Navigating a way forward, listening and learning from elders, and different world views. Artwork by Kevin Cardinal, March 2021.
Let’s talk about…horizon
At this very moment, amidst global unrest and a two-year pandemic, we feel the need to look forward. Facing the horizon, the meeting point of earth and sky, we have much to gain from listening and learning from Elders and different world views as we begin to navigate a way forward. Join us in conversation about Indigenous architecture from the lens of Douglas Cardinal and Wanda Dalla Costa, both Alberta-based architects who have earned international acclaim. Listening deeply, what is the way forward at this time?
This discussion is online and free of charge, but requires an RSVP to obtain a link to the talk.
Wanda Dalla Costa, AIA, OAA, AAA, LEED A.P.
Wanda Dalla Costa is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, a practicing architect, a professor and a YBCA 100 2019 honoree, an award which celebrates people, organizations, and movements shifting culture through ideas, their art, and their activism. Dalla Costa was the first, First Nation women to become an architect in Canada. Her firm, Tawaw Architectural Collective (www.TawArc.com), is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Recent projects include the Indigenous embassy in Ottawa, an Indigenous urban early learning center in Saskatoon and a tribal college in Alberta. Dalla Costa was also invited to the 2018 Venice Biennale, world festival in architecture, as part of the Unceded team, where she joined 18 Indigenous architects from across Turtle Island, to share an Indigenous vision of the future. At Arizona State University, she is the director and founder of the Indigenous Design Collaborative, a community-driven design and construction program, which brings together tribal community members, industry and a multidisciplinary team of ASU students and faculty to co-design and co-develop solutions for tribal communities. Dalla Costa holds a Master of Design Research in City Design from SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Calgary.
Douglas Cardinal
As a master-builder, Douglas Cardinal’s life is dedicated to creating beautiful, thriving, and harmoniously built environments. His architecture springs from his observation of Nature and its understanding that everything works seamlessly together. His work has defined contemporary Canadian, Indigenous, and organic architecture. Throughout his career, Mr. Cardinal has been a forerunner in philosophies of sustainability, green buildings, and ecologically designed community planning.
Born in 1934 in Calgary, Alberta, his architectural studies at the University of British Columbia took him to Austin, Texas, where he received his architectural degree and found a life experience in human-rights initiatives. Mr. Cardinal then became a forerunner of philosophies of sustainability, green buildings and ecologically designed community planning.
In recognition of his work, Mr. Cardinal has received many national and international awards, including 20 Honorary Doctorates, Gold Medals of Architecture in both Canada and Russia, and an award from United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO) for best sustainable village. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada — one of Canada’s highest civilian honours — and was named a “World Master of Contemporary Architecture” by the International Association of Architects.
Douglas Cardinal is one of the visionaries of a new world — a world where beauty, balance and harmony thrive, where client, architect, and stakeholder build together with a common vision.
Watch the documentary From Earth to Sky