Believe it or not, female representation and leadership within academic architectural institutions have come along way over the last 100 years. To highlight this progress, the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is paying homage to previous female graduates who earned a degree in architecture from the school, starting with Mary Louisa Page in 1878. Page was he first woman to graduate from architecture school in North America; The university began offering architecture courses a decade earlier in 1868.

Now, in 2019, the university aims to recognize the contributions its female graduates have made to the architectural profession by hosting a Women's Reunion and Symposium from September 26th to the 28th. In addition to the symposium, the school will host an exhibition titled Revealing Presence: Women in Architecture at the University of Illinois 1874-2019 that highlights the work created by some of these graduates. 

Architecture professor Marci Uihlein shares with Jodi Heckel of the Illinois News Bureau, "We wanted to bring all that energy and success back to the school. Representation matters, and we wanted students to see women out there doing amazing work at very high levels." 

Heckel continues: "The exhibition will include a timeline showing the increasing number of female faculty and students at the school and in the profession, and highlighting Illinois’ history of educating female architects." 

The Krannert Art Museum will host the exhibition, which runs from September 26th to October 12th. Click here to learn more.