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Exploring the Global Context of Brazilian “Tropical Surrealism”

Art & Design, Students, Research, Art History, Art, , , , , ,

art history graduates

What brings a student from Brazil to the art history program at LSU?

According to Glauco Adorno, outstanding faculty and a graduate assistantship he could not refuse.

After majoring in graphic design, Glauco worked as a designer in Brazil but found he was more interested in the theoretical and academic aspects of art. He started looking at Master of Arts programs abroad, seeking out faculty members who could help him develop academic research skills. Now he is about to complete his degree with a thesis on the life and work of Walter Lewy (1905–1995), a German-Brazilian painter and graphic designer of Jewish descent, who left Germany in 1936 to build his career in São Paulo.

Lewy is best known today for his lush, exotic landscapes, whose bright colors and dream-like quality earned them a stylistic category of their own: “Tropical Surrealism.” Lewy studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Dortmund, Germany, between the two world wars. His first solo exhibition was subject to Nazi censorship and had to be closed down, forcing Lewy to flee to South America. In Brazil, he first worked as a graphic designer, providing unabashedly modern illustrations for anything from poetry books to advertisement for Unilever. His career as a painter took off during the 1950s and 1960s, when he combined his surrealist style with idiosyncratic Brazilian scenery and vegetation, which immediately struck a chord with the public. Modernist aesthetics were very popular at the time, as the example of Brasilia, the new capital designed from scratch by Le Corbusier’s student Oscar Niemeyer demonstrated. Lewy was featured in numerous exhibitions in the city of São Paulo, including the internationally recognized São Paulo Biennial. He remained a fixture of the Brazilian modern art scene through the 1990s, when died at age 90, survived by his São Paulo–born wife and two children.

walter lewy

Walter Lewy (1905–1995), Paisagem surreal #68/1968 (Surreal Landscape #68/1968), 1968, oil on canvas

“What makes Glauco’s research so fascinating is the global aspect of Brazilian modernism that it exposes,” explained LSU art history professor Darius Spieth, who has served as Glauco’s advisor during the last few years. “His findings are very important because they shed light on a major figure of Brazilian art of the second half of the 20th century; an artist who was written about extensively in the Brazilian press at the time and who was featured in numerous influential exhibitions. Surprisingly, no comprehensive biography on Lewy has existed until now, so Glauco’s research will fill an important gap in the history of modern Brazilian art.”

Spieth added that the subject of Brazilian modernism has been given much more scholarly attention in recent years, as demonstrated by the New York Guggenheim Museum’s exhibition Brazil: Body & Soul, or the Centre Pompidou’s 2013 exhibition, Modernités plurielles.

Glauco’s research was facilitated greatly by gaining access to Lewy’s unpublished papers and newspaper archive preserved by a private collector in São Paulo. Spieth has also contributed to the project by exploring Lewy’s archival traces in Germany and helping interpret German source materials.

Glauco is studying intermediate German at LSU, but is thankful for Spieth’s assistance with the translations. “To date, as far as we could find, nothing has been written in English about Walter Lewy—an oversight I hope to correct with my thesis,” commented Glauco.

walter lewy

Walter Lewy (1905–1995), Paisagem surreal #70/1968 (Surreal Landscape #70/1969), 1968, oil on canvas

During his tenure at LSU, Glauco worked as a graduate assistant in the art history program. His current assistantship is with the exhibitions department of the LSU Libraries’ Special Collections. This additional opportunity proved to be an excellent experience in his chosen field of study. Since the fall of 2015, Glauco has been assisting in the research and development of exhibitions curated from documents in the university’s archival holdings. For example, he contributed to the current exhibition, Advancing Scholarship and Learning for 80 Years: LSU Press and the Southern Review. The goal of the show is to draw attention and to celebrate the history of the university press, highlighting its contributions to the literary and academic world.

“It was exciting to learn about the founders of LSU Press,” Glauco related. “My library appointment provides me with exhibition experience and improves my curatorial skills—looking at books, documents, writing labels, matting and framing work, and organizing content. I am thrilled to have been given this opportunity.”

A forthcoming publication also called for a close collaboration between Glauco and his academic advisor. Both wrote essays for an LSU College of Art & Design publication on painter Janice Sachse, one of the university’s earliest art alumnae and an important Louisiana artist. The Graphic Design Student Office is designing a book on Sachse’s work for an exhibition this spring at the Glassell Gallery at the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. Glauco has been instrumental in guiding the project from inception to completion: he researched the artist’s life, wrote a biographical essay for the book, and coordinated the photography of the artists’ works with Randi Willet, an MFA photography candidate in the LSU School of Art.

After he graduates in May 2016, Glauco plans to further his education by pursuing a PhD in art history.

“I’ve enjoyed my time here. LSU is a good place for meeting people from different backgrounds. The individuals I have met and all I have learned has provided me with the skills to build a successful career as an art historian.”

Learn more about the MA in Art History at LSU at design.lsu.edu/art/programs/art-history.

Second Annual Scholarship Reception & Presentation

Art & Design, Students, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Honors & Awards, Events, Art, Alumni, Architecture, Donors


The LSU College of Art & Design’s second annual scholarship reception and presentation was held September 17, 2015, in the LSU Design Building. The event served as an opportunity to honor this year’s recipients as well as the donors who made the scholarships possible.

