Students from the Spring 2026 Graduate 4 Architecture Design Studio, led by Professor Amy Leveno, exhibited their work at the School of Visual Arts. The exhibition, titled Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts, featured drawings, models, and animations developed throughout the semester's studio project. The show was hosted in The Spotlight, a creative gallery space located on the first floor of the Fred Jones Art Center, and ran from January 20–30, 2026.
Architecture Design Studio students at the Visual Arts exhibition
Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts introduced an architectural studio framework that positioned the existing building as both subject and catalyst for design education. Rather than beginning with a blank canvas, students were immersed in the history, materiality, and lived realities of the building, critically analyzing it architecturally, functionally, and spatially before moving into the design phase. Engaging with the building and its users, which was especially meaningful since those users were their own art school contemporaries, provided a rich springboard for design work. By situating their projects within the constraints and opportunities of an existing structure, students broke free of stylistic dependencies formed in earlier studios, arriving instead at unexpected and surprising design solutions.
Projects exhibited at Reimagining the OU School of Visual Arts
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to announce the promotion of Ph.D. student Rafael Hernandez to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Gibbs College of Architecture Assistant Professor Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture and Design, has co-authored a new book chapter with Josh Newton and Andrew Born, published in De Gruyter Handbook of the Geographies of Race.
Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) alumni Trey Ingram, AICP recently spoke with current PLAD student and graduate media assistant Molly Strobel to share his experiences with the Regional and City Planning program and current work with the Toyota Mobility Foundation.
