Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
Architecture Design Studio students at the Visual Arts exhibition
Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts introduced an architectural studio framework that positioned the existing building as both subject and catalyst for design education. Rather than beginning with a blank canvas, students were immersed in the history, materiality, and lived realities of the building, critically analyzing it architecturally, functionally, and spatially before moving into the design phase. Engaging with the building and its users, which was especially meaningful since those users were their own art school contemporaries, provided a rich springboard for design work. By situating their projects within the constraints and opportunities of an existing structure, students broke free of stylistic dependencies formed in earlier studios, arriving instead at unexpected and surprising design solutions.
Projects exhibited at Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts
Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Petya Stefanoff, who is pursuing her doctorate in the Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) program, has been appointed the new role of Director of Community Development for the City of Shawnee, Oklahoma. She joined the city in 2024.
Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., associate professor in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design and director of the Institute for Quality Communities, has received national recognition for her book Model Schools in the Model City. The book has been named a finalist for the 2026 the PROSE Awards.
Gibbs College of Architecture Regional + City Planning Professor of Practice Vanessa Morrison and Associate Professor of Architecture Deborah Richards’ Open Design Collective received top honors at the inaugural BlackSpace Urbanist Collective Studio KIN Pitch Night Competition, held last month in Brooklyn, New York City.
