Patricia Alarcón In Conversation with Tamarah Begay
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, please tune in for a candid and wide-ranging conversation with Tamarah Begay, who shares her journey in the profession, from her early experiences in architecture school to founding her own firm, as well as the Indigenous philosophy that has grounded her design and planning practice. Tamarah speaks eloquently of her respect for our planet and our responsibility to design with deep sensitivity and care: “Our connection is important; being able to listen, to feel, to smell, to walk barefoot on the earth. When you can listen to the earth and inherently build with it, that’s Indigenous Architecture. That’s our spirituality. That’s our culture. That’s who we are.”
In Attendance
Tamarah Begay, AIA is the founder of Indigenous Design Studio + Architecture (ids-a.com), a 100% Native American woman-owned architectural and planning firm. She is a member of the Navajo Nation and is the first Navajo woman registered architect. She has over 15 years of experience working with Native American tribes connecting culture, language, and tradition through design.
Patricia Alarcón, AIA is a Principal at Ratcliff and chairs AIASF’s Latinx in Architecture Committee.
Ursula Currie, AIA is a Senior Associate at Perkins&Will and President-Elect of the Board of AIAEB.
Dan Perez, AIA is Principal and Founder of Studio Perez and President-Elect of the Board of AIASF.