In addition to recognizing the 82 students receiving 106 scholarships and awards totaling close to $100,000, the presentation served as a means for the donors and students to learn more about one another and the history behind the awards. After the presentation, parents and families of the students and donors were able to visit the various studios and see the students’ current projects.

The event is intended to bring everyone together and set a context for these awards. The college will continue to host the event each year as their outreach increases to students, alumni, and donors.

“It is important that we continue to honor and engage the students, parents, and donors. For without them, the college would not be able to continue to provide such outstanding opportunities,” said Director of Development Julie LeFebvre.

This year, six new scholarship opportunities were created through the college, including the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Scholarship for incoming students in underrepresented groups in art and design, the Linda Salisbury Scholarship, and the Graphic Design Scholarship, and the Susannah Stacey Richard Memorial Award was awarded for the first time.

The scholarship reception and presentation recognizes the scholarships established directly through the LSU Foundation for LSU College of Art & Design students. For more information about scholarship opportunities, visit design.lsu.edu/student-life/scholarships. For information about establishing scholarship funds, visit design.lsu.edu/giving/support-art-and-design/scholarship-funds.

Best Practices in Interdisciplinary Design

Art & Design, Students, Research, Art, Graphic Design, Faculty, , ,
2015 sec symposium

From left: Amy Blacketter, Tory Cunningham, Professor Lynne Baggett, and Blaine Goitia at the 2015 SEC Symposium

Lynne Baggett, LSU School of Art graphic design professor, and undergraduate students in the Graphic Design Student Office (GDSO) attended and presented at the 2015 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Symposium in Atlanta, Georgia, September 20–22.

The subject of the symposium was Creativity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Driving a 21st-Century Economy. Speakers gave lectures and participated in panel discussions on how the topic related to their universities. Baggett was invited to present on a panel about “Best Practices in Interdisciplinary Design” with Dr. Bryan Chin, professor of mechanical engineering at Auburn University; Dr. Andrew Dewar, co-director of the Creative Campus Program at the University of Alabama; and Dr. Scott Nesbit, assistant professor of digital humanities at the University of Georgia. The panel was moderated by Dr. Gerard Coté, director of the Center for Remote Healthcare Technology at Texas A&M University.

The panel addressed how the accelerating advancement of society is driven more and more by interdisciplinary discoveries that require not only an understanding of design principles but also integration of the human experience. Universities are realizing the power of incorporating interdisciplinary design into core elements of their education and research missions. The session explored best practices in implementing interdisciplinary design programs across academia.

Baggett discussed the collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities within GDSO. Initially funded by a faculty research grant proposal in 1998, GDSO provides practical experience in an undergraduate student–run design practice that functions as a professional graphic design studio within the LSU School of Art. GDSO focuses on producing communications materials for the LSU College of Art & Design, with some projects involving multi-disciplinary collaborations with other departments and units across campus and the community. Students learn valuable skills by interacting with fellow designers, clients, printers, and professionals.

She presented examples and case studies of successful designs from the past few semesters.

  • 2015 Winter issue of Quad Magazine

    2015 Winter issue of Quad Magazine

    Quad is a biannual publication produced by the LSU College of Art & Design intended to showcase the achievements and activities of the college to alumni, donors, and friends. It is produced internally and designed by GDSO, involving graphic designers and photographers from the School of Art. Quad magazine received awards at the local and national level from the Advertising Federation of Greater Baton Rouge and Graphic Design USA, who honored the publication as one of the winners of the 2015 American Inhouse Design Awards for best editorial design.

  • Into the Abyss was a collaboration of the LSU School of Art; GDSO; Courtney Barr, associate professor of graphic design; and Robert Carney, professor of oceanography and coastal sciences funded by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The project included a juried art exhibition that challenged art students to produce creative pieces in all media to convey scientific discoveries about marine biodiversity. After a series of lectures by Carney, students submitted a variety of creative media ranging from print, Web, video, and animation to and three-dimensional works. GDSO developed the promotional materials for the competition and lecture series, exhibition display signage, exhibition video footage, and a website.
LSU BFA Studio Art Graphic Design

Kara Breaux – Into The Abyss

“Participating on this panel was a unique opportunity to share our experiences with other educators applying similar ideas within their own fields,” said Baggett. “We realize that the GDSO model has the potential for greater impact on research and instruction if offered to a larger body of students and faculty from a variety of disciplines. GDSO links students and faculty together in a shared physical space to create a collaborative learning environment to produce award-winning projects that could not be achieved individually.”

Through these interactions students receive a comprehensive education about professional practices in graphic design and its many associated fields. Baggett’s case studies examined the integrated environment of GDSO, a community of thinkers, learners, and makers with complimentary but disparate levels of expertise.

 

In addition to the many panels and lectures, the symposium included student-focused events: a graduate school interest mixer and creative works exhibition. Three LSU graphic design students and GDSO members—senior Amy Blacketter and juniors Tory Cunningham and Blaine Goitia—attended the symposium and showcased their work in the Embassy Hall of the International Tower of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta during the SEC Presidents, Chancellors & Provosts reception. The creative works exhibition included designs, drawings, sculptures, blueprints, and more. Blacketter showcased a vector-inspired image that focused on the culture surrounding Louisiana, which influences the city of Baton Rouge; Cunningham exhibited a Harry Potter–themed digital work that portrays Emma Watson’s character, Hermione Granger, as a punk rocker; and Goitia featured a 1967 Dodge A100 van—something he is passionate about—created and illustrated as a detailed vector.

