Extraordinary Women: Architects with Vision

Architecture critic Chris Hume joins us Saturday, March 23, for a screening of City Dreamers, a documentary that focuses on the ideas, work and lives of four women architects: Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown. During his years at The Toronto Star, Chris interviewed three of the four women, two or whom, Lemco van Ginkel and Oberlander have recently passed away.

Are there characteristics in their approaches to architecture and design that might differ from those of their male counterparts? Despite having entered the field when few women did, their achievements have been impressive: Lemco van Ginkel became dean of architecture at U of T; Lambert, a member of the Bronfman family, founded the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, and was influential in having Mies van der Rohe design buildings in NYC, Montreal and Toronto; Oberlander received many awards for her pioneering social and environmental approach to landscape architecture; Scott Brown, in her teaching and writing, has been a life-long advocate for a collaborative and inclusive approach to architecture.

What has been their impact? Get ready for a lively discussion with Chris!

This Extraordinary Women event takes place at a time different from our usual at the Revue Cinema: Saturday, March 23, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Hope you can attend.

Watch the trailer for City Dreamers.