The Year End Exhibition is occasion for both celebration and reflection. First and foremost, heartfelt congratulations go to the students for their work shown here, to their instructors, and to the staff behind the scenes who supported these efforts! This year the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated that we once again host the exhibition online, and we miss celebrating together. But as we view the wonderful variety of student work, we see the great collective and individual energy and thought that went into each project, and we applaud these efforts. Every student should be proud of their work and of all they accomplished this year, the obstacles they overcame to achieve these results and their efforts to develop their skills, increase their knowledge, and expand their role in our community. Together, we celebrate this wonderful outcome of our shared efforts – this display of the energy, invention, and determination of the Faculty of Architecture.

For those students who are graduating, best wishes as you move into your next phase of education and life. Just as you started learning long before you entered the Faculty of Architecture, your education doesn’t stop when you receive your diploma. I hope your time with us has helped you hone your curiosity and dedicate yourself to the joys of learning. If you are returning to join us for another degree, I look forward to seeing you and the fruits of your research and creativity next year. If you are moving to another university, into the profession, or taking a bridge year, please stay in touch. You are part of the FAUM community. We take an interest in how you are doing and are hopeful of your many future successes.

As we reflect on the 2021-22 academic year, we cannot help but remember the unusual and at times very difficult circumstances we experienced. Foremost is the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to linger, although – as the expression goes – we are “learning to live with it.” Despite altering between online and in-person learning, research and design work continued throughout the year, and we adapted as best we could. While the circumstances weren’t ideal for learning and teaching, the community rose to the occasion, and the robust results of this collective resolve are clear in this exhibition.

Two other events distinguish this year from others. We remember the days leading up to the UMFA faculty strike and the moments of uncertainty – would a strike occur? If so, when and for how long? Those answers came in time, and we had to be patient and flexible as we navigated the new territory that the strike brought about. It was a time when empathy was imperative, and I am grateful and impressed at how everyone treated each other with respect and understanding. And then there was the winter, one of the toughest in recent history. It too added another challenge – but as a community, we adapted. We endured the very cold temperatures and heavy snowfall and even found beauty in the forms of the snow drifts and joy in the acts of skating, sledding, and walking in the winter landscape. Throughout the challenges of these extraordinary times, you not only persevered, but you supported and encouraged one another – and this too we must celebrate!

I would like to commend and thank everyone on a banner year! Please take a moment to reflect on all you have accomplished. Without your genuine commitment and tremendous effort, we could not have made it through the year with grace, nor could the projects that we see in this exhibition have been completed so successfully. Congratulations to all!