To cap off Women’s History Month, we are highlighting trailblazers who rose to leadership in the community and the profession.
As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Baltimore Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), we are hosting conversations with trailblazing architects who have impacted Baltimore’s built environment and rose to leadership positions in their profession. April 2nd’s Virtual History will feature Barbara Wilks, FAIA, FASLA, one of the few professionals elected to both the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Architects (in 1999) and to the College of Fellows of the American Society of Landscape Architects (in 2010), the highest honor in those professions. During her residence in Baltimore, she rose to become the first woman president of the AIA Baltimore Chapter, serving for two years from 1983-1984.
Barbara Wilks, FAIA, FASLA, is a leader in design and interdisciplinary thinking, with over 40 years of experience in urban design, public, and institutional projects. After graduating from Cornell University, she settled in Baltimore, attracted by the city’s efforts at renewal in the mid-seventies. In 1974, she founded Cho/Wilks Architects with Diane Cho and directed such noteworthy projects as Canton Cove, Brown’s Arcade, the Eubie Blake Jazz Museum, Goucher’s Dance Studio, and the Light Rail Stations, among many others.
After receiving a Masters of Landscape Architecture from University of Pennsylvania in 1993, she founded W Architecture and Landscape Architecture, a design-oriented, multidisciplinary practice in New York in 1999. Her projects range from urban public spaces, infrastructure, architecture, to parks, with her goal being to use design to create access and a means of participation — a public route to discovery, engagement and stewardship. Her award-winning public waterfronts can be found in Baltimore (Tide Point), Calgary, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Buffalo, and New York. https://w-architecture.com
She will discuss the development of her early waterfront work in Baltimore’s harbor and how that grew into her focus today, addressing places where city and nature come together and form new relationships, and how well-designed places can result in more sustainable relationships between ourselves, our communities, and the earth.
Introducing Barbara Wilks is Jillian Storms, AIA, who once worked with Barbara for over a decade at Cho Wilks & Benn Architects (now Quinn Evans Architects). She more recently led the Early Women of Architecture in Maryland project, culminating in a traveling exhibit and extensive programming for which she received BAF’s Roger Redden Award and Preservation Maryland’s Volunteer Award. She currently serves as co-chair of BAF’s research committee, the Dead Architects Society, and continues to highlight the stories of women’s achievements in the design profession.
This program is hosted on Zoom. Upon registering you will receive an email confirmation and a Zoom link. If you do not receive a link, please contact ndennies@aiabalt.com. If you do not contact us at least 1 hour prior to the start of the program, we cannot guarantee admittance.
Virtual Histories are back in 2021! The Baltimore Architecture Foundation (BAF) and Baltimore Heritage present a series of 30 minute live virtual tours and presentations focusing on Baltimore architecture, preservation and history.
Tickets are donation based. We encourage you to give what you can to support BAF and Baltimore Heritage. Your support helps us make up for lost tour and program revenue from COVID-19 and create more virtual programs like this. This presentation is also co-hosted by the AIA Baltimore EQUITY Committee and the Maryland Chapter of ASLA.