Professor Naomi Darling Awarded for Work on the Takahashi-Harb Loft and Library

By Ansley Keane ’23

Staff Writer

Naomi Darling, a Five College associate professor of sustainable architecture who teaches at Mount Holyoke College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, recently won the 2020 AIA New England Merit Award for Design Excellence titled “More with Less.” Darling received the “More with Less” Merit Award for her project, the Takahashi-Harb Loft and Library. Darling converted an unfinished walk-out basement into a bright and updated one-bedroom apartment and a two-car garage into a workspace for the Takahashi-Harb couple, complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. 

Darling attended Princeton University for her Bachelor of Science in Engineering in structural engineering and architectural design, Monash University for her Master of Fine Arts in sculpture and the Yale School of Architecture for her Master of Architecture. In addition to teaching, Darling has her own architecture and design practice, Naomi Darling Architecture, LLC.  

Darling became interested in architecture from a young age. “The first time I thought about [architecture] — I think I was seven or eight — I was home from school because I was sick,” she said. “My mom gave me these Victorian houses to cut out and put together, and I really liked the process of making.”

Her first year of college, Darling took an architecture class she “really loved.” In an interview with the online publication Madame Architect, Darling also explained that she “loved how the [architecture] course expanded [her] way of thinking demanding thoughtful reasons for the myriad decisions that go into design.” 

After she graduated from college, Darling didn’t jump right into the world of architecture. Instead, she explored pottery, sculpture and even worked as a scientist for the Sea Education Association before working at an architecture firm in Seattle in 2000. She has taught at Mount Holyoke since 2012. 

“I love interacting with the students,” she said. “The dynamic between students [at Mount Holyoke] is always really positive.” She explained that, in her perspective, “the built environment is one place where we can make a difference.” By showing students the fundamental principles of design, Darling said she “can make a bigger impact teaching.” 

The Takahashi-Harb project itself spanned from 2015 to 2018. One of the challenges Darling faced in completing the project was to make the space “not feel like a basement,” she said. She and her team put two large windows into the loft to take advantage of the property’s beautiful views and to “bring the outside in,” she explained. 

“Any project that you do is very much a collaboration between the architect, the site and the clients,” she noted.  

Another goal of the project tied into the theme of “More with Less.” “We had a pretty tight budget for that project and we were working with just a basement. The goal was to make it into something pretty special with this tight constraint,” Darling said. She noted that it was important to “keep as much as possible, while we were adding.” In order to accomplish that, Darling explained that she and her team kept many of the existing features such as the structural posts in the former basement and garage. 

According to her website, Darling dressed up the existing stairway and used preexisting electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems. By not removing the features already in place, Darling was able to put more money and effort into nice finishes and windows. Additionally, this style of design allowed Darling to maintain her focus on sustainability, and she said, “by keeping what’s there, there wasn’t as much waste.” 

As a professor of sustainable architecture, sustainability is an important aspect of Darling’s designs and projects. However, for Darling, sustainability expands beyond just environmental. “I try to look at sustainability very holistically,” she said. She focuses on social and cultural sustainability as well. 

In a class Darling teaches, she emphasizes working with the natural environment. “Being attuned to where you are [is important], so you don’t need to use a lot of energy,” she explained. Additionally, Darling explained that “for a project to work, it needs to be embraced by the people in that place.”

Mount Holyoke Introduces New Office of Community and Belonging

Photo by Ali Meizels ‘23

By Ansley Keane ’23

Staff Writer

At Mount Holyoke College, there is a particular emphasis on the idea of community. The College has a Community Center rather than a student center and Community Advisors rather than residential advisors. These sentiments are in line with the introduction of the new Office of Community and Belonging. 

In the Oct. 16 edition of “The Dean’s Corner,” Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall’s weekly newsletter, Hall announced the construction of a new Office of Community and Belonging within the Division of Student Life. In her email, Hall noted that the Office of Community and Belonging was created “in [an] effort to further Mount Holyoke’s commitment to building a greater sense of community and belonging for students.” 

Associate Dean of Students for Community and Inclusion Latrina Denson and Dean of Religious and Spiritual Life Annette McDermott serve as co-directors of the Office of Community and Belonging. In a joint statement, Denson and McDermott explained that the Division of Student Life decided to create the Office of Community and Belonging during the summer of 2019. “During this time, we [began] working with an outside consultant to reimagine our work and conceptualize an integrated model for the Mount Holyoke College students,” the statement read.

The Office of Community and Belonging webpage states that “you can find your place at Mount Holyoke” and that creating a “beloved community” is a central goal of the office. Hall’s email and the office’s webpage both emphasize the importance of inclusivity and social justice on campus. 

While the idea of a “beloved community” may seem relatively abstract at first, Denson and McDermott shared what it means to them. In a statement written by both deans, they explained that American author “bell hooks writes that a ‘beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.’”

They continued, “hooks’ understanding is one lens that gives us both inspiration and helps us pay attention to our campus engagement and student experience and see how we can encourage all of who you are to be — we want to celebrate and make space for the whole person who chooses Mount Holyoke College.” 

The Office of Community and Belonging is acting on the idea of a “beloved community” by “provid[ing] programs that support social justice education, dialogue, celebration and identity development including intersectionality, as well as increasing understanding of the role that liberatory consciousness, religion, ethics and spirituality play when working toward reconciliation, racial healing and transformative justice,” according to the webpage. As co-directors, Denson and McDermott shared that they hope this office will mark Mount Holyoke as a place where “every student who enters the gates of MHC will see themselves as part of the community and over time [feel] a deep sense of belonging,” in a joint statement. 

