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30 Years of LSU Printmaking

Students, Publications, Art, Printmaking, ,

30 Years of LSU Printmaking, designed and produced by the LSU School of Art’s Graphic Design Student Office (GDSO), heralds and documents a laboratory of arts experimentation and innovation and celebrates the school’s mission to balance the roles of curriculum development and classroom teaching with artistic exploration and creative activity.

Professor Emeritus Kimberly Arp worked with Bradley Sumrall, head curator of the Ogden Museum of Art, to curate an exhibition of graduate and undergraduate prints from the LSU Print Workshop Student Archives for an exhibition of 30 Years of LSU Printmaking. Featuring prints created by students who attended LSU from 1980 to 2010, the exhibition was one of the highlights of the Southern Graphics Council International Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in March 2012. Upon Professor Arp’s retirement in 2015, after teaching printmaking at LSU in for 38 years, the LSU School of Art and the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes, through the LSU College of Art & Design, funded the publication of this book, 30 Years of LSU Printmaking.

lsu printmaking

30 Years of LSU Printmaking

The book serves as a testament to the LSU School of Art’s printmakers—those who have embraced traditional, digital, new, and innovative methods of image making. The work featured in 30 Years of LSU Printmaking demonstrates the continuation of the practice to explore advanced avenues of collaboration and expansive art making while maintaining the integrity of existing traditional methods such as lithography, intaglio, relief, silkscreen, and the art of book and papermaking—showcasing diversity in imagery and approaches to the print medium.

“I offer my heartfelt appreciation to the dedication of our printmaking faculty represented over these 30 years,” stated Rod Parker, director of the School of Art. “James Burke, Kimberly Arp, and Leslie Koptcho. They are the champions of every work presented here.”

The LSU School of Art extends thanks to Kenneth Miles of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student-Athletes for his distinct vision, enthusiasm, and support for the production of 30 Years of LSU Printmaking. His generous patronage of this initiative has given life to a permanent record of 30 years in printmaking at LSU.

Scholarship by Art Historian Darius A. Spieth featured in Official Journal of the Louvre Museum

Art & Design, Research, Publications, Art History, Art, Faculty, ,

LSU Art History Professor Darius A. Spieth was invited to contribute an article in French to the current issue of La Grande Galerie, the official journal of the Louvre Museum.

The invitation was extended on the occasion of the exhibition Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1755-1842, held in the Grand Palais exhibition space in Paris. Spieth’s essay highlights the life of Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun’s husband, Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun, a leading Parisian art dealer at the turn of the 19th century.

le brun self portrait

Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun (1748-1813), Self-Portrait, Salon of 1795, oil on canvas, 131 x 99 cm. Private collection

Best known for being Queen Marie-Antoinette’s portraitist, Mme Vigée Le Brun was a painter of extraordinary talent. Her accomplishments as an artist largely eclipsed the historical significance of her spouse as an art dealer and as a powerbroker in the Louvre’s administration during the French Revolution. Catering to a foreign and noble clientele before the Revolution of 1789, Jean-Baptiste Pierre Le Brun turned into a supporter of radical Jacobins like Maximilien Robespierre or painter Jacques-Louis David. A personal friend of David, Le Brun played a crucial role in helping the French revolutionaries gain control of the artistic riches left behind by the crown, clergy, and nobility. He promoted the acquisition of 17th-century Netherlandish art by the newly founded museum, worked for the French revenue services as an art appraiser, and acted as an external advisor for the Louvre until Napoleon Bonaparte’s arrival at power in 1799. During the Revolution, he divorced Mme Vigée Le Brun, who, as a royalist supporter, had left France to escape the political turmoil. Le Brun’s attempts to launch a comeback as an art dealer in the early 19th century were met with little success so that he had to sell, in 1807, the premises of his expansive art gallery to his ex-wife.

