Voices of Women in Landscape Architecture, Part 2

Clockwise from left: Aida Curtis, FASLA, and her team in action / image: Curtis + Rogers Design Studio; Kathryn Talty, ASLA / image: Lisa FitzSimons Photography; CeCe Haydock, ASLA

ASLA's Women in Landscape Architecture Professional Practice Network (WILA PPN) is sharing the next trio of profiles of women in the profession (see last week's set right here). If you'd like to be featured, the PPN's call for submissions will remain open, with profiles being shared on an ongoing basis.

Submit a WILA profile!

These profiles will appear on the PPN's LinkedIn group, Facebook group, and here on The Field. This post includes Kathryn Talty, ASLA, Aida Curtis, FASLA, and CeCe Haydock, ASLA. Stay tuned for more WILA profiles in the coming weeks as our celebration of women in landscape architecture continues.

Kathryn Talty, ASLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

Though I didn’t realize it early on, my childhood years, dependent on the facilities of the Chicago Park District, were the most influential on my career path. Who knew that a city kid with one single tree on her entire block would become a landscape architect? Hours and hours in the summer biking through McKinley Park or taking tennis lessons at Gage Park formed my deep devotion to public green space. I intended to pursue an advanced degree in architecture while I was an undergrad, but while taking site design classes in the landscape architecture department, I realized I was “of the land.”

Kathryn Talty, ASLA / image: Lisa FitzSimons Photography

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

For me, design influences come from many disciplines. As a sampling, I admire artist Georgia O’Keefe, architect Jeanne Gang, fashion designer Carolina Herrera, choreographer Twyla Tharp, and author Donna Tartt. Landscape architects Martha Schwartz, FASLA, and Kathryn Gustafson have been a source of inspiration for me since I was a student and young professional.

Many women influence me every day. I am lucky to be surrounded by several female friends who are leaders in business. Though they may not realize it, they act as a council of advisors to me on my journey as an entrepreneur.

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

When I began my career as a landscape architect, I was one of four female professionals in an office of fifty. The profession has evolved and now there is more company, though I often continue to be the lone female on project teams. A thick skin is important. My advice is to be self-assured in your abilities and knowledge. Confidence is not always a natural state-of-being for women, so you must always remind yourself of your worth and know your contributions are important.

Faith Hope & Charity Parish Center & Athletic Campus / image: Evelina Snell Photography

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

I am proud of every project we complete in this office. There is nothing more fulfilling to me than pointing out a project you designed while driving your kids to school. With that in mind, I’d say the Faith Hope & Charity Parish Center and Athletic Campus. We developed a vacant lot into a play-lot for a K-8 school, complete with play equipment, basketball court, and turf field. It is used by the community at large, all hours of the day, year-round. It brings me joy to provide the “public green space experience” I was lucky to have as a young girl.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Embrace the journey. My career was not a linear progression. Major events in my personal life had profound effects on the professional choices I made. I remember so many sleepless nights worrying about job changes or striking out on my own. In hindsight every professional choice provided a unique experience that I now draw from to shape my approach to design. I have a broad view that influences my approach to problem solving because I experienced a varied career.

Aida Curtis, ASLA / image: Karla Urbina Photography

Aida Curtis, FASLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

Growing up in Central America (Honduras), I had no idea what landscape architecture was; I arrived at Texas A&M ready to study architecture. The curriculum for first year is common for all design professions. This is where I learned how wonderful landscape architecture was. My inspiration was the ability to influence exterior, working in outside environments, connecting with nature!!!

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

First and foremost, my mother. A full-time businesswoman in the 60s, owner and head of her own K-12 school, with the attitude of 'I can do.' She instilled in me that we can be whatever we want to be, but we will have to work harder than men and never give up.

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

Never give up.

Make sure you are passionate about the aspect of the profession you choose to pursue, because many will not understand what you do, nor will they understand how much it takes to do it right.

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

The GSA-FBI Federal Building in Miramar, Florida, now named the Benjamin P. Grogan and Jerry L. Dove Federal Building—we were hired as the Design Criteria professionals to develop the landscape concept for this future building.

Benjamin P. Grogan and Jerry L. Dove Federal Building / image: Miami in Focus

My idea—bringing back the historic nature of the Florida (recreating wetlands) into the concept and use it to demonstrate we can build beautifully within nature—was the premise of the design concept. It has received many accolades within the Federal GSA for its approach to development.

What advice would you give your younger self?

To enjoy every stage of your career, as each has a value and challenge. If we focus on the challenge, we forget the value and forget to enjoy the moment. Many people come into our professional lives for a reason and it's not until they are gone that we understand the why...enjoy every stage.

CeCe Haydock, ASLA

What inspired you to pursue a career in landscape architecture?

Growing up on a farm in New Hampshire was the seed of my inspiration to become a landscape architect. Nature was my playmate: I spent countless hours exploring the woods, the pasture, the open field, and the pond all on our property. As I grew older, I realized I loved design and the creative arts. After teaching English for a year after college, a light bulb went off in my head: why don't I combine my two passions and make a career of nature and design? Landscape architecture was the answer, and after speaking with a close friend who had just entered the field, I made the decision to apply for a master’s program in landscape architecture.

Who are the female role models who have influenced your career?

Nancy Taylor, landscape architect, was my first and best female role model. After raising her children, she decided she needed a job—but had no college degree, much less training in landscape architecture. She knew her plant material, however, through the garden club and self-study and was accepted by a well-known landscape architect to intern in his office. Ten years later, the minimum amount of time required to take the licensing exam without a degree, she passed the state licensing test and could proudly say she was a bona fide landscape architect. With patience, tact, and humor, she guided me through the process of dealing with clients and designing landscapes. I am forever grateful for her friendship and mentorship.

What advice do you have for other women pursuing a career in landscape architecture?

Learn how to sketch—well. While most schools require a sketching class, mine did not and I was at a disadvantage to quickly present my ideas. After studying the site, I usually had an idea in my head how I would create a landscape design. But I wanted to show the clients my ideas without the labor-intensive drafting that I usually ended up doing.

Another bit of advice: watch the contractor scrupulously. Whether intentional or not, the contractor often has his own way of building and not always the one on the drawing. I spent many hours inspecting the work, especially the foundational part of a project. Occasionally he (I never had a “she” contractor, alas) would push back because of time and money, but I kept strong.

Hempstead Plains Interpretive Center, a SITES pilot project / image: Betsy Gulotta

Can you share with us a project you are particularly proud of and why?

The certification of a SITES pilot project is the job I am particularly proud of. I not only proposed the idea to the client but also completed the documentation, of course with the architect’s and client’s help. SITES was a new system to me (and others), and I had to learn on the job and dig into areas where I was not particularly strong, such as engineering and native grasslands. When we finally received our two-star (equivalent to today’s SITES Silver) certification, I was overjoyed for my non-profit client and for me. Since that project, I have been focusing on SITES certification and find the work important (to slow climate change) and challenging to me.

What advice would you give your younger self?

In addition to learning how to sketch, I would prepare myself for a world of mostly men—and many who, particularly in construction, were unsure of what to do with a woman on the job. Early in my career, I was instructing a worker digging irrigation lines in a trench on the specified methods. A lovely man, he looked up at me and said, “CeCe, whya dontcha go back to da kitchen where ya belong.” He was extremely sweet and delivered his line with humor, but his message was clear. Since then, I have learned to deal with the opposite sex on the job site, using patience, charm, and occasionally a stern demeanor.