Following the August chapter meeting where our friends at Tracing Architecture recorded a live podcast session with a panel to discuss Decolonizing Architecture: Regaining and Reincorporating the Erased Cultural Knowledge into Design and Design Education we decided to continue the conversation offline at our September Coffee Talk event.
We appreciate Sp_ce Coffee for letting us meet at their coffee shop – excited to see the expansion progress next door!
🎃 October 22nd is our last coffee talk of the year before we take a break for the holidays in November and December. More details coming soon – we are headed to the East Valley this time!
☕️ Thanks to everyone that was able to attend! Here are the key takeaways and questions that arose from the open discussion:
- Decolonizing architecture can be defined differently for every person, race, and circumstance. Colonizing is not a metaphor. It’s something that has and is happening. Decolonizing architecture is the view you take.
- Progress’ definition is based on the western perspective of how it should be defined. The western (primarily American) culture is very extroverted as in being extroverted is what each person is expected to be or turn into. It’s a very “live to work – work to live” mentality
- How do we encourage people to separate from/look equally upon the profit side and the compassionate side?
- Future idea – It would be cool if NOMA pinned up the work for the public to see and be educated by what our professions do. Such as an exhibit for professionals and students to share who they are in and out of the profession
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About Coffee Talks
Every other month join us for Coffee Talks – order a warm/iced beverage of your choice from rotating cafe locations around the valley, get comfortable, and bring your open mind to this productive discussion where NOMAarizona facilitators will ask the group questions and hold space to share, listen, and learn from each other in a casual setting.
This is intended to be a forum for discussion of ideas and for learning about differing viewpoints. In discussions around diversity and equity it is important to understand that everyone sees and experiences the world differently – what seems “right” in your experience may not be so in someone else’s. Everyone is asked to consider different perspectives, for the purpose of sensitivity, learning, and growth. Members of NOMAarizona will typically be the facilitators for our discussions. We are not experts. We are simply here to help facilitate the process. We are here, like everyone else, to learn.
#ourstrengthisourdiversity