Visit amisdulouvre.fr/images/grande-galerie/archives/GG33.pdf to view Spieth’s article in La Grande Galerie. View the current issue of La Grande Galerie at amisdulouvre.fr/grande-galerie/grande-galerie.htm. For more information about the exhibition, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1755-1842 in the Grand Palais, visit grandpalais.fr/en/event/elisabeth-louise-vigee-le-brun.

la grande galerieMore about La Grande Galerie, le Journal du Louvre

The magazine Grande Galerie, le Journal du Louvre is devoted to the artistic and cultural life of the Musée du Louvre. Designed as an original, accessible, and informative aid to a museum visit, it also reflects the richness of the museum’s collection and events, and is a collectible reference work. In addition to information on current exhibitions and events at the Louvre, the magazine includes news of the acquisitions and restoration projects that keep the collection alive and the sponsors and donors whose support makes that possible. Special features are devoted to famous or lesser-known treasures housed in the museum, with original thematic trails for adults and children alike. Elegantly laid out and beautifully illustrated, with articles by curators, eminent art historians, writers, artists, and special guest contributors, Grande Galerie, le Journal du Louvre is sure to delight all devotees of the Louvre and its treasures. Visit editions.louvre.fr/en/grande-galerie.html for more information about Le Grande Galerie.

The LSU School of Art Presents Fine Lines Thin Places

Art & Design, Visiting Artists, Galleries, Art, Exhibitions, Lectures, ,

fine lines thin places

The LSU School of Art presents Fine Lines Thin Places, the 2015–16 season of lectures and exhibitions by visiting artists and scholars.

Fine lines describes, in the Celtic tradition, a space that is filled with an extraordinary spiritual richness. This season, we try to strike a balance between this quest for primordial spirituality and the demands of the fast-paced contemporary and digital age. Our selection of artists suggests a dialogue between the mind and the physical world. Fine Lines Thin Places is the intertwining of two or more seemingly distinct elements and the celebration of how this interweaving of disparate components can unleash new visions and unique approaches to creativity.

*Denotes artists who have an exhibition and lecture

LECTURES

OCT 1 at 6 p.m. | JONATHAN PELLITTERI
LSU School of Art Lecture
LSU Design Building, room 220

OCT 20 at 6 p.m. | JENNIFER ALLEN
Ceramics Area Student Association (CASA) Sponsored Lecture
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

OCT 21 at 5 p.m. | SEAN CAULFIELD*
“Studio Practice, Printmaking, and Interdisciplinary Collaborations”
Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Endowed Lecture Series
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

NOV 11 at 5 p.m. | DARIO ROBLETO
School of Art Lecture
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

FEB 3 at 6 p.m. | AYUMI HORIE*
Ceramics Area Student Association (CASA) Sponsored Lecture
LSU Design Building Commons (room 104)

FEB 17 at 5 p.m. | ALEX KANEVSKY*
Alfred C. Glassell Jr. Endowed Lecture Series
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

MAR 16 at 5 p.m. | RICHARD NIESSEN
Paula G. Manship Endowed Lecture Series
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

APR 20 at 5 p.m. | BARNABY BARFORD
Paula G. Manship Endowed Lecture Series
LSU Design Building Auditorium (room 103)

EXHIBITIONS

Katrina @ 10
Glassell Gallery: August 27–October 4, 2015
Curated by Professor Emeritus Thomas Neff
Featuring photographic works by Catie Sampson, Jennifer Shaw, David G. Spielman, Jonathan Traviesa, and Thomas Neff
Reception: Thursday, September 10, 6–8 p.m.

La Vie En Rouge
Foster Gallery: September 8–October 9, 2015
Work by LSU School of Art graduate students
Reception: Friday, September 25, 6–8 p.m.

Landscapes and the Approaching Present: The Art of Sean Caulfield*
Glassell Gallery: October 22–December 6, 2015
Reception: Thursday, October 22, 6–8 p.m.

Smoke Signals
Foster Gallery: October 26–November 20, 2015
Works by University of New Orleans graduate students presented as part of the Exhibition Exchange program
Reception: Friday, October 6, 6–8 p.m.

Unstable Equilibrium: The Art of Alex Kanevsky*
Foster Gallery: January 25–February 26, 2016
Reception: Thursday, February 18, 6–8 p.m.

8 Fluid Ounces 2016: Ceramic Cup Exhibition
Glassell Gallery: January 26–March 6, 2016
Curated by Ayumi Horie*
Reception: Thursday, February 4, 6–8 p.m.

2nd Annual Statewide Juried High School Exhibition
Foster Gallery: March 4–31, 2016
Reception: Saturday, March 19, 2–4 p.m.

Janice Sachse Retrospective
Glassell Gallery: March 29–April 17, 2016
Reception: Saturday, April 9, 6–8 p.m.

SYMPOSIUM

“New Faces under Old Masks: Race, Gender, and the Future of Superheroes”
Hill Memorial Library, September 22, 4–6 p.m.

