Say it Loud South Dakota

The Say It Loud exhibition, which focuses on elevating the contributions of diverse designers, is coming to South Dakota in September!

AIA South Dakota is one of many states participating in Beyond the Built Environment’s Say It Loud exhibits, hosted by Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMA. AIA South Dakota is committed to honoring the work of architects and other design professionals who contribute vitally to the built environment in this state and beyond. AIA SD has a long history of working across disciplines through our events, programming and other collaborations.

The Say It Loud South Dakota project is organized by a committee representing a number of design professions.

To sponsor Say It Loud South Dakota, click here.

Say It Loud exhibits are hosted and curated by Pascale Sablan, and they have been viewed by an estimate total 55,000 visitors since January 2017. Multiple online publications incluiding Forbes, Curbed and The Architects Newspaper have helped promote the exhibitions, further expanding its impact.

To submit or learn more about the exhibition, visit this page.

A message from AIA SD President Allison Dvorak, AIA, NCARB, CPHC

My first encounter with Beyond the Built Environment was through the SAY IT LOUD: NOW virtual exhibit in 2020. I was inspired by Pascale Sablan’s passion to provide a program focused on elevating diverse designers within the design industry in a time of isolation and social unrest. Since then, I have been dedicated to bringing this exhibit to South Dakota to celebrate the diversity of the design industry that impacts the built environment within our state.

Historically, our industry celebrates the singular design architect whose aesthetic design is beyond imagination, but not much attention goes to the block chain of teams dedicated to translating sketches into construction documents and field decisions.

Working at various firms throughout my career, I have seen the efforts of so many in the creation of our communities throughout South Dakota, and am excited to invite those to contribute to the exhibit!

Join Allison in submitting to be featured in the exhibit with link below:
Say It Loud South Dakota Submissions Live

The concept of this exhibit is “To see our faces, hear our voices, feel our impact within the colorful tapestry of our heritage.” SAY IT LOUD is the activation of an international movement of sharing, protecting and celebrating the journey of the underrepresented to inspire the next generation.

The 2023 SAY IT LOUD: South Dakota exhibition will kick off September 24^th at the Washington Pavilion. During the exhibit, there will be continued lectures scheduled with design professionals to share their stories of leadership, advocacy and passion for the built environment to the future design professionals of our communities.

Pascale Sablan, FAIA, NOMA in the news

NPR, March 12, 2023

Very few architects are Black. This woman is pushing to change that

“Pascale Sablan was once told she'd never become an architect because she's Black and a woman. Now she works for one of the world's most prestigious firms and she wants more people who look like her to join the field.”

“There is a devastating story that Pascale Sablan sometimes tells when she talks about the experiences that have shaped who she's become. It starts in a place of joy. In her case, Sablan remembers feeling elated as a teenage freshman at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture back in 2001 — long before she became an architect and went to work for one of the world's most prominent architecture firms...”

House Beautiful, June 12, 2022

Why Pascale Sablan Thinks Activism Has to Be a Part of Design

“In a field where women and Black people are underrepresented and underrecognized, the Adjaye Associates architect and Beyond the Built Environment founder is determined to reshape the profession from the inside out.”

“To her, activism and architecture are inextricably entwined. ‘The profession is about society; it’s about thinking about collaborating with everyone who is impacted by our design, and considering how that, with their input, is manifested into design,’ she says. ‘And that becomes a version of justice… It's not that architecture suffers when there's a lack of diversity—society does,’ she says. ‘Because then we're not serving everyone, especially those who are in socio-economically disenfranchised areas where the built environment has been designed to perpetuate oppression.’”

Architect Magazine, December 9, 2020

Pascale Sablan Wins AIA 2021 Whitney M. Young Jr. Award

“The Institute recognized the New York–based architect and activist for her work in promoting women and designers of color in architecture.”

“‘Pascale’s ambitious leadership as an architect, advocate and activist has already raised awareness about women and minority architects in a meaningful way’…

“Sablan, the 315th Black woman to attain licensure in the U.S….”