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).
The Graham Foundation was established in 1956 with the goal of fostering the development and exchange of ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture and society. The foundation supports projects that investigate the contemporary condition, expand historical perspectives or explore the future of architecture.
This is the second time Telesis has received a Graham Foundation grant. In 2021, the journal received support for the publication of Volumes IV and V, “Habitation” and “Adaptive Practice.”
The new grant will support two volumes that explore how architecture and design can respond to a rapidly changing world: “Pause” (Volume IX) and “React” (Volume X). Together, the volumes encourage readers and contributors to slow down, pay attention and consider how designers can respond to the challenges facing people, places and the environment.
“Pause” examines what the Telesis team calls “scrolling architecture,” an increasingly screen-based experience in which buildings can become fast, disposable images that are quickly consumed and forgotten. The issue asks how designers can resist that pressure for speed and instead make space for attention, experience and place.
“React” then moves from reflection toward action, exploring how architecture might shift away from spectacle and toward repair, reciprocity, stewardship and public trust. Together, the volumes seek to reconsider what design is for and what responsibilities designers have to people, places and the environment.
The Telesis journal provides a forum for students to engage in systemic problems in architecture and design while developing their own creative and critical voices. The journal was first published in the 1970s and was revived during the 2018-2019 academic year. Since its revival, Telesis has received national recognition through the Douglas Haskell Award for Student Journals in 2019, 2022, 2025 and 2026.
The Telesis team includes Editor-in-Chief Felipe Flores, Co-Principal Editor Trey London, Associate Editor Yousef Haghighi, Student Editor and Graphic Designer Chandler Thompson, and Angela M. Person, Academic Affiliate with the Gibbs College of Architecture.
The project will begin in September 2026 and continue through August 2028.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture assistant professor Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, co-founders of OFFICIAL Design, have received a 2026 AIA Central States Region Design Award for the firm’s Granger Annex Community Center project in Garland, Texas.
Construction Industry Speaker Series welcomed Stephen Evans from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to give a lecture on better conversations and relationship building.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
