Ron Frantz, Associate Professor and Director of Small Town Studios with the Institute for Quality Communities, recently presented the keynote address at the 2022 Iowa Downtown Conference. The conference, held in Pella, Iowa, was organized by the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and included plenary sessions with speakers and educational breakout sessions focusing on downtown revitalization, field sessions, tours, an exhibit hall and several networking activities in cool venues. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about the latest trends, acquire practical information and ideas, and learn strategies relevant to rural, mid-sized, and urban communities.
Frantz’s talk, titled “Recruiting the Next Generation of Downtown Preservationists,” pulled from his experiences teaching the Historic Preservation Course at Gibbs College. He discussed ways to engage college students in historic preservation and revitalization. In his presentation, he talked about his approach for delivering design recommendations to help future leaders step into the world feeling confident as historic preservation supporters and downtown enthusiasts.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Thinh "Henry" Duong, a master's student in the Division of Interior Design, for earning first place in the 2026 Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition.
Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) Director and Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) faculty member Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., recently published a new book, Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum.
In May, students from the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture's Architecture, Environmental Design, and Interior Design programs participated in an intensive five-day Studio in Residence at Taliesin West, the iconic winter home and desert laboratory of Frank Lloyd Wright.
