First-year students in Architecture Design I studio were recently hosted by Factory Obscura, an “Oklahoma City-based art collective creating immersive experiences that awaken wonder, build community, and make the world better.”
Students in Factory Obscura.
On Oct. 25, the students were met by Factory Obscura founders Kelsey Karper, Tammy Greenman, Hugh Meade, and Laurent Massenat, who discussed their creative processes, collaborative experiences, and how Factory Obscura came to be.
The students then entered the immersive space, the door of which is a giant ear, and moved through and sat in the rooms. They spent a lot of time sketching the different spaces and practicing their observational drawing skills.
Students explore one of the spaces in Factory Obscura.
“Factory Obscura is a 6,000 square foot immersive and collaborative art experience that uses color, textures, shape, and space to evoke the various emotions felt when listening to a mixtape,” said Haley Prestifilippo, one of the course instructors.
“They were asked to really think about the relationship between the design processes in each room and their own designs. The students had a fabulous time and learned a lot!”
Students sketching a space in Factory Obscura.
“Similarly, in Design I studio, students have been creating a few different series of box models exploring ways color, texture, shape, and space can evoke and intensify a specific emotion.” Prestifilippo continues, "it was an important and amazing opportunity for our students to experience this same idea on a human scale – the immersive spaces at Factory Obscura allowed our students to actually walk through the emotions they had been working with throughout the past few weeks."
Photos provided by Haley Prestifilippo.
The Gibbs College of Architecture celebrates fifth-year architecture student Haley Praytor, who has been recognized at the national level for her design work. In early March, Haley received a Graduate Division Award of Merit for her submission to the 2025 Metal Building Manufacturers Association student design competition.
Ronald Frantz Jr., emeritus professor, has been named a 2026 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient, the highest honor presented by Main Street America. The award was announced at the Main Street Now Conference in Tulsa, recognizing leaders who advance preservation-based economic development and community revitalization.
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.
