Exhibits

Installed

January 20–April 1, 2012

Organized in conjunction with the Whither Installation symposium at the University of Michigan, this exhibition brings together the disparate work of Taubman College faculty who have used fabrication and large-scale constructs as a means of researching alternate modes of architectural production. Although the work included in the exhibit shares size manipulation as a strategy, the subjects of inquiry and their implications differ widely. Several of the projects explore social constructs by intervening in public and private spaces; some projects provide a window into emerging or outmoded construction techniques and their cultural legacies; while others insist on simply imagining an alternative future by researching the possibilities of new technologies. Together, the work provides a cross section of the transformative potential of the small-size/large-scale as a rich testing ground within the discipline of architecture.

Exhibiting Faculty: Ellie Abrons, Joshua Bard, Craig Borum, Karl Daubmann, Adam Fure, Jennifer Harmon, Maciej P. Kaczynski, Vivian Lee, Stephen Mankouche, Wes McGee, Meredith Miller, Keith Mitrick, Thom Moran, Catie Newell, Tsz Ng, Monica Ponce de Leon, Mireille Roddier, Matthew Schulte, Rosalyne Shieh, Anya Sirota, Geoffrey Thun, Anca Trandafirescu, Kathy Velikov, Glenn Wilcox.

Research Through Making

Taubman College Liberty Annex, 305 W Liberty Street
January 20–April 7, 2012

Historically, research and creative practice have been constructed as "opposites." This is not an unusual struggle in architecture schools, particularly in the context of a research university. Moreover, this perceived tension between design and research is indicative of age-old anxieties within the field of architecture to understand its own nature as an "applied art." The boundary between "art" and its "application" has always been an existential crisis for the field. In some instances, architectural design can be a purely creative activity not unlike practices in music and art. In other cases, architecture can be a purely problem-solving activity, not unlike research in engineering and industrial production. The boundaries between these activities are never clear, since their methods and techniques in the context of design are ultimately very similar.

The Research Through Making Faculty Research Grant Program at the University of Michigan seeks to set aside these struggles by acknowledging MAKING as the common denominator that cuts across the imaginary boundaries between design and research. Now in its third installment, five grants were awarded to architecture faculty in 2011 for the production of a research or creative project predicated on MAKING; the results of their work are the projects on view in this exhibition. Entries were evaluated this year by a distinguished jury from outside the University of Michigan that included Melissa DeVos, co-founder, Art Prize; Raymund Ryan, curator, Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art; Anne Rieselbach, program director and Gregory Wessner, exhibition director, Architectural League of New York.

Projects:

Morphfaux… Recovering Plaster as Architectural Substrate, Steven Mankouche, Joshua Bard, and Matthew Schulte
Glass Cast, Catie Newell and Wes McGee
Ruralopolitan Maneuvers / HOUSE 50, Mary-Ann Ray and Robert Mangurian
Dirty Work, Neal Robinson
Resonant Chamber, Geoffrey Thun, Wes McGee, and Kathy Velikov

AIA Huron Valley Honor Awards

Art and Architecture Building, East Hall
February 1–29, 2012

The Huron Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Huron Valley) presents the recipients of its 2011 Honor Awards Program. Twenty-six projects, designed by registered architects practicing in the Huron Valley Chapter area (Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties), were submitted for consideration to an independent jury. Eight of the projects received an award for the demonstration of skill and sensitivity in the resolution of aesthetic, functional and technical requirements and/or the advancement of the contemporary understanding of architecture.

2011-2012 Fellows

April 9–20

The 2011-2012 Architecture Fellows present the results of their research in this exhibition. Each of the three installations focuses on a specific area of architectural inquiry. James Macgillivray, the William Muschenheim Fellow, investigates space as experienced in film; Kyle Reynolds, the Willard A. Oberdick Fellow, posits the potential of indexical techniques of urban design; Etienne Turpin, the Walter B. Sanders Fellow, explores the centrality of labor as a force capable of transforming cities.

Unless otherwise stated, exhibitions are held in Taubman College Gallery, room 2106 at the Art and Architecture Building. Gallery hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Events are free and open to the public.

Event Supporters

Guido A. Binda Lecture and Exhibition Fund, John Dinkeloo Memorial Lecture Fund, Raoul Wallenberg Lecture Fund, Frances and Gilbert P. Schafer Visiting Professionals Fund, J. Robert Swanson Fund, Taubman College Enrichment Fund, Taubman College Lecture Fund