Hear from faculty and department heads who are supporters of BosNOMA about college and university programs in design. Be ready for a fun and engaging conversation!

Session #3: Real Time with Design Educators.

What is NOMA? National Organization of Minority Architects Mission:BosNOMA holds a critical responsibility in Boston’s larger building and design community in helping to foster the advancement of equitable practice and minority leadership. Our primary focus is on architects, designers and those that share a vital role in the growth of professionalism, engagement with the community and development of the built environment. Our mission is three-fold: Achieve diversity and socioeconomic awareness, establish strategic partnerships and most importantly, invest in the next generation.

Speakers

Gabriela Baierle

Adjunct Assistant Professor (University of Minnesota & the BAC)

Gabriela (she/her) is a licensed architect practicing, writing, and teaching in Boston, MA. She was born and raised in Brazil, and is also a citizen of Italy. Her curiosity lies in the friction between agency, value, and visibility in architectural practice.

Gabriela is an associate architect at Arrowstreet, where she specializes in academic projects. She has taught studios at the Boston Architectural College and has served with the AIA and NCARB in local, state, and national levels. She holds an M.Arch from North Dakota State University, where she held two graduate research assistantships and numerous on-campus jobs. Gabriela is a recipient of the 2020 AIA Young Architects Award. She greatly enjoys learning, dancing, boxing, and making things (including drawings).

Stephen Schreiber

Professor & Chair – UMass Amherst, Department of Architecture

Stephen Schreiber, FAIA, is Founding Chair of the Department of Architecture at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is both a professor and an architect. A native New Englander, he studied architecture at Harvard University, practiced at firms in Boston, and taught at the BAC, before moving to Florida in 1987. After teaching stints in Miami, Albuquerque, and Tampa, Schreiber back to Massachusetts in 2005 to help start the architecture department at UMass. Schreiber helped start a high school architecture program at Springfield community center, which has morphed into the Summer Design Academy (SDA) now offered virtually.

Julian Phillips, NOMA

Adjunct Professor – Massachusetts College of Art + Design

Julian Phillips, a Memphis native, found an early interest in art and architecture when he was found painting and drawing buildings and architectural elements at an early age. Paintings and illustrations became more than a hobby for Julian when his paintings were shown in the Memphis International Airport, Brooks Museum (Memphis), Frist Art Museum (Nashville), and the Memphis Heritage House. His collegiate education began at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in 2017, Julian worked as an architectural intern for CMArchitects in Nashville, TN working with architects on education facilities, and single-family dwellings. He spent his free time in Nashville volunteering for Nashville’s Civic Design Center where he worked to lobby for the 2017 Nashville Transit Plan. Shortly after, he started his master’s degree in architecture at Massachusetts College of Art and Design where he completed his graduate thesis fall of 2019. After three years in Boston, Julian had taken part in designing/creating art installations at the Peabody Essex Museum (Copa Pavilion), Faneuil Hall (Auction Block Memorial (unbuilt)), and The Institute of Contemporary Art (Bazzaro Beach).

He currently serves as BosNOMA’s secretary and sits on the Boston Preservation Alliance Young Advisors Board. Julian is currently an Architectural Designer at Bruner Cott and teaches architecture + design courses for Mass College of Art’s Youth Programs, Summer Intensives, and Portfolio Development. In every instance, from art to architecture, Julian strives to positively impact his surroundings and use human connection as the strongest and most genuine element of design.

Austin Blanks

Adjunct Professor (Boston Architectural College)

Austin is a current Designer at Embarc Studios and holds a Master of Architecture from Rhode Islands School of Design. After graduating he received a research grant to travel and study in Tunis, Tunisia. He has previously worked for a variety of boutique architectural firms, including Studio Luz Architects and is a member of the artist collective AS220 in Providence, Rhode Island.

In addition to bringing a high level of design to professional practice, Austin teaches design studios at Boston Architectural College and has taught at Roger Williams University and drawing foundations studios at Rhode Island School of Design. He has published articles in Yale Paprika! and frequently enters design competitions that push conceptual ideas of form and social potential of place making.