Public Awareness!

As I travel around the country supporting the strategic planning processes for state and local AIA components, ‘public awareness’ still tops the list of what architects desire most from their AIA. This theme has persisted for many years, yet somehow it seems more urgent these days … even though design is more front-and-center than perhaps ever before.

During my campaigns and tenures of leadership, I emphasized that transforming our professional culture is our strongest hope for realizing a preferred future for ourselves: one in which we are viewed as not just relevant – but essential – by a world anxious for a clear vision forward. Architects have the ability to see the future, imagining realities that do not yet exist. We then describe (and delineate) this to our clients and others. Wow! At times though, this innate attribute does not always translate to our own benefit; we watch as change swirls around us, and we react. We, who actually can design our preferred future! As the body of architects, we should curate a strategic pathway, drawing upon our creativity to stride toward a physical and figurative ‘place’ we have designed.

This kind of change can happen collectively, through both influence and inspiration, yet the key truly resides with individual professionals who feel equipped, enabled, and empowered. To bring about the hoped-for relevance of our profession in society, the effort must be singular yet also widespread. The AIA conveys the broader message, but YOU bring that message to life.

Transfigure your practice setting. Lead an entity within the profession. Engage in your local community. Serve on a civic board. Activate your design voice – not just through structures but through actions – for the greater good. As you do so, your fellow citizens will see you ‘strut your stuff’ … and their perception of architects will surge. YOU are our profession’s best advertisement!!!

Photo Credit: staff team, The Branch Museum of Architecture and Design