We've all watched the rising of the WEL and the creation of the Richard White Lecture Hall. We've cursed the construction on the way to Science Drive and as we try to sleep in our Wannamaker beds. But have we ever stopped and wondered about the people behind the buildings? Or pondered the time, effort and creativity within Duke's latest structure?
Okay, so the new parking garage isn't a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece, but with "North Carolina School: The Art of Architecture," curator Phil Szostak pays tribute to a group of local artists who are pushing the boundaries of modern architecture.
A graduate of the North Carolina State School of Design and a Chapel Hill-based architect, Szostak is a first-time curator. For two years he searched out the work of North Carolina architects to create the Duke University Museum of Art's latest exhibition, opening tonight. The show is particularly appropriate for the DUMA as it prepares for its own architectural debut with the Nasher Museum of Art. Szostak emphasizes architecture as an art form, highlighting the journey that goes into the making of a structure.
"Some pieces in the show are scraps pulled off an architect's desk," Szostak said. "Sometimes it takes putting a black frame around them to make others realize the work behind the sketches."
Entries were submitted from firms across the state, with 21 exhibitors making up the final show. The pieces range from pen and ink drawings to computer-generated images to housing materials. Some of the models would make Derek Zoolander cry, "What is this, a center for ants?," while the museum's entryway is adorned with life-size plans for hurricane storm windows. And the show is not just for humans - birdhouses dot the walls of DUMA's second floor. Black-and-white photographs of architects and architect teams connect the artwork to the artist, giving the exhibition a personal feel.
But why North Carolina? Celebrating its 55th year, State's School of Design is one of the leading architecture programs in the nation. "Many people are unaware of the community of architects we have in the area," Szostak said. "And that world-famous architects - Buckminster Fuller, for example - have been involved in the area."
The saying goes that if you build it, they will come. With this new exhibit, people will come even before the foundation is broken.
- Jessica Fuller
"North Carolina School: The Art of Architecture" opens tonight in the DUMA with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and a lecture by the curator at 6 p.m. Both events are free. The exhibition runs through May 18.
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