“It was nice to see the other SEC schools’ designs, artwork, and level of creativity,” said Blacketter, “and to get the chance to network with faculty from other graduate programs.”

“Being able to venture out to Atlanta and represent the School of Art was an honor that we were glad to accept,” added Cunningham. “It was great being able to display our designs along with students from other SEC colleges who put as much effort into their work as we did.”

Visit art.lsu.edu for more information about the LSU School of Art and the Graphic Design Student Office.

More about the SEC Symposium

Gathering leading scholars in relevant fields from across the southeastern United States, the annual SEC Symposium is an academic event intended to address a significant scholarly issue by utilizing the range of disciplinary strengths of all SEC universities. The event is one of several activities undertaken by SECU, the academic initiative of the Southeastern Conference. Visit secsymposium.com/detail.php for more information.

 

The MFA Ceramics Program at LSU: See What We’ve Been Doing

Art & Design, Students, Art, Ceramics,
lsu mfa ceramics

(From left) Grace Tessein, Jodie Masterman, Jenni Lombardi, Melodie Reay, Naomi Clement, Bri Ozanne, Mike Stumbras, and Adam Meistrell

The LSU School of Art MFA ceramics program is currently ranked ninth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. With such a robust program and motivated students, it’s no wonder why. Here is a glimpse at what some of our current MFA ceramics candidates did this summer.

Naomi Clement

lsu mfa ceramics

Naomi Clement at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts

Naomi Clement was invited by session leaders Martina Lantin and Joshua Hebbert to Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, Maine. The Watershed experience encourages and nurtures the exchange of ideas, collaboration, experimentation, exploration, and self-inquiry. “To be invited by artists I respect and admire was an honor,” said Naomi. “The amount that one is able to learn and grow as an artist when you have two entire weeks of ‘play’ time in the studio is amazing. It was a fantastic experience, and I know that the benefits will continue for years to come.”

lsu mfa ceramics

Naomi Clement

Over the summer Naomi also presented a visiting artist workshop at the London Clay Arts Centre in Ontario, Canada. Referred to as “one of the jewels in London’s arts crown,” the London Clay Arts Centre is an organization of more than 100 enthusiastic members. “It was a wonderful experience to present a workshop to a group of enthusiastic makers as teaching is something I am interested in after graduation,” Naomi added. “It was a fantastic opportunity to get hands-on experience.”

Naomi’s work is currently on view in the Medalta International Tool Show at the Medalta Yuill Family Gallery in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, September 3–November 30, 2015. The international show is juried by Martina Lantin. 

Jenni Lombardi

lsu mfa ceramics

Irish Weasel by Jenni Lombardi

Jenni Lombardi spent summer 2015 studying abroad in the Burren through the LSU School of Art’s Art in Ireland summer intersession program based at the Burren College of Art, a cutting-edge facility built in the courtyard of 16th-century Newton Castle. “Not only were the location and views breathtaking and inspiring,” said Jenni, “the opportunity to experiment with materials directly harvested from the Burren both encouraged and challenged me.”

Jenni created large-scale sculptures made from branches and stone collected from the Irish forest surrounding the school. “My work took on a completely new dimension. The month-long experience of living and working in the Burren was incredible for my personal growth as well as my artistic practice.” 

lsu mfa ceramics

Jenni Lombardi was inspired to create the Irish Weasel sculpture while studying abroad in the Burren in the Art in Ireland program

Jodie Masterman

This summer Jodie Masterman was a festival assistant at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth, Wales, where she assisted Joe Finch and David Frith in building a wood kiln that was fired during a demonstration at the festival. “I was able to build connections with ceramic artists and gain information on various opportunities in Europe and, specifically, the United Kingdom,” said Jodie.

Adam Meistrell

lsu mfa ceramics

Adam Meistrell

Adam Meistrell attended the Clay National X: Ceramic Color exhibition at the Carbondale Clay Center in Colorado. The exhibition was focused on artwork that uses color in unexpected ways—color that enhances the narrative, challenges the form, conveys meaning, or evokes strong visual and physical reactions from viewers. “I had the opportunity to visit this show with my family and build relationships with field-related peers as well as further my children’s education in the arts through first-hand experience and discussion of the artwork,” said Adam.

In addition, over the summer Adam’s work was exhibited at the Tabletop exhibition at the Art League Gallery in Arlington, Virginia, June 4–6, 2015.

Adam Meistrell and Naomi Clement are invited artists at the 2nd Annual Arrowmont Pentaculum at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. The Arrowmont Pentaculum is a weeklong invitational artist residency and retreat experience in the heart of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The five participating studios—thus pentaculum—are clay, metal, textiles, 2D, and a rotational studio and/or guest. “This will be a valuable experience to collaborate and learn from other artists across many disciplines,” Adam said. “Arrowmont is an encouraging atmosphere intended to improve our work and our relationships within our artistic field.”

