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
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture announces John Harris as Associate Dean for Research ad interim, effective Aug. 25, 2026, until the permanent position is filled.
Gibbs College is pleased to announce the 2026 Gibbs College Faculty & Staff Awards recipients. These individuals were recognized by Dean Butzer during the Gibbs College Back to School Meeting and will be honored during the Celebration Banquet in October. They were nominated by their colleagues via an open nomination process.
Telesis, the Gibbs College of Architecture’s student journal, has been awarded a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts to support its next two issues, “Pause” (Volume IX) and “React” (Volume X).
