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New architecture chapter gets start in New Mexico
Members of the newly established NOMA New Mexico chapter.
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A new chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects has launched in New Mexico.
The chapter, called NOMA New Mexico, is the 45th across the country, said Ke Vaughn Harding, an architect with MASS Design Group in Santa Fe and the chapter's first vice president.
Harding said the goal of the organization will be to bring together a group of architects of different backgrounds and put a focus on mentorship of the younger generation while "having a better dialogue with the communities that we work in."
Harding said the chapter has established a scholarship for the architect exams and interior design certifications, as well as providing access to a national scholarship from NOMA "for the same purpose."
He said the local chapter has 18 members so far.
"Mentorship, generally speaking, is something that we've been talking about as one of the first steps that we'll be taking," he said. "Most architects go through six years of school ... and suddenly you're in the working world, and there's no framework. There's no guidance on what your next step should be."
Harding added: "Oftentimes, as an architect, as an interior designer, structural engineer, you show up to a community that you're probably not from, and you're proposing solutions for that community, and oftentimes that happens without you really understanding the community completely or understanding their needs completely. So we're brainstorming an initiative that's meant to be a two-way dialog with these communities, so that they can learn from us, but we can also learn from them."
NOMA New Mexico has a website for those interested in joining — nomanewmexico.org.
