ArtEDGE, a collaborative program involving the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, OU Libraries and the College of Architecture’s Interior Design Division, brought fifty 7th and 8th grade Norman Public School students to the OU campus for an engaging, interdisciplinary experience. The program led the students through three different stages of analysis and creation. In the first stage, students learned about the history, purpose and inspiration behind the architectural designs of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and analyzed and interpreted a museum piece as inspiration for their design project. This Fall, the focal piece was Two Figures, a bronze abstract sculpture by Barbara Hepworth. Students used observation skills, descriptive language and sketching exercises to develop a story and place inspired by the piece. The students then visited The EDGE in Bizzell Memorial library, where they created and manipulated a virtual model of the place they were designing. Students received 3D-printed models of Two Figures from The Edge that would be later used in an architectural model. Once they arrived at the College of Architecture, the students united their individually developed designs and constructed their models.
A model created by one of the participants.
Models and sketches from the ArtEDGE experience will be on display in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art’s Education Gallery during Spring 2017. For more information about the ArtEDGE program, contact Elizabeth Pober (epober@ou.edu).
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture assistant professor Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, co-founders of OFFICIAL Design, have received a 2026 AIA Central States Region Design Award for the firm’s Granger Annex Community Center project in Garland, Texas.
Construction Industry Speaker Series welcomed Stephen Evans from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to give a lecture on better conversations and relationship building.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
