A campaign to press the Pritzker committee to retroactively include Denise Scott Brown in the 1991 prize awarded to her creative partner and husband Robert Venturi continues to pick up steam, thanks to recent attention from the New York Times, the Huffington Post and the New Yorker. The petition, started by Arielle Assouline-Lichten (MArch ’13) and Caroline James (MArch ‘14), now has over 10 thousand signatures, including world famous architects, former Pritzker winners and GSD notables.
Dean Mohsen Mostafavi, quoted in the Times, applauded the call to action. “The initiative on the part of the students is something that I really value. I hope they will be this proactive when it comes to their own futures.”
Concurrent with the launch of the petition was the decision to rejuvenate the Women in Design organization at the GSD. In an interview with Architectural Record, James and Assouline-Lichten describe their impetus for the campaign and their thoughts about recognition, equity, and collaboration in the design field and the myth of the solo genius.
Haven’t signed the petition yet? You can do so at Change.org.
Read also: Mia Scharphie’s (MLA ’14) Op-Ed in the Christian Science Monitor.
Photo of Seattle Art Museum courtesy of VSB Architects