On October 8th, 2026, at 4.30 pm, the School of Architecture, Art and Design will host the opening of the exhibition “Expanding Agency: Women, Race and the Global Dissemination of Modern Architecture” at the Nuno Portas Library (in the EAAD building in Azurém).

‘Expanding Agency: Women, Race and the Global Dissemination of Modern Architecture’ explores four ways in which women and ethnic minorities have influenced the global dissemination of modern architecture and design. These include journalism, patronage, entrepreneurship and the establishment of institutions. The role of design firms, property developers and philanthropists will be examined alongside that of the specialist housing and interior design press (the ‘shelter press’), in order to demonstrate the largely unrecognised impact that women, African Americans and other overlooked groups have had, as well as to explore their motivations, which often included, but were rarely limited to, the need for subsistence.

The opening session will include a conversation with Kathleen James-Chakraborty (curator and lead researcher), accompanied by Lab2PT/IN2PAST researchers Andreia Garcia, João Rosmaninho, Jorge Correia, and Sarah Shrbaji.

This panel will discuss the impact of gender and race on the global diffusion of modern architecture.

More information about the Project: https://expanding-agency.com/