Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects is proud to present ‘Working with Dreams’, a free lecture series by 2021 Gold Medal recipient Julie Stout.
An accomplished architect, educator and activist, Julie is the first woman to receive the Gold Medal, the highest individual honour an architect or group of architects can achieve in New Zealand.
She will speak about what being an architect means to her at eight locations across Aotearoa between June and August.
Born in Palmerston North in 1958, Julie credits her family and high school teachers with opening her eyes to the interwoven disciplines of art, history, and architecture. Upon moving to Auckland to study architecture in the 1970s, she found herself immersed in an ocean of like-minded individuals, at a time when the numbers of women entering the profession was on the rise.
“You arrive completely ‘unborn’, in a state of ignorance,” Julie writes in Architecture NZ. “You don’t even know you don’t know but you arrive at, university, the School of Architecture, and your next life begins. You slowly learn to become an architect. You grow up, have a few wild moments of self-belief and knowing, surety, clarity of purpose. Then it’s back to the doubt. All the while, the passion for what architecture might be propels you on.”
In collaboration with her partner in life and practice, David Mitchell, Julie advanced New Zealand architecture through buildings that, while not numerous, are utterly unique. Since its inception in 1989, the practice Mitchell & Stout has been one of our foremost architecture entities. Since David’s death in 2018, it has continued as Mitchell Stout Dodd Architects under the leadership of his son Julian, Julie, and Rachel Dodd.
Beyond her built work, Julie has lobbied for a better urban environment in Tāmaki Makaurau - battling to preserve public spaces, and to protect the Waitamatā Harbour. As a teacher, she has explored her vision for a better built environment and generously shared her knowledge and passion with the next generation of New Zealand architects.
Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal lecture series kicks off on 29 June in Wellington, and Julie will also speak in Napier, Christchurch, Auckland, Blenheim, Hamilton, Whanganui, and Arrowtown.
Tickets are free thanks to the support of Aon, but we ask that you reserve a place for health and safety purposes.
Book your free tickets:
Wellington - 29 June, Embassy Theatre
Napier - 6 July, MTG Theatre
Christchurch - 8 July, James Hay Theatre, Christchurch Town Hall
Auckland – 19 July, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre
Blenheim - 29 July, Brancott Heritage Centre
Hamilton - 3 August, Atrium at Wintec
Whanganui - 5 August, War Memorial Centre
Arrowtown - 12 August, Arrowtown Athenaeum Hall
Read more about Julie Stout and the Gold Medal.