About The Foundation

Mission Statement

The mission of the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation (BWAF) is to expand the historical knowledge and cultural recognition of American women architects of the 20th century. BWAF supports research about women practitioners in the fields of architectural and environmental engineering, landscape design, the building arts, urban planning and historic preservation, as well as architectural history and criticism. By providing grants for research, the Foundation seeks to provide women architects, engineers, and designers, including those disadvantaged because of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, with an acknowledged tradition and celebrated place within the history of American architecture.

The Foundation’s objectives are to bring increased visibility to women’s achievements in architecture, environmental engineering, and related professions by supporting scholarly research, publications, exhibitions, and film projects, as well as collaborative ventures such as public programs and symposia with institutional partners.


History

Architect Beverly Willis established the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation in 2002. The Foundation’s special interest in the history of women in architecture from the 1950s through the 1980s is largely inspired by the career of Willis, whose major work in architecture and design spanned these decades. This was a seminal time for launching careers of women architects in a traditionally male-dominated profession.

By promoting research that focuses on the contributions of women practitioners in the fields of architectural and environmental engineering design, the building arts, urban planning, as well as architectural history and criticism, BWAF aims to reshape the discourse on the role of women in architecture, both historically and professionally. Towards this end, the Foundation partners with Museums such as The Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the National Building Museum to foster discussions at public events.

The Foundation currently maintains joint programs with the Society of Architectural Historians, the International Archive of Women in Architecture at Virginia Tech, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, the National Building Museum, as well as the Library of Congress