A group of Landscape Architecture students in LA Studio II visited the Seminole Nation Museum in Seminole, OK, as part of their site analysis for a development project they are working on this semester. Jake Tiger, a citizen of the Seminole Nation and an expert on Seminole textiles and traditional garments, led the tour. Dr. Sarah Little and Dr. Afsana Sharmin accompanied the students on this visit.
After the museum tour, the students attended a presentation by Jake Tiger about his work on reproducing traditional Seminole garments. The students enthusiastically asked questions regarding his methods, fabrics, and materials, and their significance in Seminole culture. Tiger, a member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, honors his culture through revitalizing textiles from the 19th century using intricate beadwork and sewing. As a cultural specialist, Tiger works in the Historical Preservation Office for the Seminole Nation and helps in their outreach efforts to educate others about the Seminole’s unique culture and history.
Seminole attire in the Seminole National Museum.
This course integrates students from various disciplinary backgrounds to analyze and reimagine the Northern Seminole County area, focusing on the preservation of its native ecosystems, historical significance, and cultural context. This studio also explores evolving concepts of “wilderness” in our increasingly urbanized world, encouraging students to rethink and critically assess their perspectives. The pedagogical foundation of this course is based on the emerging Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS) theory, which informs the dynamic interactions between human and natural systems.
Jake Tiger explains an exhibit at the Seminole National Museum.
In the first part of the studio, students conduct site inventory and analysis, focusing on honing their observation skills and documentation techniques—such as drawing, surveying, sketching, photographing, and audio recording. They also explore introductory GIS, visualizing geospatial data and representing it with tools like AutoCAD and Photoshop. Through these methods, students create a series of maps that address various site forces and elements, including surroundings, access, topography, habitat, wildlife, microclimate, soil, vegetation, hydrology, and historical changes.
Students then develop a design concept informed by their studies and analysis, culminating in the creation of a master plan for the project. The studio includes multiple site visits at different phases of the study and design process, with this museum visit being the last of three site visits. Here, students learn about Seminole history and culture, as well as through various reading and lectures they develop understanding in ethical tribal engagement, which they will try to reflect through their proposed masterplan.
The University of Oklahoma College of Architecture is proud to announce that Model Schools in the Model City, authored by Director of the Institute for Quality Communities, Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., has been named one of ten finalists for the 2026 ASALH Book Prize for Best New Book in African American History and Culture.
This semester, students in the LA 5535 Studio: Ecological Planning and Design, led by Prof. Afsana Sharmin, took on an ambitious hypothetical project to redesign key parts of the OU campus. Their mission: to tackle the critical real-world challenge of stormwater management through innovative green design.
Petya Stefanoff, Chair of the Educational Committee with the American Planning Association, Oklahoma Chapter (APA-OK) and Gibbs College PhD candidate, has developed a new training program for local government officials. The program, focused on land use, zoning principles, and land development, recently certified its first graduates with Certified Citizen Planner status.