LSU Students to Participate in National PARK(ing) Day

Art & Design, Students, Landscape Architecture, Architecture, ,

parking day

National Park(ing) Day’s annual takeover and transformation of parking spaces around the world takes place this Friday, September 18, 2015.

National PARK(ing) Day is an established, open-source event that challenges citizens, artists, and designers to reimagine the space of the car. How can we rethink the space we allot to parking? How can it be used for something more beneficial to the overall community rather than a single business or automobile driver?

LSU students in the College of Art & Design are celebrating Park(ing) Day by designing parklets on and off campus.

The LSU Student Chapter of the American Association of Landscape Architects are creating a parklet on LSU’s campus right in front of the Design Building on Field House Drive, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Fifteen LSU School of Architecture students enrolled in Professional in Residence William Doran’s community design seminar (ARCH 4072), Mid City Studio, have partnered with the Mid City Redevelopment Alliance and local businesses to create three parklets in Mid City Baton Rouge for Park(ing) Day:

Site #1: Baton Rouge General Hospital

3500 Florida Boulevard, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Key issue: Sustenance (Food Systems) in Communities
Other partners: Whole Foods Baton Rouge, Agame Yoga
Challenge: Engage the public in education about food deserts, the benefits of fresh foods and how they can be grown, and host a participatory planting activity
Other activities on site: Yoga classes (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.), Whole Foods Grant Program table, on-site nutritionist, adult recess

Site #2: Aladdin’s Lamp Antiques

2648 Government Street, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Key issue: Literacy in communities
Other partners: Brew-Ha-Ha Coffee, Mid City Redevelopment Alliance, LSU Museum of Art, Gaudet Bros.
Challenge: Engage the public in education about literacy, the benefits of reading, ways to access books, this site will host a book drive to stock little free libraries that will be placed throughout Mid City
Other activities on site: Brew-Ha-Ha serving coffee, lemonade, and cake balls (free with book donation!)

Site #3: The Radio Bar

3079 Government Street, 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Key issue: Cultural importance of art in communities 
Other partners: Body Image Tattoo, Atomic Pop Shop, Bricks and Bombs, Violet Lotus Studio 
Challenge: Engage the public in education about the cultural value of all art, especially non-traditional forms and non-traditional venues; expose the public to the breadth of what is considered art and the benefits of making art; this site will host a participatory art project and pop-up gallery
Other activities on site: Belly dancing, food truck, and live music

Find Mid City Studio on Instagram @midcitystudioBR and Facebook at facebook.com/midcitysutioBR. Discover more parklets and learn more about National PARK(ing) Day at parkingday.org.

Art History Professor Susan Elizabeth Ryan Presents at ISEA 2015

Research, Art History, Art, Faculty,

lsu art history professor susan elizabeth ryan

 

Susan Elizabeth Ryan, art history professor at LSU and author of Garments of Paradise: Wearable Discourse in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2014), presented her paper, “Hyperdressing: Wearable Technology in the Time of Global Warming,” at Disruption—ISEA 2015, the 21st International Symposium on Electronic Art (ISEA) in Vancouver.

“Hyperdressing” is inspired by the writings of Timothy Morton and his concepts of hyperobjects and ecological thought. Ryan’s paper views the evolution of wearable technologies in terms of both dressing and environmental awareness. Historically, dressing has always been bound with technology. Ideas, behaviors, and materials come together on our bodies so as to administer to our human condition. Since the rise of capitalism, the dominant paradigm for dressing has been fashion—one of the premises driving current trends in wearable technology alongside other drives like ubiquitous computing, affective computing, our innate yearning for perfection, and the Quantified Self.

But Ryan’s paper describes an alternative view of wearable technology that presumes a world increasingly beyond our control. As technology changes, dressing now undergoes transformation beyond the fashion paradigm, which serves individual self or self-identity, to a next phase. Will future dressing accessorize a Quantified Self based in biometric devices that accelerate environmental waste? Or might we dress for greater intimacy and openness amid overpowering natural forces and hyperobjects?

Read the full text of Ryan’s paper, “Hyperdressing: Wearable Technology in the Time of Global Warming,” isea2015.org/proceeding/submissions/ISEA2015_submission_38.pdf.

