AIA Peconic and Southampton Arts Center Present 'City Dreamers' Screening for Women's History Month

You can find important pieces of women’s history all around. It can be in the books we read, the freedoms we protect, and even the buildings that tower over us. The Southampton Arts Center and AIA Peconic will celebrate the women who made history by crafting some truly awe-inspiring pieces of architecture.

AIA Peconic — the East End’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects — and the Southampton Arts Center are teaming up to honor Women’s History Month next week. On Thursday, March 27, the arts center will host a networking social starting at 5:30 p.m. for locals looking to connect with architects and other creatives. The event will be headlined by a 6 p.m. screening of “City Dreamers,” the 2018 documentary about the contributions of accomplished architects Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel and Denise Scott Brown and landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with AIA members moderated by Julie Hatfield, the president of Wright & Company Construction in Bridgehampton.

Maria Fumai Dietrich, the executive director of AIA Peconic, said last month that this is the third year in a row the organization has partnered with Southampton Arts Center to honor Women’s History Month. The prior two collaborations also involved screening insightful documentaries: “Grey Matters” in 2023, which featured a panel discussion about designer Eileen Grey, and “Making Space: Five Women Changing the Face of Architecture” in 2024.

“As with many good partnerships, this one began with friendly and supportive conversation between the two teams,” Fumai Dietrich added. “AIA Peconic is excited to provide programming in service to the community beyond our members and collaborating with an established cultural institution like Southampton Arts Center is a direct, effective way of doing so. Each time we work together to present these films documenting and celebrating women in architecture, we learn about ourselves, our organizations, and our audiences. It is a privilege.”

Christina Mossaides Strassfield, the executive director of Southampton Arts Center, said the venue has plenty more ways of celebrating Women’s History Month. She saluted various SAC staffers who offer fun art classes to the community. Those supportive staff members include Deborah Acquino, who heads the center’s Paint + Sip classes, Linda Capello, who offers figure drawing workshops, and Janet Jennings, who teaches watercolor painting. Strassfield also highlighted the numerous female artists featured in the “East End Collected” exhibition running through May 4, including Isabella Rupp, Susan Zises and more.

“The Southampton Arts Center’s mission is building community through the arts,” Strassfield added. “From its inception, collaboration with other entities has been an important component of our programming. We welcome these opportunities to engage the community with such diverse programming that these collaborations allow us.”

Fumai Dietrich said that this year’s screening selection came from the AIA Peconic’s Women in Architecture Committee, which features numerous professionals representing architects, designers, and other East End professionals. The committee found “City Dreamers” to be a perfect fit, with its detailed account of the history of over 60 years of North American architecture.

“The content of the documentary is important, for those in architecture but especially the public,” she added. “Our built environment is designed and crafted, and when done with intentionality for all who experience it, our built environment is life-giving. It is important to acknowledge the people who make it happen.”

According to “City Dreamers” director Joseph Hillel, those people were more than willing to tell their stories of perseverance and innovation. Speaking over the phone, Hillel said that he first met Lemco van Ginkel in 2016 and described her as “very lively” for a woman who was in her 90s at the time. From that meeting, Hillel saw a story to tell about an interesting character who rose above societal standards to design eye-catching structures. And he didn’t just get one interesting character, as he connected with the other three women to show their similar experiences and triumphs in the field of architecture or landscape architecture.

“I thought it was interesting to tell the story in the context of a sisterhood,” Hillel said. “When I reached out to each of them, they were very responsive and generous. Once I opened the door, they were very positive. Each of them has 70 years of experience, not only as a professional but as an observer of the evolution of cities in North America.”

Hillel is no stranger to delving deep into the history of architecture. His first directorial effort, 2004’s “Regular or Super: Views on Mies van der Rohe” focused on the works of German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who epitomized the International Style of architecture. Hillel admitted to always having an interest in architecture and gave credit to the women designers in his film for crafting “a more human space” in their buildings.

“They’re real trailblazers,” he added. “They were proud of their trajectory and knew they were striving for something right and a better city. They were passionate and doing everything they could to make their city more human. Because of them, I think we can benefit from a human space.”

“Women significantly contribute to the built environment,” Fumai Dietrich added. “However, female identifying persons are widely underrepresented in the fields of architecture, engineering, city planning, construction, and affiliated industries. Celebrating women who have made an impact in the past while also drawing attention to the need for more diversity in the future is a great way to honor Women’s History Month.”

AIA Peconic and Southampton Arts Center will present “City Dreamers” on Thursday, March 27, at the arts center at 25 Jobs Lane, Southampton Village. The night begins with networking at 5:30, followed by the film screening at 6, and a panel discussion at 7:30 p.m. This program is accredited for two AIA learning credits. Tickets are $20 for nonmembers, or $15 for members of either Southampton Arts Center or AIA Peconic. Register at southamptonartscenter.org.