A group of 30 undergraduate and graduate Architecture students recently traveled to Arkansas for a two-day field trip. Accompanied by Professors Amy Leveno, Amber Sarmiento and Alan Moring, the students toured an award-winning Architecture studio and visited various architectural sites in Bentonville and Fayetteville.
Students at Modus Studio in Fayetteville.
The first day of the trip began with a visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Nestled in the Ozarks, the museum features mass timber architecture and is surrounded by walking trails. After exploring the museum, the students attended a walking tour where they viewed a Skyspace by artist James Turrell.
Turrell’s Skyspaces are a unique series of art installations placed in nearly 90 different locations around the world. At Turrell’s Bentonville Skyspace, The Way of Color, the students experienced the effects of changing color, light and mood through the manipulation of light.
Students at the Thaden School in Bentonville.Students at the Thaden School in Bentonville.
In downtown Bentonville, the students visited several significant architectural projects, including The Ledger by Marlon Blackwell Architects, 21C Museum Hotel by TenBerke, Main X Mdrn by Modus Studio and The Howard by Hufft. To wrap up the day, they visited the new Thaden School campus designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, EskewDumexRipple and Andropogon.
Students at Adohi Hall (left) and Eco Flats (right) in Fayetteville.
On day two, the students were hosted by Modus Studio to tour their firm and fabrication workshop and visit several of their notable architectural sites. They attended a guided tour of Adohi Hall, a mass timber residential hall on the University of Arkansas campus, as well as the Eco Modern Flats in Fayetteville.
Featured Image: Architecture students in Adohi Hall in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
