As part of the YSoA student group Equality in Design (EiD), we conceived, planned, and designed the exhibition A Seat at the Table, which was installed in Rudolph Hall’s north gallery from October 11 to November 15. 

In July 2018, members of EiD sent two surveys to approximately 86 schools around the world, seeking to assess the educational climate of architecture and its ability to provide an equitable experience to its students, regardless of their gender identification. The results trickled in over the course of the next few months, reaching a total of 779 responses. Experiences of students continents apart started to form common threads, while others offered divergent opinions.

Designed around a collection of reconfigurable seats, the show created a space for dialogue that was meant animate its contents. Bringing the intersection of gender and architecture to the fore, A Seat at the Table aimed to be a starting point for a longer and larger conversation. The seats were donated by students of YSoA; their diversity in size, material and structure can be considered analogous to the various complex identities that come with any convergence of individuals in architectural spheres.

The contents of the exhibition can be found at aseat.org.