SAY IT LOUD - Toronto 2026

Founded over a decade ago by NYC-based architect and activist Pascale Sablan, the non-for-profit Beyond The Built Environment (external link)  has presented over 50 exhibitions in the SAY IT LOUD series. These exhibits showcase and elevate the achievements and stories of women and BIPOC designers, while advocating for an equitable approach to the design of the built environment.

As Pascale puts it, “the absence of recognition has never been an absence of excellence. For generations, women and diverse designers have been shaping our cities, transforming communities, and advancing architecture, often without the visibility their contributions deserve. SAY IT LOUD is our refusal to let that excellence remain overlooked."

The most recent of these exhibitions - SAY IT LOUD - Toronto - opened on September 24th, 2026 at the Paul H. Cocker Gallery at the Department of Architectural Science at TMU, and was paired with a powerful and animated guest lecture by Pascale Sablan. This event kicked off to the 2026/2027 DAS lecture & exhibition series with a bang - resulting in a full house of students, faculty, contributors and architectural professionals.   

The Toronto version of the SAY IT LOUD exhibition is a collaboration between BAIDA (external link)  (the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association), SOSA (external link)  (the Society of South Asian Architects, Canada), and DAS TMU. The exhibit showcases fifty local designers at different career stages, including many associated with DAS as current and former students, faculty, instructors and supporters. It presents both their design work and highlights their perspectives and journeys in design.

In the United States only 2% of the population of the country’s licensed architects are African American. “This is a disheartening statistic, considering that, in today’s world, diversity is supposed to be more than a buzzword,“ Pascale Sablan stated. Studies show that inclusion of people with different backgrounds and racial makeups benefits everyone - minority & majority groups alike. 

“To see our faces, hear our voices, feel our impact within the colorful tapestry of our heritage,” is the goal of the SAY IT LOUD exhibitions according to Pascale Sablan. “We are challenging the profession to confront the stories it has historically left untold and inviting the public to imagine a future shaped by a fuller understanding of who we are. Because when we make the invisible visible, we don't just change the narrative of architecture. We change the future. The architecture profession should actively strive for the enrichment of the field by engaging with diverse pools of contributors,” she adds.

In the Ontario context the Ontario Association of Architects’ 2024 Demographic Survey notes that 64% of architects identify as White/Caucasian. The other racial identities within the profession are: 11% are East or Southeast Asian, 7% are Middle Eastern, 6% are South Asian, 2% are Black, 2% are Latino/ Lantina/ Latinx, and 2% of architects identify as Indigenous. 

The exhibition displays a curated selection of projects representing a wide variety of approaches within the design of the built environment. Design work and personal stories were selected from students, individual professionals and practices - all sharing their unique perspectives on how to create a more inclusive built environment. 

To highlight the concept of “see our faces” the exhibition features large head shots, inviting visitors to reflect on designer identity and see themselves in direct dialogue with the contributors. The exhibit features bold graphics, and a mix of projected images, quoted statements, and video montages of interview excerpts. The format is designed to appeal to multigenerational and mixed audiences (both architect and non-architect) so as to spur engagement and reflection about how architecture broadly impacts society. Contributors are also included in the online Great Designers Library (external link) , joining an ever-expanding archive of contemporary women and racialized architects, and will potentially be included in future volumes of Pascale Sablan’s book “Greatness: Diverse Designers of Architecture (external link) .”

Initiated nearly a year ago by a meeting between Pascale Sablan and professor and former DAS Chair Lisa Landrum, the realization of the exhibition has been a team effort. From DAS those involved included Julia Jamrozik, associate professor and DAS gallery curator, as well as recent bachelor of Architectural Science graduate Saskia Scarce, who is now pursuing her M. Arch. at Carleton University, along with many staff members who helped with logistics.

“Representation matters and as an academic institution, working with great non-profit partners, we have the responsibility to elevate diverse designers for the benefit of our students, the profession and the community more broadly,” says Julia Jamrozik. Lisa Landrum adds: “I’m so proud to have helped amplify voices and visions of emerging design professionals through SAY IT LOUD - Toronto, and to amplify the talents and tenacity of BAIDA and SOSA communities. Thanks Pascale for resounding leadership and to all the contributors.”

Reflecting on the experience of working on the design and curation of the exhibition Saskia said: “At Toronto Metropolitan University, I have been able to sharpen my design voice, with exhibition curation emerging as my preferred tool of choice. Although I have participated in exhibitions that celebrate diversity, particularly gender diversity, working on SAY IT LOUD - Toronto offered me a different perspective: Toronto’s social and cultural fabric positions its designers as contributors to a rich breadth of work. Through curation, I was not only able to learn about their projects but also develop a deeper appreciation for how their work shapes our unique collective story.”

Treya Vyas, DAS alumna, current University of Toronto graduate student and member of SOSA agrees: “Working behind the scenes on SAY IT LOUD - Toronto was both inspiring and rewarding. Seeing the exhibition come together through collaboration, storytelling, and public engagement reinforced the importance of creating platforms that elevate diverse perspectives and challenge who gets to be visible within architecture.”

The community leaders at SOSA and BAIDA agree. “As the SOSA Canada team, it has been incredibly rewarding to bring SAY IT LOUD to Toronto, “ says Tejasi Gadkari, Director of Outreach at the Society of South Asian Architects. “The exhibition celebrates diverse designers, their experiences, and unique perspectives while creating opportunities for meaningful connections. At the heart of this initiative is the belief that our profession is stronger when diverse voices, experiences, and perspectives are seen, heard, and celebrated.”

Renée Powell-Hines, the Executive Director of BAIDA states: “The BAIDA leadership team strives to spotlight the accomplished and diverse careers amongst our membership, in order to show our audience—as well as the members themselves—that our vocation is worth celebrating. The SAY IT LOUD - Toronto exhibition allowed us to do just that, in the company of skilled designers from the communities of our incredible partners! On behalf of BAIDA, I'm incredibly thankful to Beyond the Built Environment (BBE) for providing this platform, and for the opportunity to collaborate once again with DAS-TMU and SOSA in the delivery of this outstanding showcase.”

The Ontario Association of Architects, along with the architecture office of Perkins&Will generously sponsored the current exhibition.

The recording of Pascale Sablan’s lecture can be found here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhmg3cP-kXM (external link) 

SAY IT LOUD - Toronto will be on display and available to see at the Paul Cocker Gallery until November 13th.

The TMU-DAS lecture series and exhibition series continue after this successful start with upcoming lectures with Alfred Waugh (Nov 12th), Talbot Sweetapple (Feb 4th) and Kevin Pu (March 18). More information on these lectures and other public events at DAS can be found at www.torontomu.ca/architectural-science/stories-events/events/