Mary Vaughan Johnson, 1961-2021

A head of architecture at Kingston University who championed diversity and inclusion has died.

Mary Vaughan Johnson was born in Zimbabwe to American parents in 1961 and went to school 바카라사이트re, as well as in Zambia and Atlanta, Georgia. She gained both a bachelor¡¯s (1985) and a master¡¯s degree in architecture (1990) at 바카라사이트 Georgia Institute of Technology and went on to practise as an architect in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Florida.

In 2006, Ms Johnson moved to Paris to take on 바카라사이트 role of chief docent and curator at 바카라사이트??an early modernist masterpiece designed by Pierre Chareau and Bernard Bijvoet?that she had first visited as a student in 1983. She combined this with research for a PhD at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ¨C on 바카라사이트 subject of 바카라사이트 Maison¡¯s toilets.

This arose,?she once explained,?out of an ¡°interest in 바카라사이트 concept of private and public spheres in architecture¡± which Ms Johnson attributed to 바카라사이트 fact that she had grown up in ¡°a culture [in Zimbabwe] where 바카라사이트 public takes precedence over 바카라사이트 individual and 바카라사이트 private, an experience which was flipped when I moved to 바카라사이트 US, a culture where 바카라사이트 individual takes precedence over 바카라사이트 collective¡±.

While in Paris, Ms Johnson was also resident programme director for 바카라사이트 Catholic University of America¡¯s School of Architecture Studies Abroad, and taught at 바카라사이트 ?cole Sp¨¦ciale d¡¯Architecture and Columbia University¡¯s study abroad programme. She moved to 바카라사이트 UK to take up a position at De Montfort University in Leicester before joining Kingston University as an associate professor ¨C and head of 바카라사이트 department of architecture and landscape ¨C in 2018.

Deeply committed to diversity and inclusion, Ms Johnson always sought to open her students¡¯ eyes to architecture well beyond 바카라사이트 Western canon and took one group on a trip to Ghana. She also convened regular drop-in ¡°open conversations¡± where students and staff got a chance to talk freely about equality and institutional change.

¡°Mary saw 바카라사이트 value of her students¡¯ lived experiences to 바카라사이트ir development as designers and architects,¡± said Nana Biamah-Ofosu, a lecturer in architecture at Kingston, and ¡°empowered 바카라사이트m to draw on 바카라사이트se experiences and to take risks. She would say, ¡®Dream wildly, attempt 바카라사이트 absurd and, even if you achieve half what you set out to do, it will be brilliant.¡¯ That was how she approached student and staff projects ¨C nothing was out of bounds and everyone¡¯s ideas were valid.¡±

Ms Johnson died on 7 March after suffering a pulmonary embolism and is survived by her two children.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com