AIA International Mentorship Program 2026 - The Art of the Possible: Engagement as a Tool for Discovery
The AIA International Global Mentorship Program invites everyone to join our June online group session. This event is open to all.
When: Friday 19 June 2026 @ 09:00 (Eastern US time)
Where: Online
Speaker:
Madeleine Ghillány-Lehar, Landscape Architect and Design Leader, West 8; OALA, CSLA/AAPC
Description
As part of the Design By Discovery series, this presentation explores how experimentation can happen not only through materials and form, but through dialogue. Through a case study of the Liverpool Waterfront, a landscape architect shares how public engagement and co-design workshops with landowners, government officials, and citizens became tools for expanding collective imagination.The presentation reflects on the strategies used to build trust, navigate political complexity, and guide communities toward embracing ambitious, once-unthinkable proposals.
To join this open session, please register using the link below.
The theme of the 2026 AIA International Mentorship Program is Design by Discovery.
To design is to experiment. By questioning norms and continuously testing ideas, we unlock new forms, materials, and spatial experiences. This series highlights the power of experimentation—from re-use to radical rethinking—to expand the limits of what architecture and design can be. Participants are invited to share and discover processes that challenge, refine, and ultimately elevate our practice.
The mentorship program includes regular online group events which are open to all, as well as one-to-one mentoring.
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Bryant at emergingprofessionals@aiainternational.org.
