Meet Our 2023 Fellows
Van Evera Bailey Fellowship
Pat Sanchez Women's Fellowship
Applications will open in November with a February 2023 deadline. Subscribe to the AFO newsletter to be notified of scholarship opportunities
Fellowships
An Opportunity for Career Development
At the Architecture Foundation of Oregon, we believe that design should consider diverse points of view, and reflect these views, in a built environment that provides access and equity for all. Our two fellowship opportunities, the Van Evera Bailey Fellowship and the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship, exist to inspire design and building professionals to deepen their understanding of design’s role in creating an Oregon where everyone can thrive.
2023 Van Evera Bailey and Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellows
Join us in congratulating our 2023 Van Evera Bailey Fellows, Cleo Davis, Kayin Talton Davis, and Jonathan Bolch, and our inaugural Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellow, Diana Moosman! Keep scrolling to learn more about our Fellows.
Kayin Talton Davis and Cleo Davis
2023 Van Evera Bailey Fellows
Kayin and Cleo are a team of educators, social construct artists and cultural architects, centering their work on Black culture, community, and the built environment. Building on their years of work with Albina Vision Trust, they are partnering with Robert Clarke, Kimberly Moreland and Molly Esteve, a group of designers and community advocates, to research and produce a Monument Plan for historic Black Portland’s Albina community.
“At the root of the Albina Monument Plan, we see design as a tool for education and movement towards a better future… We seek to understand how monuments will sustain Black belonging and create a network of living histories for Albina that continue to build wealth, cultivate joy, and steward our cultural and ecological ecosystems.”
The Fellowship will support the team’s plan to focus on community as the core of the Albina Monument Plan. This community-led process will include several community workshops, paid student workshops, architectural studio classes at Portland State University, public exhibits and multi-disciplinary modes of engagement and information sharing.
The team’s vision for the Albina Monument Plan is to create “a living framework to guide more inclusive and culturally-responsive design, a catalyst to drive more funding and resources into community, [and] an urban-scale plan through a lens of Black culture and Black celebration.”
Jonathan Bolch
2023 Van Evera Bailey Fellow
Jonathan is a licensed architect, Design Principal at Woofter Bolch Architecture and Adjunct Faculty at Portland State University School of Architecture. Building on his ongoing interest and expertise in small-scale affordable infill housing, Bolch is researching and documenting a vision for alleyway housing on the 76 miles of alleyways found throughout the city of Portland.
“…these largely forgotten spaces can provide a tremendous opportunity for sensitive and impactful development that can help address both the affordable housing crisis and the climate crisis. Their careful development also offers the opportunity to create a network of new urban experiences that can co-exist with and complement the character of existing streetscapes.”
Since the City of Portland’s passing of the Residential Infill Project (RIP), Bolch has seen an opportunity to explore development types now allowed by the new zoning code. The Fellowship will support Bolch as he researches options and creates visions to increase density, looking to existing examples in Kyoto, Japan and London, England as precedent.
“By graphically documenting the existing conditions of Portland alleys, relevant alley housing precedent, and possibilities for development under the RIP, the project can serve as a resource for builders, designers, and other community members by highlighting positive infill approaches and including prototype examples.”
Diana Moosman
2023 Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellow
Diana is the Director of Design for the Portland Housing Studio at MWA Architects. She will be using the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship to deepen her knowledge of trauma informed design.
For the last 11 years at MWA, Diana’s focus has been on affordable housing, working with a variety of non-profit and for-profit developers to create housing for residents living within 30%-60% of the median family income. This is mission-driven work, and she is passionate about bringing good design to affordable housing and finds deep satisfaction in creating places that foster community.
The housing crisis in our state is growing, with more houseless people living on the streets. There is more attention and financing directed to permanently supportive housing (PSH), where residents can live without having to qualify for income minimums. Those who have recently been homeless are often recovering from trauma and have had to develop their own way of living, which doesn’t always align with the traditional view of housing. Trauma informed design is an emerging area of discipline that can help create a place where residents can heal and thrive. Diana will be utilizing the fellowship for training in Trauma Informed Design offered by Shopworks Architecture from Denver Colorado.
Van Evera Bailey Fellowship
Since 2001, AFO has partnered with The Van Evera and Janet M. Bailey Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation in awarding the $25,000 annual Van Evera Bailey Fellowship to advance the professional development of design and building professionals and encourage greater contributions to their profession and community. This Fellowship is an opportunity for professionals in the field to examine not only what they think, but how they think.
Fellowship projects follow a variety of paths but the most compelling projects propose work that can have an impact on communities as well as individual professionals. Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Sabbaticals for study of innovative architectural design to be applied in Oregon
- Teaching engagements that promise enhancement of the applicant’s and students’ creativity in architectural design
- Collaborations of architects and planners or others toward the implementation of new projects
- Preparation of public education projects; or research and writing on a specific topic
Eligibility
Eligibility for the Fellowship is flexible. Favorable emphasis will be given to applicants based in Oregon who are at a point of inflection in their career. The intention of the Fellowship is to provide time for creativity, reflection and a pursuit of deeper understanding of ideas that will result in lasting value to the applicant, the profession and the greater community.
