announce the 52 artists that will be featured in the “architects.DOING OTHER THINGS” exhibition organized by CWA as part of Chicago Artists Month 2011, the sixteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual art community presented by the Chicago Department of Tourism and Culture. For more information, visit www.chicagoartistsmonth.org

Opening night is October 6th so be sure to mark your calenders!

And be on the lookout for upcoming posts as we introduce the women behind the artful work of architect | artists, a talented network as diverse as Chicago's neighborhoods.

FYI, poster design is a collaboration between Mindy Viamontes and Myself.