About ISEA

ISEA is one of the world’s most prominent international arts and technology events, bringing together scholarly, artistic, and scientific domains in an interdisciplinary discussion and showcase of creative productions applying new technologies in art, interactivity, and electronic and digital media. The event annually brings together artists, designers, academics, technologists, scientists, and general audience members in the thousands. The symposium consists of a peer reviewed conference, a series of exhibitions, and various partner events—from large-scale interactive artwork in public space to cutting edge electronic music performance. The series of ISEA symposia is coordinated by ISEA International. Founded in the Netherlands in 1990, ISEA International (formerly Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts) is an international non-profit organization fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organizations and individuals working with art, science and technology. Visit isea2015.org for more information about the symposium and conference.

Ashley Libys Wins Interior Design Excellence Award for Senior Capstone Project

Art & Design, Students, Interior Design, ,

lsu interior design alumniRecent LSU School of Interior Design graduate Ashley Libys won an Interior Design Excellence Award in the student commercial category for her senior capstone project at the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Delta Regional Chapter Awards Gala.

The gala provides a forum for recognizing excellence in interior design within the region of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The competition’s purpose is to celebrate outstanding examples of designed interior spaces. This recognition provides IIDA the opportunity to promote public awareness of design excellence, elevating the interior design profession. The award submissions are peer reviewed through a blind jury.

“Ashley was an extraordinary student and has a very promising future in the profession,” said Associate Professor Marsha Cuddeback, Ashley’s capstone advisor. “During the year-long capstone process, she was focused and relentless in her pursuit of an innovative research project and design solution. Her capstone project certainly adds value to the body of knowledge in hospitality interior design.”

lsu interior design alumni

Ashley’s senior capstone project, “Stays to Remember: Enhancing Hotel Experiences through Design,” investigates and explores the psychological effects of interior spaces in the hospitality industry in order to understand how the elements of design create memorable experiences to distinguish hotels from their competitors and increase repeat guests. As the hospitality industry adapts to an increasing clientele of the millennial generation—more concerned with the design or experience of a space rather than reliable, friendly staff, Ashley argues—unique design experiences of hotels are crucial.

The building and site for her adaptive reuse hotel was the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, designed by Eskew+Dumez+Ripple. “Hotel Fusion” is designed to support the millennial generation and create positive memorable hotel experiences consistently through every stay. The design is inspired by Louisiana landscapes, including long views, intimate wetlands, and tall pine forests. The hotel features a variety of community based amenity spaces, including a social lounge, pizza kitchen, wine bar, spa, gym, and an outdoor infinity pool. Each space blends multifunctional activity spaces for socializing, technology, and privacy.

lsu interior design alumni

Ashley became interested in interior design at a young age as she observed her parents working with designers and architects to build their dream home. Her early fascination with how different wall colors, floorings, and light fixtures affect people’s emotional responses within each space sparked her interest in design and led her to pursue her capstone investigation.

lsu interior design alumni“Receiving this award is exciting and a big honor,” said Ashley. “The emotional impact that spaces have on people is what sparked my interest in pursuing a career in design. I worked really hard throughout the year to translate my research into a design. It was exciting to see my hard work be recognized.”

Ashley graduated from the School of Interior Design in May 2015 and plans to pursue a graduate degree in architecture.

About IIDA

IIDA is a professional networking and educational association of more than 13,000 members in 10 specialty forums in 31 chapters around the world. The organization is committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge. Visit iida-delta.org for more information about the IIDA Delta Regional Chapter.

William Doran Partners with MCRA to Make Historic Firehouse an Active Part of Mid City Community

Art & Design, Community Outreach, Architecture, ,

Historic Laurel Street Firehouse Revitalization Starts with Free Coffee Mornings on the Front Porch

laurel street firehouse

In spring of 2015, ownership of one of the oldest fire stations in Baton Rouge was transferred to local non-profit Mid City Redevelopment Alliance (MCRA), which plans to utilize the structure as a hub for community activities in the Mid City area. The first planned activity is a free coffee morning on the last Friday of every month, to be held on the front porch of the nearly 90-year-old building at 1801 Laurel Street in Mid City. The Spanish-revival-style structure was built next to the Historic Magnolia Cemetery in 1926 and served as an active station until it was decommissioned in 2011. MCRA Executive Director Samuel Sanders has high hopes for the building.

“The Old Laurel Street Firehouse is an iconic Mid City structure and we are committed to returning it to the community.” said Sanders. “After seeing it sit unoccupied for three years, we decided who better than us to demonstrate what can be done in Mid City.”

laurel street FirehouseThe Mid City Redevelopment Alliance has been in Baton Rouge for nearly 25 years and focuses on community-oriented redevelopment in the Mid City region. MCRA is partnering with LSU School of Architecture faculty member William Doran to see that the fire house becomes an active part of the Mid City community. The organization also hired Creative Placemaking Coordinator Lynley Farris to help organize the effort.