Bri Ozanne

 

Bri Ozanne received a technical assistant grant for ceramic artist Tip Toland’s figure sculpting workshop at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine. Bri met Tip Toland through the LSU School of Art’s Visiting Artists & Scholars Program, and the opportunity arose from there. Haystack is an international, non-profit, studio program in the arts, offering six one- and two-week studio workshop sessions to craft-makers and visual artists of all skill levels, led by prominent faculty artists.

“I gained experience presenting my work in a formal setting,” said Bri. “At other workshops, I experimented with new media that I had never been exposed to, and I am already planning to incorporate into my work. I learned invaluable new skills in the workshop I was assisting and gained teaching experience in a non-academic setting. I have found a true mentor in Tip Toland.

“I met other graduate students and professional artists working in disciplines other than my own,” Bri added. Living and working in close quarters allowed us to connect with each other quickly and genuinely, and I know that several will become long-term friends and colleagues.”

Melodie Reay

Melodie Reay spent the summer at the Archipelago Artist Residency in Korpo, Finland (AARK.fi). The residency program offers professional contemporary artists/art professionals from all disciplines the space to think and time to develop a new idea or to continue a work in progress. Residents are immersed in the unique setting of the archipelago, with the national parks and biosphere area, frozen seas, light summer nights, rich bird life, and amazing starry nights. The residency offers a quiet retreat to artists interested in nature and the surrounding seaside as themes for their work.

“This was my first open residency where I was essentially given the time and space to use as I needed but with distance from my usual ways of working,” said Melodie. “I was also lucky to be able to interact with other artists whose backgrounds and approaches to making were vastly different from my own. It shifted my way of taking in and processing information and pushed me to work with my surroundings in new and unfamiliar ways. The experience was invaluable—its impact on my work profound—and I will be drawing on it for years to come.”

Mike Stumbras

lsu mfa ceramics

Mike Stumbras led a three-day ceramics workshop for Upward Bound students at LSU.

On top of his research in irradiated glazes (see “Radiation and Pottery” article here) this summer, Mike Stumbras won first prize—$1,000!—for his Skull and Flowers Coffee Pot in the Tabletop exhibition at the Art League Gallery in Arlington, Virginia. He also helped LSU College of Art & Design Dean Alkis Tsolakis lead a three-day ceramics workshop for rising 10th–12th graders in LSU’s Upward Bound six-week summer program. View the Facebook photo album.

Ransome Little—Special Student

 

A mug by Ransome Little, a special student in the one-year post-baccalaureate ceramics program at LSU, was accepted into the 2015 Strictly Functional Pottery National exhibition at Kevin Lehman’s Pottery in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. “This is my first piece to be accepted into a national juried show,” said Ransome, “and I find it especially encouraging because the juror, Matt Long, is an artist whom I look up to enourmously.” Ransome’s work is also featured in local Baton Rouge gallery Studio C. “This is a very exciting opportunity for me to develop a relationship with a local gallery, especially since my career will keep me in the area for the foreseeable future,” said Ransome. Read more about the post-baccalaureate program.

Read more about the MFA ceramics program at LSU and view more work produced by MFA candidates in the portfolio section of the website (filter by year of study and discipline).

Radiation and Pottery?

Art & Design, Students, Research, Art, Ceramics, Resources

 

LSU MFA candidate Mike Stumbras has teamed up with health physics PhD candidate Charlie Wilson and health physics graduate student Amin Hamideh to develop a ceramic glaze that can be predictably colored with exposure to gamma radiation.

The process uses advanced technology to mimic the natural coloration of amethyst from radiation sources within the earth.

“Our partnership and others like it have the potential to enrich the material culture in artistic ceramics while celebrating scientific innovation,” said Stumbras. “This project has significant potential value for scientific as well as aesthetic purposes.”

Stumbras grew up in Chicago, Illinois, where he developed an interest in ceramic art. His passion was shaped and encouraged by his mother and sister.

“My mother raised me with a pretty different definition of what it means to be a man—to value emotional sensitivity, self-expression, and critique of traditional authority. Although she is a lawyer, she has been supportive of my journey in art and life. My sister, an engineering and music student, taught me about grit and being tough in a sometimes cruel world.”

Stumbras formally studied ceramics at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he received joint degrees: a BFA in studio art and a BS in biology.

Because of his background in science, Stumbras said he is particularly curious about themes that relate to the natural world from a biological perspective. “I’m very interested in alternative processes and materials and the chemistry that governs their behavior. I want to expand the boundaries of conventional ceramic practices and participate in discussions that enhance the material culture of my craft.”

His interest in using radiation to affect glazing was sparked on a beach in Port Chester, New York. “I found this beautiful piece of quartz that had been colored by radiation, which made me think about mimicking the natural process to formulate a radiation-sensitive glaze.”

He let the idea marinate for a few years until he came to LSU to pursue his MFA. “I pass the Nuclear Science Building almost every day. One day, I just decided to go in and see if I could talk to them about my idea.”

He met Dr. Wei-Hsung Wang, professor at the Center for Energy Studies; director of the Radiation Safety Office; adjunct professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy, the Department of Environmental Sciences, and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center; and clinical professor of radiology at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. Dr. Wang connected Stumbras with Wilson and Hamideh in health physics.

