Associate professor of Architecture Tamar Zinguer recently contributed to a dynamic, multidisciplinary conversation as part of the University of Oklahoma Arts & Humanities Forum’s 2025–26 theme year, “Dirt.” The event—“What Dirt Is Not: Thinking with Loess, Sand, Shell, and Dust”—brought together scholars from across the OU and beyond to examine how different kinds of earth and sediment shape environments, histories, and cultural narratives.
This program marked the second event in the Forum’s four-part public series. Moderated by Kim Marshall, Director of the Arts & Humanities Forum at OU, the discussion featured perspectives from Geosciences, Anthropology, Architecture, and the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program. Together, the speakers explored how materials such as loess, sand, shell, and dust carry scientific, social, and symbolic meaning—and how they challenge our assumptions about what “dirt” is and is not.
The panel featured presentations by:
Tamar Zinguer's presentation. Photo credit: Donovan Linsey.
Zinguer’s forthcoming book is titled Sandbox: An Architectural History (MIT Press), and her presentation on the panel explored the “imagination that is engendered by sand.”
A full recording of the panelist’s presentations and discussion is available as a podcast episode on OUAH.FM, a collection of podcasts and audio resources created by the Arts & Humanities Forum.
The 2025–26 Forum series will continue throughout the year with additional public talks, community-focused programs, and a faculty fellows initiative that invites deeper reflection on how “dirt”—in all its forms—shapes our landscapes, our stories, and our shared sense of place.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
