A Visionary Campus 2018

Photograph of A Visionary Campus Exhibition

Senior Seminar Exhibition 2018

A Visionary Campus
Paul Rudolph and UMass Dartmouth

April 16 – April 28, 2018

Department of Art History – Capstone
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - Main Campus Art Gallery

A Visionary Campus exhibition explores UMass Dartmouth’s unique mid-century modern campus, located in southeastern Massachusetts. Designed by Paul Rudolph, critics consider this public university an architectural gem. Lead curators, Dr. Anna M. Dempsey & Prof. Allison J. Cywin, along with their curatorial team of animators, graphic designers, artists and historians, situate the campus’ architectural aesthetics within the period’s cultural history and politics. Viera Levitt's photographs of Brutalist buildings and Michael Swartz’s spherical photographs of UMass Dartmouth LARTS building were be featured as well.

The public exhibition reception included, a short introduction to Paul Rudolph’s campus design and the augmented reality/virtual reality mobile tour of the UMass Dartmouth campus, sponsored by a UMass President’s Office Creative Economy Grant. Following the reception, a film viewing of William Lepczyk’s recent documentary, Concretopia, highlighting Paul Rudolph’s monumental campus.

On April 23, 2018, a public open forum was held to discuss the potential nomination of the UMass Dartmouth's LARTS building to the National Register of Historic Places. Brown University’s Dr. Marisa Angell Brown and her graduate students discussed the historic significance of Paul Rudolph’s architectural masterpiece, the nomination process, and the advantages and disadvantages of this prestigious national architectural status.

Presentation: A Visionary Campus: Paul Rudolph and UMass Dartmouth

Publication: A Visionary Campus (PDF)

Participating Students:

  • Marc Arbitelle
  • Grace Augello
  • Ya-fei Chen
  • Julian De La Garza
  • Amanda Doukas
  • Grace Galinha
  • Grace Lucock
  • Erick Maldonado
  • Robert Najlis
  • Mekayla Noonan
  • Cody Oliveira-Gingras
  • Jovietthe Ramos
  • Anuja Roy
  • Tyler Steff
  • Olivia Wallett

Acknowledgements:

Dr. Anna Dempsey, Prof. Allison J. Cywin and Dr. Cathy Smilan extend our gratitude to Viera Levitt, Michael Swartz, Laura Franz, Janet Fairbairn, Joy Miller, and Justin Maucione for their contributions and guidance with the exhibition and catalog. The photographs and drawings included in the catalog and exhibition are a generous contribution of Judy Farrar, Librarian and Archivist at the Claire T. Carney Library, Archives and Special Collections at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Rudolph’s architectural drawings and photographs are housed at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division as well as the Paul Rudolph Foundation in New York City. Special thanks Anuja Roy and Grace Lucock for their creativity, careful attention to details and endless hours to the creation of this catalog.