The three concocted a glaze that can be applied to porcelain clay vessels and fired like conventional pottery then exposed to radiation— one of the very few ways to make a permanent change without heat. The finished vessels contain no traces of radiation and are completely safe to use as functional tableware. The glaze has a beautiful shimmery quality with the purplish hue of amethyst, which is indeed colored in a similar manner naturally.

Before Stumbras came to LSU, he studied extensively with his mentor Steven Hill, learning about layering sprayed glazes, glaze chemistry, and single firing. He has had residencies in Chicago, Kansas City, New York, and Colorado. His Skull and Flowers Coffee Pot recently won Best in Show—a $1,000 prize—at the national juried Tabletop exhibition at the Art League of Alexandria, Virginia. His work with radiation-sensitive glazes is to be featured in an upcoming issue of Ceramics Monthly magazine.

Visit mikestumbras.com to view more from Mike’s portfolio.

 

Baton Rouge Library Designed by LSU Alumni Honored with National 2015 Landmark Library Award

Art & Design, Honors & Awards, Alumni, Architecture, Faculty Emeritus, ,

east baton rouge parish library

east baton rouge parish library

East Baton Rouge Library staff was delighted to learn the Main Library at Goodwood was honored with the 2015 New Landmark Library award, which they read about it in the Library Journal’s fall 2015 issue of Library by Design magazine. (Left to right: Barbara Roos, Teen Library Services coordinator; Andrew Tadman, Reference and Computer Services coordinator; Library Director Spencer Watts; Lori Juge, Branch Service coordinator; and Assistant Library Director Mary Stein)

The Main Library at Goodwood, which is part of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library System, has been recognized with four prestigious national design awards. The three-story, 126,000-square-foot building was designed by the Library Design Collaborative, a joint venture of Dewberry, Cockfield Jackson Architects (Stephen Jackson, BArch 1978), and Tipton Associates (Ken Tipton, BArch 1981). The four awards honoring the Main Library at Goodwood all recognize projects that demonstrate creativity, design excellence and innovation in problem-solving. 

The first of the awards is the notable 2015 New Landmark Library award given by the Library Journal. The Main Library at Goodwood is now among the few prestigious libraries nationwide honored with a New Landmark Library award for its innovative and outstanding design and for helping inform and inspire those renovating or building a library. The accolade is given to libraries that are flexible and sustainable and also indispensable community living rooms in today’s world.

“Being selected as a 2015 New Landmark Library winner by Library Journal is a significant mark of distinction, especially since this Library also was selected as one of the few library projects to be featured in the American Libraries 2015 Library Design Showcase,” said East Baton Rouge Parish Library Director Spencer Watts. “The Landmark Library designation is a relatively new award with a very rigorous and highly competitive application process; only 11 libraries were awarded this honor. The most important thing to note is that the award is not for how the building looks but how it functions . . . providing wonderful spaces for engagement, access and discovery,” Watts said.

“This is a wonderful news—more reasons for citizens to be proud of the great services the library offers and the time and care that has been taken to construct and maintain excellent buildings,” said Kizzy Payton, president of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control.  “It is a true investment in our future!”

To receive the Landmark Library accolade, libraries must be leaders in trends and standards, be the center of their community, have established productive partnerships, be creative culture catalysts, have transparent and light-filled reading spaces, be connected to the environment, and embrace a building aesthetic that allows for programs, people, artwork, collections and furniture to shine. According to Library by Design magazine, a supplement to Library Journal, many of the 2015 Landmark Libraries are designed in a people-centric, place-making perspective that reflect the neighborhood and the community’s “new social heart.” It’s “a space that feels almost sacred and allows small group meetings, lectures, or quiet research and contemplation.”

Secondly, the Main Library at Goodwood recently received the American Institute of Architects (AIABR) Rose Award for outstanding design and function, which recognizes and celebrates design excellence by local architects in the categories of architecture, interior architecture, renovation/addition, master planning/urban design, residential, and exquisite detail.

The Main Library’s architect, The Design Collaborative, achieved excellence in Architecture as a joint venture with Cockfield Jackson, Dewberry, and Tipton Associates. The design was recognized with the Member’s Choice Rose Award. The design team for the Main Library worked with the city’s library and park systems to develop a new Main Library located in one of the city’s premier community parks, Independence Park.

And thirdly, the Main Library at Goodwood building was selected as Engineering News-Record (ENR) magazine’s Best Government/Public Buildings Project, as well as Best Overall Project of the Year, for the five-state region encompassing Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.

“It is truly gratifying to be selected as the Best Government/Public Project for this five-state region,” Watts said about the ENR award. “I believe this high-profile award reflects positively on Baton Rouge as a community.” Published in ENR, the Regional Best 2015 Projects accolade is dedicated to honoring the best construction projects and the companies that designed and built them in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Projects compete in 20 specialized categories, ranging from airports to sports/entertainment.

Today, the Main Library at Goodwood houses more than 500,000 books, movies, electronic resources and circulating artwork. The $35.8-million building, which opened in January 2014, was designed as a community destination that would appeal to all ages and support lifelong learning. A meeting room accommodates 300 people. In addition, the Career Center provides free services to assist clients in career transitions. The Main Library also offers a reading room, a Baton Rouge Archives Room and genealogy collection, a technology lab, children’s and teen rooms with LED light displays, 140 personal computers and 3D printing. It packs many advanced, creative services and design highlights into one compact building, which was built under budget.

