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Dave Boeck, an associate professor in the Division of Architecture, recently developed an art workshop in the Barefeet Theater in Lusaka, Zambia. Working with Chipika Simanwe, a Lusakan artist, and Betty Wilkinson, former CEO of Financial Sector Deepening Zambia, Boeck created a two-week workshop titled “ARTitude.”
The workshop involved working with twenty local youth from the compounds around the Barefeet Theater. The workshop taught the youth several art techniques, including sketching, watercolors, acrylics, stitchery, and beadwork. The workshop took place over two weeks and ended with a weeklong exhibit and art sale of the student’s work. The students’ art was purchased by local Zambians as well as friends connected to the workshop online through social media.
Workshop participants after finishing their paintings, which are displayed on the wall.
Boeck has been traveling to Lusaka since 2014. He recently published a book of sketches related to service-learning trips he has taken with students to Lusaka, Zambia. The sketches reflect life on the streets of Lusaka, the capitol of Zambia. These sketches depict community members in Lusaka, especially the workforce of wheelbarrowers who transport products from one place to another.
Participants hearing from a prominent Zambian painter whose work is displayed at this gallery.
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.