Denson shared that she is especially excited “about engaging more students of color affiliated with the cultural centers in spiritual identity development and the intersections of their cultural and spiritual identities.” She is also looking forward to “the opportunities to continue expanding the Intergroup Dialogue Program here at MHC in collaboration with not only our integrated areas, but Academic Affairs and our visiting lecturer, Molly Keehn.” Denson noted that her “role has been and will continue to be focused on social justice education and training, identity development, and the facilitation of dialogues across different experiences, beliefs, values, and identities. This role, as we reflect on the state of our global community and its impact on our diverse community, is more important than ever before.” 

The Office of Community and Belonging is a collaboration between the Office of Community and Inclusion and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Denson explained that “Community and Inclusion provide opportunities for identity exploration, education, and celebration.” Meanwhile, the Office of Community and Belonging will “[integrate] the model with Religious and Spiritual Life to place intentionality on an intersectional framework. It’s a frame that connects the curricular and co-curricular,” according to both deans. The Office of Community and Belonging will include “a frame where students will learn, grow, and feel like they matter,” Denson said. “We are not only creating an inclusive student community, but a community in which every single person can learn from each other, grow, and develop while feeling that they belong and matter,” she added. 

Cultivating a lasting sense of inclusion and acceptance is not without its challenges, and students are a part of this work. The cultural centers, which are designed to serve as sanctuaries for and support students, the MoZone Peer Education Program, a student-led social justice education program and Intergroup Dialogue, a program that teaches students how to bridge cultural differences, are all part of the Office of Community and Belonging programming. While it is a very new office, it is already attempting to ensure that all students feel welcome at Mount Holyoke by providing a secure space for education and growth. 

“The Office of Community and Belonging seeks to create a student culture of belonging throughout the campus that embraces inclusivity, diversity, and equity and celebrates all of who we are,” Denson and McDermott said in their shared statement. “Our programs and services are oriented toward meeting this goal of building a socially just community.”

“We want the students to know that Community and Belonging is a place where we not only encourage students to ask questions but to embrace their authentic self,” they continued. “A place where they do not have to leave one of their identities at the door, but bring their whole self, to practice, engage with [them] across differences to learn and grow.”

Mount Holyoke Outing Club Hosts Virtual Screening of the No Man’s Land Film Festival

Pictured above: the No Man’s Land Film Festival Flyer

By Ansley Keane ’23

Staff Writer 

On Saturday, Oct. 24, the Mount Holyoke Outing Club hosted an asynchronous virtual screening of the No Man’s Land Film Festival. The event was free and open to the public. It was also a fundraiser for GirlTrek, an organization whose mission is to use walking and leadership to empower African American women. 

The No Man’s Land Film Festival is a Colorado-based festival that highlights women in adventure sports. According to their website, No Man’s Land “aim[s] to un-define feminine” and “connect like-minded individuals who are action-oriented, wish to support a shared vision of gender equality, have a desire to experience their passions and environments through a uniquely feminine lens, and above all, love adventure.” 

MHOC’s screening of the No Man’s Land Film Festival included a variety of short films about female athletes. The screening opened with “Footsteps,” a short film about a young female boxer and her female coach. The two boxers discussed how they got their start in such a male-dominated sport and how boxing has had an impact on both of their lives. 

The next film, “Refuge,” centered around a rock climber, Piseth Sam, who was born in a refugee camp in Southeast Asia but immigrated to the U.S. as a child. “Refuge” explored how Sam used climbing and nature to understand her identity. Sam described herself in the film as a “queer, woman of color, immigrant, American.” 

Another film featured was “Frosty,” a short documentary about Anna Frost, a top female ultra runner. “Frosty” covered Frost’s experience racing in the Hardrock Endurance Run, a 100-mile ultramarathon that is known as one of the most difficult ultra marathons in the United States, as well as her experience with pregnancy and hopes for motherhood. The No Man’s Land Film Festival included a diverse program of stories. Overall, there was an emphasis on inspiring and empowering stories of driven women athletes. 

MHOC, like all clubs and organizations, is looking for new ways of engaging remotely with their members and the Mount Holyoke community. However, according to MHOC Committee Chair Jess Moskowitz ’22, a film festival or film-related event was something the club had been thinking about doing for a while. 

“We have been trying to come up with ideas of ways that people can be connected to a greater outdoor community,” Moskowitz explained. A central goal MHOC had for screening No Man’s Land was to “give the Mount Holyoke community and the public the opportunity to see some inspiring and interesting stories and narratives about women and people from gender minorities in the outdoors,” Moskowitz said. 

MHOC chose to screen this particular program from the No Man’s Land Film Festival for a number of reasons, namely the ability to collaborate with new organizations and the access to “a broad range of films,” Moskowitz said. Additionally, according to Moskowitz, the program from No Man’s Land was the only closed-captioned program currently offered, and accessibility is a goal for MHOC. 

Instead of simply hosting a film screening, MHOC also chose to fundraise for GirlTrek as part of the event. Moskowitz noted that “GirlTrek is an organization that is really in line with some of our goals as an outing club.” Unfortunately, Moskowitz mentioned that the fundraising aspect had not caught on as much as she hoped it would. “Trying to figure out how to fundraise prior to being remote was an issue, but now even more so, this is something we’ll have to figure out,” Moskowitz said.  

MHOC’s No Man’s Land Virtual Film Festival screening aimed for students and members of the wider Mount Holyoke community to de-stress and learn about a diverse range of women who are pursuing their passions for sport and the outdoors. Moskowitz summarized her hopes for the film festival screening by sharing that, “overall, our goal is hopefully to give people a chance to see a broader swath of the outdoor community and think about their role.”