My SFNOMA Team would appreciate it if you could show your support for this fundraising event by making a donation towards the cause. Any amount of $25 or more will benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and their efforts to provide services to thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area. Just click on the website link below to enter our Team web page and charge your donation.

Thank you, in advance, for supporting this important cause and for showing that you join us in wanting to end this epidemic.

Follow this Link to visit our SFNOMA Team Page and help us in our efforts to support AIDS Walk San Francisco.  Click here for photos.

Sincerely,
Sudie Wentling
SFNOMA Team
email: swentling@gmail.com
web: www.sfnoma.org

7/21/07

Women, Wisdom and Wealth

NOMA magazine is soliciting interested contributors to submit articles for the next issue of the magazine.  The theme of the issue is "Women, Wisdom and Wealth".  Articles should be between 500 - 1000 words, and be transmitted in MS Word format.  Please forward submission and/or suggestions to 1stvicepres@noma.net

Boston NOMA:  A Sign of Hope

View article in Boston's Banker & Tradesman publication by Jeff Stein, the current Head of the School of Architecture at Boston Architectural College.  Mr. Stein expresses his thoughts about the history of NOMA, the newly established Boston NOMA Chapter and its efforts to make a difference for Black architects in the local architectural community.

5/15/07

KNTM Architects, LLC Purchases Building for New Headquarters

The Partners of KNTM Architects, LLC are proud to announce that their real-estate development company, KNTM Properties, LLC has purchased a commercial office building located in East Orange, New Jersey.  The colonial-revival architectural-style building is rich in historic character and its renovation will be a design-build project by KNTM.   With completion scheduled for the Fall of 2007, the building will be the new headquarter office for the KNTM companies and will also feature an additional 2,500 sf of leaseable office space for prospective tenants.  To learn more about the leasing opportunity or to be included in the mailing list for the building dedication, please email info@KNTM.com.  

More about KNTM Architects, LLC

03/28/07

African-American Women Building a Presence in Architecture

The number of African-American women practicing as licensed architects has quadrupled in the last 15 years.   Read complete University of Cincinnati article...

NOMA Receives Whitney Young Jr. Award
Organization honored for promoting profession and increasing diversity

by Heather Livingston
Contributing Editor, AIArchitect

Summary: The AIA Board of Directors on December 7 selected the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) as the recipient of the 2007 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award, given to an architect or organization that exemplifies the profession’s responsibility to society. The award honors the contributions of Whitney Young Jr., outspoken civil rights activist and head of the Urban League from 1961 until his death in 1971. At the 1968 AIA national conference, Young shamed the audience of architects for their social reticence and challenged them to become a positive force for social change, saying, “You are not a profession that has distinguished itself by your social and civic contributions to the cause of civil rights. You are most distinguished by your thunderous silence and your complete irrelevance.”

NOMA’s nomination was submitted by the Boston Society of Architects and supported by six previous Whitney M. Young Jr. Award recipients. In her letter of nomination, Jane Weinzapfel, FAIA, partner of the 2007 AIA Firm Award recipient Leers Weinzapfel, writes, “Although we have repeatedly acknowledged the relative homogeneity of our profession and our commitment to diversify it, we have failed to [increase significantly the number of African-American architects].” Thirty-eight years after Young’s call for action and 35 years after its creation, NOMA was selected for its unfailing dedication to promoting the architecture profession with the goal of increasing diversity among practitioners.

Preeminent voice for minority architects
NOMA was formed to address the existence and impact of racism during the late 1960s and ’70s and acknowledge how socio-economic conditions negatively influence the built environment of poor and oppressed Americans. In 1971, at the AIA national convention, 12 African-American architects formed NOMA to voice dissatisfaction with the status quo and begin the task of equalizing the opportunities and design practices of black architects. Thirty-five years later, NOMA remains the preeminent voice for minority architects.

“NOMA has given greater visibility to African-American architects, provided ‘role-models’ for students, and informed the general public,” says J. Max Bond, FAIA, in his letter of support for NOMA. “Through the establishment of student chapters and by inviting students to attend its meetings, NOMA has helped young people learn about and become members of the profession.” Indeed, NOMA’s commitment to students of color interested in pursuing careers in architecture may prove to be the organization’s greatest legacy.

NOMA’s commitment to students of color interested in pursuing careers in architecture may prove to be the organization’s greatest legacy

The annual National Organization of Minority Architects Students (NOMAS) Student Design Competition has become the coveted award among minority architecture students across the country. The unique program highlights a cultural aspect, historic figure, or significant location that likely won’t be found in other design competitions, but the camaraderie and interaction among other architecture students and professionals is the compelling factor. The NOMA Conference provides students the opportunity to interact with professional architects for portfolio review, advice, internships, and career guidance. Conference seminars offer interns insight on the Architecture Registration Exam, Intern Development Program, portfolio development, interview skills, and resume writing. NOMA also has held a regional ARE preparation program for interns.