Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of five profiles on women associated with the University of New Mexico, who have been recognized by Albuquerque Business First as women of influence in New Mexico.
Originally from Spain, Assistant Professor of Architecture Ane Gonzalez Lara has been teaching at the University of New Mexico for the past two years.
Gonzalez Lara is passionate about teaching, designing buildings and understanding architecture as an interdisciplinary topic, she said.
She teaches both undergraduate and graduate classes in addition to multiple studio classes.
“I love sharing what I do. I love sharing what I learn and sharing my experiences. Students really care about talking about diversity in our field, and the more points of view we can have and the more influences we can look at, the better we can understand the world around us,” Gonzalez Lara said.
The course she teaches on Latin American architecture allows students to study architecture that is not just from Europe or the United States, she said.
“I really like teaching this class, because a lot of the references students receive are from Europe or from the United States. But it’s really important to look at Latin American architecture, and given how close we are to (the country), it’s important for us to talk about this,” Gonzalez Lara said.
Stemming from this class, Gonzalez has taken a group of students to Chile to study South American architecture and speak to South American architects. It is powerful to be able to go to another country and see the architecture there in person, Gonzalez Lara said.
The next trip she is organizing will be in May, and she will be taking a group of students to Peru to help a local group come up with possible solutions for a community space.
One of the studios that Gonzalez Lara teaches focuses on the proposed border wall between the United States and Mexico.
This is an architectural issue, not just a political issue, she said.
A wall, by nature, is a basic architectural element. This studio studies this issue and works to create proposals and possible solutions. Gonzalez Lara would be interested in teaching a class that focuses on the connections and overlap between architecture and politics, she said.
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“It is important to teach classes and talk about issues that are important to the students and that really matter to them,” Gonzalez Lara said.
She said she hopes the next generation will be the one to make architecture an equal place for both men and women in the field.
“I love teaching and talking to students. I like seeing them grow and seeing the work they produce. They grow so much, and I learn so much from them. They are so diverse, and they really care about society — and it’s inspiring,” Gonzalez Lara said.
Megan Holmen is a freelance reporter for news and culture at the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com, culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @megan_holmen.
