By Jenna Hobin
Evan Kettler has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Barbara A. Humphreys Memorial Scholarship—an award to honour Barbara’s lifelong contributions to architecture and heritage conservation in Canada. Endowed in 2020 by the family of Barbara A. Humphreys, this award will support Evan as he joins Carleton University’s Master of Architecture program this upcoming fall. The legacy of Barbara Humphreys at Carleton extends well beyond this scholarship, including the establishment of the Barbara A. Humphreys Reading Room located in the heart of the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.
Gwyneth and Douglas Humphreys (Daughter & Husband of the late Barbara A. Humphreys) pictured in the Barbara A. Humphreys Reading Room
For Evan, the School was the natural choice for its ability to support a wide breadth of design. As he says, “A variety of ideas and cross-pollination is paramount to me, which is why Carleton stands alone. I know at Carleton I will have many unique perspectives to consider, and the more fluent I become in the design language of those around me, the more expressive my ideas will become.”
Like Barbara, Evan completed his undergraduate degree in architecture at the University of Manitoba, and gravitates towards studying the promethean works of history which he describes to include ancient drinking vessels from the Middle East, the poems of Ovid and the modern rebirth of these traditions in Hejduk and Noguchi. “There is something to cherish and much to learn from those that have come before us,” says Evan.
Evan Kettler, Inaugural Recipient of the Barbara A. Humphreys Memorial Scholarship
As the first recipient of the Barbara A. Humphreys Memorial Scholarship, Evan is looking forward to continuing Barbara’s legacy—a fellow alumni—in a meaningful way. “It fills me with joy to follow in the footsteps of Barbara A. Humphreys. There is a long-standing culture of hands-on creation at the University of Manitoba that all graduates hold dear, and I can’t wait to continue the tradition of sharing that culture with Carleton.”
Jill Stoner, Professor and former Director of the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, is looking forward to welcoming Evan to our community. “The admissions committee hoped that for this inaugural year of the scholarship, a candidate from the University of Manitoba would serendipitously be at the top of the rankings. Evan is that person, and we are delighted to bring him to Carleton in the fall,” says Jill.
She continues, “This scholarship, tied as it is to recruiting the most excellent Canadian candidates into our Master of Architecture program, ensures that Barbara’s legacy will contribute to educating talented future architects who will go on to build bridges between theory and practice.”
Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University, echoed Jill’s sentiments. “Throughout her distinguished career, Barbara A. Humphreys - one of the first registered Canadian women architects - advocated for and protected Canada’s heritage. We are grateful to the Humphreys family for the opportunity to honour Barbara’s legacy by welcoming future generations of architects, like Evan Kettler, who share Barbara’s passion for making a difference in our communities.”
Barbara A. Humphreys
As Evan prepares for this next step in his personal and academic journey, he expressed his immense gratitude to the family of Barbara A. Humphreys for the financial support he received through this award. “This education is not a step toward a degree or a note on a resume for me, but rather a daily development of who I hope to be.”
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