Gibbs College of Architecture Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) Director and Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design (PLAD) faculty member Amber N. Wiley, Ph.D., recently published a new book, Collective Yearning: Black Women Artists from the Zimmerli Art Museum.
The richly illustrated catalog documents an exhibition of artwork by Black women and includes reflections from Rutgers University students who helped curate the show. In the book, Wiley chronicles the collaborative process of exploring the Zimmerli Art Museum's holdings to identify, recover, catalog, and exhibit works created by Black women artists.
The cover of Collective Yearning, written by Dr. Amber Wiley.
Through essays and commentary, contributors examine the ethics of curation, African American expressive traditions, and the institutional biases that have historically marginalized Black women's artistic contributions. The publication features artwork from the exhibition, including pieces by acclaimed artists Faith Ringgold, Renée Stout, and Kara Walker. Collective Yearning makes a powerful statement on the importance of showcasing Black women artists.
For the inaugural book launch event in April, Wiley participated in a curatorial discussion with Diana Greenwald, William and Lia Poorvu Curator of the Collection at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The discussion was held in conjunction with the Zimmerli Art Museum exhibition Allan Rohan Crite: Neighborhood in New Brunswick, NJ.
Wiley has also presented at the Avery Research Center's 40th anniversary celebration in Charleston, South Carolina, and continues to engage with communities through additional book-related events, including the Juneteenth Vendor Market hosted by the Sigma Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in Oklahoma City and the OKC Black Author's Expo.
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
