‘100 Women Campaign’ Continues to Gain Support
After recently reporting that the campaign to endow the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize had surpassed the 80 percent mark, we are pleased to note that the roster of those backing the effort has continued to grow vigorously.
Adding her voice of support to the campaign is Terry Warriner Ryan, FASLA, a partner at Jacobs/Ryan Associates whose résumé includes work on the award-winning Chicago Riverwalk and the Regenstein Learning Campus at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Ms. Ryan called the Oberland Prize a “major achievement,” and she regards its namesake as “a trailblazer for women landscape architects and an inspirational proponent of social justice and ecologically based design.”
Also joining the campaign was Liza Gilbert, whose landscape chops includes work in the offices of Doug Reed, Judith Heintz, and Michael Van Valkenburgh. For the past decade, Ms. Gilbert has been a member of the board of the Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy, and from 2014 to 2019 she served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. She recalled the “unforgettable” day in 2014 when she met Oberlander at Dumbarton Oaks Park in Washington, D.C.: “Walking and observing the 27-acre Farrand masterwork with her was like shadowing a wood sprite. She knew the design well but was seeing it though fresh eyes, as it was unveiling itself anew.”
Mia Lehrer, FASLA, the founder of Studio-MLA, has also enrolled in 100 Women Campaign. Ms. Lehrer has led the design and implementation of many notable projects, including the Hollywood Park Racetrack redevelopment and its new LA NFL Stadium, the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum Gardens, and several projects related to the Los Angeles River. “Cornelia Oberlander is a consummate mentor,” she wrote. “[She was] operating as a global and environmental leader before global practices were the norm… she forged a path for women and landscape architects that I appreciate immensely.”
And finally, the support of James Corner Field Operations was an important addition to the ranks of those backing the Oberlander Prize, not least because two-thirds of the renowned practice’s senior leadership are women. “On behalf of our entire studio, and in honor of our women principals—Lisa Switkin, Tatiana Choulika, Karen Tamir, Sarah Weidner Astheimer, Hong Zhou, and Isabel Castilla—we are delighted to honor Cornelia’s values, vision, and legacy embodied in the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize,” the firm’s statement read.
The 100 Women Campaign is just one of many ways to support the Oberlander Prize, which is the first and only international landscape architecture prize that includes a US$100,000 award, along with two years of public engagement activities. The prize will be awarded every other year, beginning in 2021.