The Fellowship is intended to promote dissemination and application of ideas. Support may be requested for stipends, travel, lodging, materials, and other relevant needs. Projects must include follow-up activities that in some way share the results of the Fellowship with the professional community and general public. Fellows will be asked to provide information to document their experience. At the end of the Fellowship, AFO and the Fellow will collaborate on a short presentation highlighting their work and findings.
Applicants may apply jointly for a Van Evera Bailey Fellowship. For example, if an architect and an urban planner see potential for an innovative project that requires unusual research, they might apply jointly for stipends or support of travel and other expenses in order to examine relevant work in other communities, states, or countries; consult with professional peers and leading thinkers; formulate detailed plans; and produce articles or public education programs.
Current members of the board of AFO are not eligible to apply or to receive Fellowship funds indirectly as a partner in a proposed project.
Application Requirements
In 2020 we transitioned our application process to a platform called Submittable. Applicants must now submit proposals electronically through an application form. You will be asked to make a free account through Submittable, which will allow you to save drafts as you work through the application and allow you to access your submitted application at any time.
(1) Greatest scoring weight will be given to the application essay prompts outlined below:
- Describe your proposed project and a clearly articulated thesis statement that will guide and frame your work. (500 word limit)
- Explain the impact of the project on the applicant, the building profession and the communities served. Explain the documented need to be addressed by the Fellowship and any challenges you feel you might face. (500 word limit)
- Describe the plans for dissemination of the project results – dissemination plans do not need to adhere to any specific criteria and creative communication tools are encouraged. Please consider public access to the project and how the outcomes/findings will be communicated. (500 word limit)
- Explain your experience and qualifications to address the topic at hand – including but not limited to your academic, civic and professional experience. (250 word limit)
- Explain or list your schedule/timetable/work plan for the completion of the project. (250 word limit)
(2) Additional Attachments:
- Resume of the applicant(s)
- Itemized budget for the entire Fellowship. If other sources of support will be used to complement Fellowship support, please identify them and whether they have been secured. IMPORTANT NOTE: The award of a VEB Fellowship is taxable income. Applicants must plan and budget accordingly.
- Two or three letters of support from different perspectives which may include other design professionals, architectural organizations or representatives of other fields, indicating why the proposed Fellowship is important to the professional community. References should address personal capabilities of the applicant and value of the project.
- Brief design portfolio of materials that illuminate the applicant’s work and its relevance to the proposed project.
Process and Timetable
Applications will be reviewed by a committee including design and building professionals in collaboration with OCF and AFO. Applicants may be asked to submit further information or to speak with representatives of OCF and AFO to clarify their proposals. The review committee will make recommendations to the board of The Oregon Community Foundation. OCF reserves the right to approve Fellowships at its sole discretion.
Invitation for Proposals will be announced by August with an October deadline. The VEB Fellowship will be awarded by OCF through the Architecture Foundation of Oregon and will be announced publicly by December for the year-long Fellowship period to begin January 1 of the following year.
Application Deadline: Monday, October 17, 2022, 11:59pm
The next cycle will open August 2023 with an October 2023 deadline. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications go live.
Van Evera Bailey Fellowship Info Session
The next cycle will open August 2023 with an October 2023 deadline. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications go live.
Watch the information session to learn more about how to prepare your proposal for submission. Recorded September 10, 2020.
VEB Fellow Spotlight
Jackie Santa Lucia
2020 Van Evera Bailey Fellow
Jackie used the fellowship award to expand Your Street Your Voice, a program where youth get paid to learn about design as a tool for racial justice. Learn more about our past Fellows.
Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship
In honor of Pat Sanchez, retired Principal and Business Manager at Opsis Architecture, AFO has partnered with Opsis Architecture to award the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship, beginning in 2022.
Pat retired after 21 years as the business manager at Opsis, helping to shape the direction and values of the firm. She has long been a strong advocate for women in the profession, especially tied to common barriers that women experience. Pat worked tirelessly to find creative solutions to support staff, including establishing Opsis’ paid family leave policy, flex schedules, and creating opportunities for professional development.
About the Fellowship
The fellowship is available to women who are mid-career and looking to expand upon their work and professional development. The up to $3,000 monetary award can be used to attend professional conferences, local college course work, or specialty seminars focused on various aspects of the industry including design, firm management, building enclosure design, business development, leadership, etc.
AFO and Opsis encourage Oregon women who are practicing in the field of architecture to apply for the Pat Sanchez Women’s Fellowship. The candidate should demonstrate a strong interest in advancing specific aspects of their career. A resume and proposal for utilizing the scholarship funds within one calendar year must represent both the candidate’s plan for utilizing the scholarship funds and how the experience will be used to further their career goals.
Eligibility
- Currently practicing within the architecture profession
- Minimum professional experience of 5 years in the architecture profession
- Licensure is not required
- Identifies as a Woman
- Oregon Resident
Application Requirements
Please submit the following to support@opsisarch.com
- 500 word (maximum) proposal: Clearly outline the candidates professional background and interest in the identified area of study. Identify the proposed use of funds – identifying specific classes, workshops, seminars or conferences this will be applied to. The proposed use of funds could be a combination of classes/events, and can include related travel expenses.
- Professional resume
If you are not able to submit your application electronically, please print and mail it to Opsis Architecture, 920 NW 17th Ave, Portland, OR 97209. We will accept mailed applications postmarked by the deadline.
Application Deadline: Friday, December 16, 2022
The next cycle will open August 2023 with an October 2023 deadline. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when applications go live.