The Board of Control’s pay-as-you-go plan kept the Main Library construction on tract, wisely using taxpayer funds. The building is completely paid for and owned by the board and community.

Highlights of the design include stained glass windows (designed by LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture Professor Emeritus Jon Emerson), a recycled paper waterfall spanning three floors, a drive-through/pickup window, and a landscaped roof terrace and gardens. Dewberry, one of the nation’s leading firms in library design, provided programming, interior architecture, interior design, and audio-visual engineering.

Since opening in January 2014, the Main Library at Goodwood has hosted about 780,246 visitors, had 967,431 items checked out, helped more than 183,025 with public computer usage and noted more than 250,000 free WiFi sessions in 2014.

For more information, call (225) 231-3710 or visit us online at ebrpl.com. For more information about the Main Library at Goodwood’s Landmark Library Award, read the article at http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/09/buildings/lbd/east-baton-rouge-parish-main-library-at-goodwood-new-landmark-libraries-2015-winner/. Rose Awards information can be obtained at http://www.aiabr.com/events/_rose.html. Information related to the 2015 Library Design Showcase may be found at http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2015/09/01/2015-library-design-showcase/. The ENR recognition information can be found at http://www.dewberry.com/news/article/2015/09/11/main-library-at-goodwood-selected-for-major-awards.

Modernism in Louisiana Symposium Schedule Announced

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Architecture, ,

Modernism in Louisiana Symposium

Samuel G. and Marion Wiener House (1937), Shreveport, Louisiana (photo by Guy W. Carwile)

The LSU College of Art & Design presents, “Modernism in Louisiana,” a symposium at the LSU Hilltop Arboretum (11855 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810), 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, October 10, 2015. A complete schedule is provided below.

The symposium coincides with the opening of The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley, a traveling photographic exhibition celebrating the life and career of one of the most important and influential modernist landscape architects of the 20th century, on view at the LSU Student Union Art Gallery October 9–December 16, 2015.

The symposium explores the modern movement of architecture and landscape architecture in Louisiana and includes presentations on the following topics:

  • European influences on early modernist architects in Louisiana (keynote presentation),
  • growing up in an iconic modern house in Hammond,
  • how “landscape modernism” came to LSU’s nascent program in landscape architecture,
  • special concerns on preserving modernist structures, and
  • the importance of modern architecture in a state that values its design heritage.

Participants include:

  • Keynote presentation by Karen Kingsley, PhD, professor emerita, Tulane University—coauthor of The Modernist Architecture of Samuel G. and William B. Wiener (forthcoming from LSU Press 2016) and author of Buildings of Louisiana (Oxford University Press, 2003);
  • Michael Desmond, PhD, professor, LSU School of Architecture—author of The Architecture of LSU (LSU Press, 2013);
  • Max Conrad, professor, LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture—author of Landscape Architecture and New Orleans: Room for Only One?;
  • Andrew Ferrell, chief of the Architecture and Engineering Program, National Park Service’s National Center for Preservation Training and Technology, Natchitoches; and
  • John Stubbs, Favrot Senior Professor Practice and director of the Master of Preservation Studies program, Tulane University School of Architecture.

Read more about the symposium speakers.

Support for the exhibition and symposium is provided by contributions from Shelby and John Saer; Douglas P. Reed; Shaun S. Duncan; Keith P. LeBlanc; James D. Burnett; Tim J. Orlando; Jeffrey K. Carbo Landscape Architects; American Society of Landscape Architects, Louisiana Chapter; Parkside Foundation; Charles L. Whited Jr.; and the Martha Polk Douglas Living Trust.

“Modernism in Louisiana” is free and open to the public; however space is limited so registration is required. To register, fill out the online form here or call Lake Douglas at 225-578-9222. Professionals will sign-in to receive continuing education credits.

Register now.

Modernism in Louisiana Symposium Schedule

LSU College of Art & Design
Saturday, October 10, 2015

8:30–9 a.m.
Coffee/pastries, Design Building Atrium

9:15 a.m.
Welcome from LSU College of Art & Design Dean Alkis Tsolakis

9:20 a.m.
Introduction to symposium and The Landscape Architecture Legacy of Dan Kiley exhibition from Associate Dean and Associate Professor Lake Douglas

9:30-10 a.m.
Keynote Speaker: Karen Kingsley
“Making it Modern: Louisiana”

10:05-10:35 a.m.
Michael Desmond
“Growing Up in a Modern Environment”

10:40-11:10 a.m.
Max Conrad
“Landscape Modernism Comes to LSU via Dr. Robert ‘Doc’ Reich”

11:15-11:45 a.m.
Andrew Ferrell
“Preserving Modernism”

11:50 a.m. -12:10 p.m.
John Stubbs
Response & Comments

12:15-12:30 p.m.
Lake Douglas
Q&A

12:45-2 p.m.
Buffet lunch for speakers, sponsors, dean’s guests
LSU Design Building Commons, room 104

Owen Lang, FASLA, Named Fall 2015 Nadine Carter Russell Chair in Landscape Architecture

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Faculty, Donors,

nadine carter russell chair

Owen Lang, fall 2015 Nadine Carter Russell Endowed Chair

Owen Lang, FASLA, has been named the fall 2015 Nadine Carter Russell Chair, a rotating residency shared among the four disciplines in the LSU College of Art & Design. This year’s residency is with the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Lang is one of two 2015–16 Nadine Carter Russell Endowed Chairs; Catherine Seavitt Nordenson will serve as Nadine Carter Russell Chair in spring 2016.

