CAPLA students share Indigenous perspectives in Archtober presentation
CAPLA students shared their work and experiences building an Indigenous student community during an Oct. 6 virtual presentation hosted as part of Archtober 2026.
Archtober is New York City’s month-long architecture and design festival that transforms the city into a living gallery every October. The festival’s 2026 theme, “In Our Hands,” tackles urgent conversations around climate change, shared responsibility and how design shapes evolving communities.
Titled “ISAPD in Our Hands: Student Chapters Shaping the Future,” the presentation explored how student chapters of the Indigenous Society of Architecture, Planning, and Design (ISAPD) can foster learning, cultural engagement, advocacy and professional growth within universities and their communities.
The event featured Jonah McCabe, manager and president of the ISAPD University of Arizona Chapter; Alexia Teixeira, the chapter’s vice president; and Mariah Lee, its secretary. All three are fourth-year landscape architecture students. Laura Carr, chapter adviser and senior lecturer at CAPLA, moderated the session.
“The event was a good opportunity to hone our speaking skills and show how we are evolving as landscape architecture students.” McCabe said.
The students discussed the chapter’s activities and initiatives, shared studio work informed by Indigenous knowledge and explored how nature, culture and history intersect with design. Their presentations highlighted the role student-led organizations can play in amplifying Indigenous perspectives and creating opportunities for students to shape their education and profession.
For McCabe, the presentation aligned with the chapter’s commitment to making Indigenous knowledge more accessible to the broader design community.
“One of my goals is to be inclusive. I really enjoy teaching people, especially those who are not Indigenous,” he said. “There are a lot of people who want to learn about Indigenous knowledge and how that crosses over into architecture.”
The opportunity grew out of the chapter’s participation in an ISAPD symposium the previous year, titled “Sustainable by Design.” The positive response to that work helped pave the way for the Archtober presentation.
“They really liked what we created and wanted to do something again with us,” Teixeira said. “I thought it was a really cool domino effect.”
The students shared studio work that explores the relationship between Indigenous knowledge, culture and personal experience. For Teixeira, presenting her work was an opportunity to help others understand how background and lived experience shape the design process.
“Doing this presentation, showing my work and displaying my culture really was about having people see it and understand that your background, upbringing and individual experiences have an effect on your design and how you view things, whether you realize it or not,” she said.
The presentation also gave Teixeira an opportunity to share her identity through her design work and invite others to understand the experiences behind it.
“This was a cool opportunity to have my work behind me,” she said. “It felt like a door for people to look through me, a piece of what I’m about.”
Lee said the chapter also seeks to provide a welcoming environment for students interested in Indigenous design and those looking for connection as they begin their studies.
“It is a space within CAPLA for basically anyone, not only those interested in Indigenous design, but also those who want to feel comfortable, especially when first coming into CAPLA, making friends and having a safe space,” she said.
For more information, check out ISAPD on Instagram @ISAPD_UA or at capla.arizona.edu/indigenous-society-architecture-planning-and-design.
