Saturday, September 27, 2008

Architects of America: We are people who make great places.

This is my favorite description of my profession. Plain and simple, but it sums it up rather well. I am so grateful for this site. It will give all of us, woman architects and interns a chance to express ourselves. I hope this is not going to be one of those projects that I start, grow bored with, and leave to hang out in cyberspace. I have no idea why anyone would care to hear my ramblings on starting out in this profession (almost 8 years out of school), in a mid-size mid-Western town. Most likely would not. (this is definitely a sentence fragment!) I just like to play online and vent sometimes!!!

I have lived in this town for 5 years now and have grown to love it and gotten to know many other young, talented, dedicated woman in architecture. Today, I am proud to have selected this career path for me. Talked to me 6 years ago, not so much! Low pay, egos to work through, not very much respect. I am glad I survived all of that though, late hours in architecture school, first internships, working 80+ during those internships!!

Love it that we have this site, again!

September Planning Meeting Summary

What do we enjoy most about the W in Arch group?
socializing, mentorship, networking, support, comparing firm experiences, educational opportunities, motivation to advance in our careers...

What topics are we most interested in?

Tulsa Historical Preservation/Archiving, Historical Homes/Neighborhoods, The Women Architect vs. The Man Architect-Our Role (what is important to us vs. men), Connecting to High Schools (job shadowing/lunch buddies/flyers to counselors/express ideas of women empowerment, being passionate about something), Connecting to Universities (flyers, Happy Hour in Tulsa), Architectural Trends/LEED (modern vs. classical), City Planners/Code Officials/Zoning/Permitting, Starting Your Own Business-Firms Created by Women, other women guest lecturers, Holiday Parties (bring spouses/significant others), Living a Balanced Life (spa-time, fashion, book review, gardening, knitting, cooking, biking, walking, scootering...), Home Remodeling (sharing ideas), Professional Advancement (IDP, ARE, LEED, marketing yourself/resumes, becoming a supervisor or a partner), Lecture Series: "Fascinating Women" (similiar to the one in Norman), Specialties in Architecture (Who's Doing What?), Book/Movie Reviews

Are there topics that we've already had that we'd like to have again?
Mothering in Architecture, Residential Architecture

Ideas for tours/field trips and locations for meetings?
Tour of Tulsa Historical Society, Museum art tours (Gilcrease), firm tours, job site visits, picnic in the park or music @ Utica Square with families/significant others/pets, outdoor movie night in the Philbrook gardens, Happy Hour @ restaurant or pub, coffee house, book store, Festival of Trees, Weekend Retreats (Eureka Springs in the Fall-Thorncrown/guest lecturer), somebody's home or garden, Tour new condo developments, Oktober Fest

How can members of this group serve each other & our community?

This Blog!, Girl Scouts/Gingerbread houses w/ young ladies, Angel Tree (gift wrapping party), Habitat for Humanity, Connecting to other Women in Architecture groups/Sister Chapters, Discussed possibility of Fund Raising/T-shirts/Logo Parafenalia/Home&Garden Tours/paid advertisement on this blog, volunteer w/ various Non-Profit organizations, IDP mentors, Help transition recent graduates, Post job openings, volunteer for AIA events