Lang received a BS in landscape architecture from California State Polytechnic University’s School of Environmental Design and an MLA from Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects with more than 40 years of experience involving significant planning and urban design projects for private, public, and institutional clients. He teaches in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the San Francisco Academy of Art University. Lang is also a member of UC San Diego’s Design Review Board and serves as the campus landscape architect.

Prior to establishing Owen Lang Consulting, Lang was a Principal of Sasaki Associates’ San Francisco office from 1983 to 2009. His projects at Sasaki ranged from redeveloping Disneyland in Anaheim to designing EuroDisneyland in Paris to commercial developments, shopping centers, and university campuses. His professional history includes design and planning at nationally-renowned firms including SWA Group, EDAW, Wallace McHarg Roberts and Todd, Sasaki Dawson DeMay & Associates, and Lawrence Halprin & Associates.

 

Lang’s expertise includes urban mixed-use districts, downtown revitalization plans, community design plans, corporate/commercial facilities, recreation/resort facilities, and—his most prominent and impactful work—transit-oriented development and repurposing urban waterfronts.

As Nadine Carter Russell Chair, Lang will present a lecture at the college, “Repurposing the Urban Landscape,” on October 26. Throughout the semester, he is working with LSU landscape architecture graduate and undergraduate students on an urban design project along the South Platt River Corridor in Denver, Colorado, for Professor Bruce Sharky’s Advanced Topic Studio. The students are investigating environmental issues, such as flood plain mitigation, drought, and redevelopment concepts, considering recreational opportunities that can help neighboring redevelopments engage with the river as an asset. Lang will be a member of the jury during mid-term and final reviews.

Throughout his career, Lang has become a master of collaboration, and he has much to share regarding the way he thinks about long-term, large-scale projects.

“Collaboration is essential with public projects,” stated Lang. His approach involves the participation of multi-jurisdictional agencies, special interest groups, and community organizations to forge shared understanding and support for public and private improvements, such as the North Embarcadero  Alliance Visionary Plan for the Port of San Diego. For this massive, multiphase project, Lang had to learn, on the job, how to work with the five governmental agencies with jurisdiction over the 300-acre project area. In this role, he served as the ring leader, facilitating meetings between the community, port, city, redevelopment agency, county, and the U.S. Navy to craft a comprehensive master plan to guide the redevelopment of the city’s downtown waterfront.

nadine carter russell chair

Breakfast at Louie’s, a Nadine Carter Russell Chair tradition

The community saw Lang as an outsider without compromising affiliations willing to be candid regarding the issues confronting the port, the city, and the citizens. His strong physical design sense and graphic skills allowed him to communicate design concepts throughout the progressive phases of the project. His interactive models with flexible—even movable—parts served as a catalyst to help citizens and officials become a part of the discussion.

The North Embarcadero Alliance Visionary Plan was completed and approved by the California Coastal Commission in 1989 and is still being implemented today via a Joint Powers Authority. The experience launched Lang’s career into more challenging waterfront development projects. “I had the lessons learned and insights—but most importantly, the confidence—to approach large-scale problems,” said Lang, who has since been called in to collaborate on repurposing strategies after several natural disasters, including the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco.

In his private practice, Owen Lang Consulting, Lang continues to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of design professionals, consulting on mixed-use projects in California, the Pacific Northwest, and Hawaii. Visit owenlang.com to view more of Lang’s projects throughout this impressive career as a leader in the landscape architecture profession.

More about the Nadine Carter Russell Chair 

In 1998, Paula G. Manship bestowed a fund for the LSU College of Art & Design to establish the Nadine Carter Russell Chair, named for her niece, a 1967 graduate of the College of Art & Design with a degree in art history. The Nadine Carter Russell Chair enables the LSU College of Art & Design to annually bring a prominent artist, designer, or scholar to campus. The rotating chair provides outstanding opportunities for all disciplines within the college and allows the college to meet a variety of curriculum needs. The duties of the chair primarily focus on teaching and public lectures but vary depending on the recipient’s field of expertise. 

 

 

 

 

Alumni Spotlight: Gregory T. Switzer, BID 1990

Art & Design, Interior Design, Alumni, Alumni Profiles,

gregory switzerFor the third year in a row, Gregory Switzer Architecture, PC (GSAPC), was named an LSU100: Fastest Growing Tiger Businesses honoree. Created by the E. J. Ourso College of Business Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, LSU100 identifies, recognizes, and celebrates the 100 fastest-growing LSU-owned or LSU-led businesses in the world, showcasing the entrepreneurial success of former LSU students.

“I do my best to represent LSU well within the marketplace, but I didn’t expect this,” said Gregory T. Switzer, who received a Bachelor of Interior Design from LSU in 1990. “It is amazing and truly an honor to have been selected a third time.”

