ArchiteXX, Parlour and n-ails AwardedWikipedia Project and Event Grant to ProfileWomen Architects on Wikipedia

New York– May 1, 2015 $14k Wikipedia Project and Event Grants (PEG) awarded to three collaborating organizations–New York-based ArchiteXX, Melbourne-based Parlour, and Berlin-based n-ails–for an initiative to contribute more profiles of women architects to Wikipedia, one of the world's most widely-consulted research databases.

The project, "More Female Architects on Wikipedia," addresses the very limited presence of women involved in architecture and the built environment disciplines on Wikipedia, contenting that the few entries that do exist are inconsistent in their coverage and quality. This is part of a broader situation in which women are underrepresented as both subjects and contributors on Wikipedia as a whole, outlined in the context of architecture by Despina Stratigakos in her essay "Unforgetting Women Architects: From the Pritzker to Wikipedia".^[1]  The grant also addresses the conundrum of "notability" for women architects in the context of Wikipedia which many participants encountered following the ArchiteXX-lead #WikiD Wikipedia edit-a-thon on March 8, 2015– entries on subjects who did not have large digital footprints were challenged, despite substantial citations to material available in analog formats.

As a response, "More Female Architects on Wikipedia" will develop an international education and advocacy program that will enable more women and men to write Wikipedia articles on women in architecture and the built environment. We will do this by developing and sharing knowledge and skills among existing professional networks and by expanding these networks. This will include providing writing and editing workshops along with online resources. This will build upon our initial momentum and will engage a broad range of participants, who would not otherwise become involved in editing Wikipedia. It will help create an environment in which more women see a roles for themselves as Wikipedia writers, and will build support networks between new editors and established Wikipedians.

The grant will fund the following initiatives:

• In-person meet-ups, edit-a-thons and workshops, including dedicated working groups in New York City, Melbourne and Berlin.
• Development of resources, including a bi-lingual (English-German) guide to Wikipedia editing and a list of suggested subjects and reference material.
• A six-month campaign in the US, Australia and Germany encouraging women and men to write articles about women architects and other design and construction professionals.
• Ongoing support for Wikipedia editors with an focus on women in the built environment.

The full project description is available here. Grants offered by Wikipedia's help further the organization's goal "of spreading participation in free culture across boundaries of language, gender, and geography." For some of the press coverage this initiative received, please see: Archdaily, Architect Magazine, The Missing 32percent, AIA New York's eOCULUS, Soup of media, Architecture & Design, and Parlour.

For more information contact Lori Brown, lbrown04@syr.edu.

Participants 

n-ails Netzwerk - architektinnen, innenarchitektinnen, landschaftsarchitektinnen und stadtplanerinnen: n-ails is a Berlin-based network of architects, interior designers , landscape architects and town planners established in 2004. The group has over 10 years experience acting as a platform for interdisciplinary exchange and professional collaboration among women in the built environment industry. n-ails has connections to similar female networks in other German-speaking cities, including Hamburg and Zurich.

Parlour: women, equity, architecture, Australia. Parlour is a 'space to speak", which brings together research, informed opinion and resources; generates debate and discussion; and expands the spaces for women in Australian architecture. Parlour is an Incorporated Association in Australia, which began as an initiative of an Australia-Research-Council-funded project Equity and Diversity in the Australian Architectural Profession: Women, work, leadership. Parlour has 1,882 subscribers in Australia and internationally. The Parlour website has had over 69,000 unique visitors over the past three years. 52% of visitors are based in Australia, with the others coming from a broad range of international locations – from 4,270 cities in 179 countries.The Parlour team also brings excellent document editing and connections with an outstanding graphic designer.

ArchiteXX, New York, New York is an independent, unaffiliated organization for women in architecture that seeks to transform the profession of architecture by bridging the academy and practice that informally began in 2012 and have recently become an incorporated not for profit. Through our diverse programming and mentoring efforts, we are working with a wide range of students, recent graduates, academics, and practitioners to raise the awareness and exposure of women in our built environment and diversify our ranks.

Justine Clark is an architectural editor, researcher, writer and critic. She is the co-founder and editor of Parlour: women, equity, architecture. She co-convened the symposium Transform: Altering the Future of Architecture and co-wrote and edited the Parlour Guides to Equitable Practice. Justine has significant experience initiating and organising events and is regularly involved in public discussions on architecture, as well as participating in award and competition juries. Justine is a former editor of Architecture Australia, the journal of record for Australian architecture (2003–2011), and co-author, with Paul Walker, of Looking for the Local: Architecture and the New Zealand Modern (VUP 2000) and the accompanying exhibition. Justine is a Senior Fellow at the University of Melbourne, a member of the Victorian Design Review Panel. She has received the Bates Smart Award for Architecture in the Media three times and is the inaugural winner of the Munro Diversity Award(with Gill Matthewson).

Lori Brown is an architect, academic, and co-founder of ArchiteXX. She curated, organized and participated in Feminist Practices, an international group of women designers and architects whose work engages feminist methodologies which was published as an edited book, Feminist Practices: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Women in Architecture by Ashgate in December 2011. Her second book Contested Spaces: Abortion Clinics, Women's Shelters and Hospitalsinvestigates how legislation affects politicized and securitized spaces was published in June 2013 by Ashgate. She is beginning to co-edit the first volume of A Global Dictionary of Women in Architecture with Dr. Karen Burns for Ashgate. She has been awarded the American Institute of Architects Diversity Best Practice Honorable Mention and a commendation for the Milka Bliznakov Prize for the Feminist Practices exhibition. She is an associate professor at Syracuse University School of Architecture and a licensed architect in New York state.

Eleanor Chapman is an architect, writer and former president of Architects for Peace. She has several years experience organising public talks and forums, coordinating volunteers and advocating for socio-spatial justice. Eleanor was part of the PechaKucha Melbourne event coordination team in 2010-2012. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, she is currently based in Berlin and recently initiated an International Women's Day Wiki Writing Party in conjunction with n-ails.

Wisible is a practising architect, project manager and feminist based in Berlin. She is a member of n-ails and has a strong connection to the german speaking scene of women designers and architects.