Doran has partnered with MCRA for the last three years to develop service-based courses in the School of Architecture, which have been dubbed the “Mid City Studio.” Participating students are given opportunities to engage local community members and propose architectural concepts for projects throughout Mid City. In 2012, this included schemes to turn the Laurel Street Fire House into a museum for the Baton Rouge Fire Department. The work can be found at midcitystudio.org and builds on a tradition of engagement for the School of Architecture.

“The School of Architecture has long sought ways to engage the community in Baton Rouge for a mutually beneficial relationship between design and education,” said School of Architecture Director Jori Erdman. “Working with communities teaches our students great lessons in how to collaborate, compromise, and fight for what they believe in . . . all lessons that will serve them well as professional architects.”

“We hope to continue the work started here three years ago,” said Doran, “with a new focus for the firehouse on community engagement and recurring programs like coffee mornings.”

Free coffee will not be the only thing given away at coffee mornings.

MCRA Creative Placemaking Coordinator Lynley Farris said, “We plan to continue the social media campaign, #iammidcity, that began with LSU students late last year, by giving away free miniature hashtags to the first 20 people who attend the event.”

The studio will provide art supplies for visitors to customize the hashtags and take them home. MCRA will also begin selling Mid City themed coffee mugs later this year to fund the firehouse project and other community-centered projects in Mid City. Community members are encouraged to bring a breakfast treat, a coffee mug, and meet their neighbors! Coffee mornings will begin on the front porch of the firehouse on July 31 from 7 to 9 a.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Richard Doubleday Leads Graphic Design Workshop in Nanjing, China

Art & Design, Art, Graphic Design, Faculty, , , ,

 

richard doubleday

Richard Doubleday (fourth from right) with Nanjing University of the Arts students

In May and June 2015, the Design College of the Nanjing University of the Arts hosted a workshop led by international designer and educator Richard B. Doubleday, assistant professor of graphic design at the LSU School of Art.

Twenty-five graduate students participated in the three-week workshop. To carry out the assignments, the students were encouraged to explore a wide range of techniques for the object iterations book project, translate a letterform into sculpture for the image-making poster, and, finally, develop storyboard concepts for a narrative telling a visual story using an image sequence. The students were required to use English text; Chinese calligraphy was optional.

 

The first project explored a wide variety of image-making mediums—drawing, photography, digital media, mixed media, found objects/images and type—through the selection of an everyday object represented 30 times. The objective was to explore image-making processes, develop an aesthetic sensibility and individual methodology, study connotative and denotative images, and exercise an iterative process.

 

For the second project, students explored form-development techniques and process through type and image experiments. The initial step was to conduct a series of type experiments using one letter, then to draw the letter using a variety of materials, techniques, and tools, translating it into a three-dimensional letterform. The next step was to photograph the letterform, choose the most compelling photograph, and analyze the form to determine the subject matter for an event of their choice. The final step was to design a 50 x 70 centimeter poster announcing an event. The purpose of this project was to develop form-making techniques and processes, to design with expressive/connotative and literal/denotative typography, and to develop content applied to a poster based on form.

richard doubleday

Workshop space at Nanjing University of the Arts

For the third project, students chose a topic and told its story us­ing stop-motion animation. The objective of this project was to tell a visual story through an image sequence, exploring elements of time-based design—including rhythm, pacing, and sound—as aids to develop a sophisticated narrative.

richard doubleday

Exhibition poster for work created during Doubleday’s workshop at Nanjing University of the Arts

The student work created during the workshop was printed, assembled, and exhibited in the Design College art gallery.

The students spent the first two weeks of the workshop considering a wide range of techniques for their object iterations book; working through preliminary ideas for the image-making poster; and generating imagery for the stop-motion animation. The third week was spent creating the books, posters, and animations and completing the projects. The results were truly extraordinary.

The individual and group critiques enabled the students to get instantaneous feedback, critique their classmates’ design solutions, and articulate the ideas behind their own projects. The solutions combined Eastern and Western imagery with English text and Chinese calligraphy to form a unique and unusual juxtaposition of design elements.