Gregory T. Switzer, AIA, also holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the Pratt Institute. He was a research fellow at Cornell University and has authored several sections of various books and publications, including a contribution to the Interior Design Handbook of Professional Practice. He passed the ARE at 24 years old and is currently a licensed architect in 14 states and Washington, D.C. He was also named one The Network Journal’s “40 under Forty Achievers.”

Switzer founded GSAPC in New York City in 2003 “in response to the ever-changing architecture and interiors marketplace.” He described GSAPC as a small, boutique practice whose projects include high-end residential work, government/city agencies, trendy bars and restaurants, and adaptive re-use projects, such as converting warehouses to apartments.

“Interiors are a big part of what we do,” said Switzer. “We integrate between interiors and architecture with the aim of providing design-conscious projects that reflect the highest level of attention to detail and cost.”

Interior architecture is Switzer’s birthright, in a way. His father is Interior Design Magazine “Hall of Famer” Lou Switzer, founder, chairman, and CEO of The Switzer Group, Inc., one of the nation’s most progressive interior architectural design consulting firms since 1975. Today, The Switzer Group is the nation’s largest black-owned interior architectural design firm and is currently among the top 100 American design firms.

The younger Switzer became interested in interior design working for his father in middle school. He learned to be extremely neat and patient, drawing and drafting manually. After graduation, he spent a summer in Europe and, that same year, moved to New York City for a position at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)—one of the largest and most influential architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world.

While at SOM, Switzer obtained his Bachelor of Architecture from the Pratt Institute. He left SOM to work at The Switzer Group for a couple of years until he decided to start his own practice with a friend and fellow New Yorker, Steven Lowery.

“Our one and only project was the private residence of Morgan Freeman in Charleston, Mississippi,” Switzer laughed.

Switzer rejoined The Switzer Group and ended up spending the next few years working in every department from accounting to marketing. He became a principal and was instrumental in opening offices in Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, D.C.

“I had the full ‘big firm’ experience. I got caught up in the management end of the profession for a while,” Switzer explained, “but I was always—first and foremost—a designer at heart.”

His desire to get back to what he enjoyed most led him to start GSAPC in 2003. Switzer’s proven management techniques and 20 years of experience ensure strong leadership from project conceptualization through each phase of implementation. GSAPC clients include Vanity Fair Intimates, Freida Rothman, Loews Corporation, Universal Music Group/Island Def Jam, Ace Mortgage, FiberVisions, the New York City Police Department, CB Richard Ellis, and more.

 

“Every single project has its own challenges and aesthetic,” said Switzer. “I’m proud of every project—even the first ones. I still can’t believe some of the stuff that I put out there.”

Switzer credits LSU with much of his early success. “LSU was the foundation of my education,” Switzer recalled. “The Bachelor of Interior Design program is really phenomenal and competitive. I learned how to think outside the box and be resourceful to get things done. Being in Louisiana at LSU—not in the center of a major design district—everything was still there. I breezed through architecture school thanks to the foundation I built at LSU.”

LSU100 not only celebrates successful alumni like Gregory Switzer, it also provides a forum to pass lessons to the next generation of LSU entrepreneurs. Switzer’s advice to young students is to consider “going small” after graduation. “So many young graduates are star-struck and want a big firm on their resumes. You don’t necessarily have to go to a big firm. Your professional development will grow a lot faster at a smaller firm, where you will learn the profession inside and out, from beginning to end.”

GSAPC’s interns receive a complete and rounded experience. “They get their hands around a lot of different project types at a lot of different phases, all at the same time,” Switzer said. He encourages young professionals to think about their resumes as more than a piece of paper. “Think about your portfolio paired with your personality—what really sets you apart. You don’t have to focus so much on relationships with other professionals; your work speaks for itself.”

Visit switzerpc.com for more information about LSU100 honoree Gregory Switzer Architecture, PC.

The LSU100 Honoree Luncheon will be held at the L’Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge on October 23, 2015. View the complete LSU100 list of honorees at lsu100.com.

 

Floating Identity by Hye Yeon Nam Featured at Amorepacific Museum of Art in Korea

Art & Design, Art, Digital Art, Faculty,

Floating Identity (2015) from Hye Yeon Nam on Vimeo.

Floating Identity by Hye Yeon Nam, assistant professor of digital art at the LSU School of Art, is on display now through October 25, 2015, at the Amorepacific Museum of Art (APMA) in Korea. The installation is part of the third exhibition of the Amorepacific Museum of Art Project (APMAP), which takes place in the outdoor spaces of the AMOREPACIFIC R&D Center in Yongin. Artists who explore the beauty of sense and cognition were invited from around the world to participate. Under the theme of “Technology towards New Beauty,” 16 artist teams were chosen to create artworks that show both the artists’ research processes and outcomes. Viewers are invited to walk between the works and contemplate the artists’ questions and concepts, starting the meditative journey.

Nam’s installation, Floating Identity, features a woman’s face submerged in water in a granite pond. The water is a metaphor for the fluidity of modern society, and the face is a symbol for socially agreed beauty and identity of the modern woman. The facial expression can be changed via the manual handles with the active participation of the audience, revealing the variables of the standards of beauty in today’s society.

View more of Nam’s work at hynam.org.

Visit museum.amorepacific.co.kr/en/yonging2015.asp for more information about the exhibition and the Amorepacific Museum of Art.