|
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards estimates as of the end of 2013 that there are 105,847 licensed architects in the United States.〔(NCARB's 2013 Survey of Registered Architects ), National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, 2013-12-30. Accessed 2015-11-08.〕 Of these, 2,006, or about 2%, are self-identified as African American, and listed in the Directory of African American Architects; only 343 of these are African American women.〔(The Directory of African American Architects ) states as of November 8, 2015, that their database lists 2,006 current licensed African American architects, and gives a breakdown of 1,633 men and 343 women. 〕 "If there is any kind of profession that's gotten away with a kind of benign neglect of diversifying itself over the course of last 30 years, it's architecture," says Ted Landsmark.〔()〕 == Global Diversity in Architecture == At a time when there is a greater global need for designers, and when architectural firms are eager to tap into new markets, the nation can't continue to ignore the African-American talent pool. Today, 40% of black architecture school graduates are from the half-dozen historically black college and university programs (aka HBCU), suggesting that the majority of our 116 accredited programs are doing relatively little to recruit and nurture the next generations of architects of color. Overall, maybe 40 African Americans become licensed in any given year with the largest concentrations of African American licensed architects to be found in New York City, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Los Angeles. A number of states, to date, have no resident African American architects: Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire and South Dakota. And while women constitute half of our architecture school students, they still represent less than 20% of licensed practitioners. The Missing Link Melvin Mitchell, of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), suggests that Black Architects were a "Missing Link" stating, "When we had our first big, cultural renaissance during the Harlem Renaissance, African American Architects were missing from that. ".... our generation did not see themselves as privileged and having the authority to pursue culture () as a result, instead of entrenchment in Black culture (as seen of the arts through the Harlem Renaissance), architecture has generally been a bit outside of the Black culture; looked upon as inaccessible and therefore not desirable. Among other solutions, African American Architects of today must recognize that they are the pioneers of the field and must work to increasing awareness of architecture career. It is the responsibility of the today's African American Architect to be committed to showing young people that architecture is a creative alternative that they can choose for a career. The "Invisible Trio" of American Architecture: Julian Francis Abele, Hilyard Robinson, and Paul R. Williams 〔()〕 This trio of African Americans still remains largely invisible within the history of architecture and architects in the United States, even as their work increasingly become known in the black community. Rectifying this invisibility would surely be consistent with the current and appropriate emphasis on our society's "multicultural" character, if, by that term, we mean to encourage a fundamental reconceptualization of whom we have been and who we are as a people. The potential benefits for architectural education of including the work of these three in "the cannon" are significant. Whereas we are accustomed to inferring vision from almost exclusively from aesthetics, their individual approaches to the practice of the social art of architecture also attest to vision. Each was highly skilled and rooted in the American experience, and each made an important mark on the built environment of the United States. () men very much of the American times in which they lived, all were successful in their efforts to assimilate and synthesize, in architectural language, the myriad and complex elements of the world around them: Julian Abele, who was apparently absorbed in his work, and whose own designs were credited to the name of another man. Robinson, whose career was a reflection of his close ties to the black community and his social responsibility to balance aesthetics and other concerns and Williams who place his enormous talents into servicing the dreams of his clients. He is best known for his famous quote, "He who cannot be beaten, must beat himself." Many do not understand the meaning of this statement; although it has been regarded as highly insightful. * Julian Francis Abele (Julian F. Abele biography ) at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings In 1902, Abele became the first African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. He attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and worked for architect Louis C. Hickman. Future employer Horace Trumbauer sponsored his travel in Europe, but, contrary to legend, there is no record of Abele having attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Abele returned to Philadelphia and joined Trumbauer's firm in 1906. He served as chief designer from 1909 to 1938.〔Jonathan E. Farnham, Ph.D., "Julian F. Abele (1881-1950)" in ''Celebrating 75 Years on the Parkway: The Central Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia'' (Philadelphia: Free Library of Philadelphia, 2002), pp. 22-23.〕 The Philadelphia Museum of Art was a collaboration between Trumbauer's firm and that of Zantzinger, Borie and Medary. While another Trumbauer architect, Howell Lewis Shay, is credited with the building's plan and massing, the presentation drawings are in Abele's hand.〔David B. Brownlee, Ph.D., ''Making a Modern Classic: The Architecture of the Philadelphia Museum of Art'' (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1997), pp. 68-69.〕 It was not until after Trumbauer's death that Abele signed his architectural drawings, or claimed credit for designing buildings at Duke University in North Carolina.〔(Julian Abele biography ) at Duke University〕 Abele played a pivotal role at the Trumbauer firm, but modern writers have been careless, sometimes crediting him with buildings from before he even joined the firm. The actual extent of his individual contribution probably will never be known. * Hilyard Robinson Hilyard Robinson is best known for the design of the Langston Terrace Dwellings, built in 1936. In 1987, the dwellings were listed on the National Registration of Historic Places and, the following, was the subject of a 1988 television documentary. Robinson also designed the Army training base of the infamous Tuskegee Airmen. Hilyard Robinson's career engaged the dialogue between European Internationalism and American Modernism. His works rose out of the movement to provide safe and sanitary housing for working-class and poor people, while uplifting the spirit of its residents. He incorporated social realism and Modernism to create a communal interdependence through the relation of well-designed open spaces, sensitively scaled details and artwork that depicted working-class subjects in heroic poses. * Paul R. Williams Paul Willims commission included the Theme Building for the Los Angeles International Airport. Williams first assignment, as an architect, was a house for Frank Sinatra. In 1931, he was commission to design a house for E.L. Cord, manufacturer of Cord Automobiles which further enhanced his prominence among California architects. Commonly known as the "Architect to the Stars" Williams is the most prolific African American Architect, to date, designing homes for a substantial client list that included Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Lon Chaney, Tyrone Power, Martin Landau, William "Bonjangles" Robinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor and other movie stars as well as Jay Paley, William Paley and Walter Winchell. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「African-American architects」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|