The experience was yet another excellent collaboration and cross-cultural dialog in the graphic arts.

richard doubleday

Nanjing University of the Arts campus

About Nanjing University of the Arts

Nanjing University of the Arts is the only comprehensive arts institute in Jiangsu Province and one of the earliest art academies established in China. More than 10,000 students attend the university, including 8,997 undergraduates. The university consists of 14 schools, including fine arts, music, design, media, movie and television, dance, humanities, and cultural industry. Nanjing University of the Arts has become one of the most distinguished art universities in China and enjoys a high reputation in China and the world.

LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio Teams Up with Moffatt & Nichol and West 8 to Win Global Design Competition

Art & Design, Landscape Architecture, Coastal Sustainability Studio, Architecture,

changing course design competition

Designs Offer Solutions to Rebuild Mississippi River Delta, Protect Communities and Industries

The international Changing Course design competition announced its winning teams and the teams’ 100-year visions for restoring and sustaining the Mississippi River Delta for the people and industries that call it home. The three winning teams—comprised of some of the world’s top engineers, coastal scientists, planners, and designers—are Baird and Associates, Studio Misi-Ziibi, and Moffatt and Nichol, who teamed up with West 8 and the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio to create the winning proposal, “The Giving Delta.”

“We challenged the world’s top experts to find the most innovative ways to make sure that New Orleans and southeast Louisiana aren’t held hostage to worsening storms, rising seas, and a disappearing delta,” said Steve Cochran, associate vice president of Ecosystems at Environmental Defense Fund and a member of the Changing Course leadership team. “We hope the winning ideas will help citizens, communities, industries, and governments engage in real conversations about what it’s going to take to make this important region more resilient and prosperous.”

The winning teams’ designs are based on a 100-year planning horizon and focus on maximizing the Mississippi River’s natural and sustainable land-building potential while taking into the account of needs of navigation and other industries, flood control and sustainable community development—a challenge raised by the state of Louisiana’s master planning process.

“Because of the quality of the work, the state has committed to bringing the technical work from Changing Course into its process of analyzing the management scheme for the Lower Mississippi River,” said Kyle Graham, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority executive director.  “We look forward to working with the teams.”

Over the last century, nearly 1,900 square miles of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands have vanished. Every hour, a football-field-sized swath of land drowns in the Gulf’s advancing tides. At this rate, by 2100, Louisiana’s protective coast will be gone. The solutions proposed by the winning teams focus primarily on the Mississippi River south of New Orleans.

While each of the winning teams offered a different vision, all three identified three major themes as critical to sustaining the Mississippi River Delta today and into the future:

  • a clear focus on a sustainable delta through using the natural forces of the Mississippi River;
  • maximum integration of navigation, flood control, and restoration, including consideration of ideas for a better and more sustainable navigation channel;
  • consideration of a gradual transition of industry and communities into more protected and resilient communities, over time.

“As sea levels rise, communities around the world, particularly in major river deltas, need novel approaches to find sustainable solutions. Changing Course is a great example of how world-class expertise can be combined with local wisdom to produce ideas that work,” said Dr. Don Boesch, Changing Course leadership team member, professor of marine science, and president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Winning entry from Moffat & Nichol, West8, and LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio

Moffat and Nichol, one of the premiere coastal engineering firms in the world, built a diverse team eminently suited to develop an innovative approach to map out the bold decisions and framework necessary for a sustained and prosperous future for the Mississippi River. Their highly focused team members include West 8, an award-winning international design and landscape architecture firm composed of multi-disciplinary practitioners of large-scale master planning and design and landscape interventions, and the LSU Coastal Sustainability Studio, a leading voice bridging the efforts of scientists, engineers, architects, and landscape architects working to envision a better future for coastal Louisiana.

 

Read more about the teams and see their designs at changingcourse.us.

Changing Course is a design competition aimed at developing innovative solutions to rebuild and protect the Louisiana coast. It is led by a leadership team of prominent leaders in Louisiana’s civic, industry, and academic communities along with national experts in coastal resiliency, engineering, and design. It is supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, blue moon fund, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Shell, the Kresge Foundation, the Selley Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation. Leadership support is provided by the Van Alen Institute, a nonprofit organization that mobilizes the power of design to transform cities, landscapes, and regions to improve people’s lives, and the Environmental Defense Fund, which has 30 years of experience in the Mississippi River Delta region, with technical support from BuroHappold Engineering, a worldwide consulting and engineering firm.