In Her Steps: Bethune Exhibition 2026
March 23 @ 8:00 am - April 12 @ 5:00 pm
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Overview
“In Her Steps” is a retrospective exhibition organized by the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning. It takes place at Hayes Hall Atrium, UB South Campus, Buffalo, New York. The exhibition marks the twentieth year of the Bethune Lecture Series, within the field of architecture and professional history.Focus
The exhibition reviews twenty years of the Bethune Lecture Series, presenting the careers of all lecturers featured since its founding in 2005–06. Core themes include gender representation, professional recognition, and institutional visibility within architecture. The curatorial framing argues that structural inequities in firm leadership, education, and compensation persisted despite the profession’s assumption that equity had largely been achieved. These questions are central to ongoing architectural research on who shapes the built environment and under what conditions. The series was named after Louise Blanchard Bethune, FAIA — the first professional woman architect in the United States and the first woman admitted to the American Institute of Architects.The series honors architects whose work, advocacy, and resilience have transformed institutions and redefined what authority looks like in the built environment. Curatorial Statement, Bethune Exhibition 2026
Program
Exhibition Display
The display features portraits and selected project images of all 18 Bethune Lecturers to date, paired with descriptions of their professional contributions. It runs from March 23 to April 12, 2026, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Hayes Hall Atrium. This type of retrospective format is common in the architecture events calendar, particularly within academic institutions documenting long-running programs.Opening Panel Discussion
A panel opens the exhibition on March 23, moderated by Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, UB Director of Campus Planning. Panelists include:-
Brian CarterProfessor, Department of Architecture, UB
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Roxanne Button, AIA, CDT/CCS, LEED/WELL/LFAAssociate Principal, Ashley McGraw Architects
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Olga Kislyuk, AIA, NCARB, LEED BD+CArchitect, POPLI Design Group
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Joyce Hwang, FAIA, NOMA, NCARBProfessor, Department of Architecture, UB
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Despina Stratigakos, PhDSUNY Distinguished Professor, Department of Architecture
Audience
The event is directed at architecture students, faculty, and practicing professionals. The open exhibition format also allows general visitors with an interest in architectural history and gender discourse to attend.Event Details
| Exhibition Dates | March 23 – April 12, 2026 |
| Opening Panel | March 23, 2026 |
| Hours | Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Hayes Hall Atrium, UB South Campus, Buffalo, NY |
| Event Type | Exhibition + Panel Discussion |
| Access | Registration required |
| Fees | Not specified |
✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight
The Bethune Exhibition functions more as institutional record than critical intervention. A lecture series, however consistent over two decades, operates at the surface of structural conditions. It does not directly address hiring ratios, compensation gaps, or authorship credit within practice. Presenting 18 lecturers as a marker of progress risks conflating visibility with equity. The portrait-and-project format tends to individualize systemic issues rather than examine them structurally. Its value lies in documentation, not in reforming the conditions it acknowledges.Closing Note
Now in its twentieth year, the Bethune Lecture Series holds a documented position as the longest-running academic lecture series in the United States dedicated to women in architecture. The 2026 exhibition consolidates that record into a single atrium display, modest in scale relative to its stated scope, and situated within an academic rather than a public or professional venue.Explore the Latest Architecture Exhibitions & Conferences
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