Sophomore Interior Design students are working in teams of two to design a space for the OU Clara Luper Department of African & African-American Studies. The department wants to relocate to a space that reflects its rich cultural history and encourages community engagement. This new space will tell the story of the Department of African & African-American Studies, civil rights activist Clara Luper, and other important elements of their cultural and historical contexts, rooted in the state of Oklahoma.
The students spent three weeks researching the rich cultural history of the African-American community both in and outside of Oklahoma to facilitate their preliminary design development. They also interviewed the Chair, faculty members, and students of the OU Clara Luper Department of African & African-American Studies.
Interior Design sophomore Riley Fleming notes that the goal of the project is to create “a home for the department.”
“The most challenging part of the project was going above and beyond as instructed by the chairman but still following the trends of higher-level education design,” says Fleming. “There were limitations, but we found ways to make this space stand out and make its mark on campus.”
This project correlates with work by 5th-year architecture students, who were charged with designing a new building for the department.
The Interior Design students presented their preliminary designs to Gibbs College of Architecture faculty on February 27. They will present their final, revised designs to the OU Clara Luper Department of African & African-American Studies faculty on March 11th and March 13th from 2:00 pm to 4:45 pm in Gould Hall, Room 330.
[Featured Image: Interior Design students present their preliminary designs]
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
