Exhibition of student projects from gender architecture geography course to open at ThINC Gallery Dec. 8

Exhibition of student projects from gender architecture geography course to open at ThINC Gallery Dec. 8November 29, 2005Jaime Winne Alvarez jlwinne@syr.edu

Boundaries in Syracuse: Gender Architecture Geography, a new interdisciplinary course taught by Syracuse University Assistant Professor of Architecture Lori Brown and Assistant Professor of Geography Alison Mountz, paired students with community organizations interested in research on the geographic boundaries of Syracuse.

The class will present five original research projects shaped by community organizations in an exhibition Dec. 8-15 at ThINC Company Gallery, One Lincoln Center, 110 West Fayette St.. There will be a special opening event Dec. 8 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. with representatives from community organizations including: Home Headquarters, Community Folk Art Center, Northside CYO Refugee Resettlement Program, SU’s LGBT Resource Center and Planned Parenthood. The gallery will be open to the general public from 5:30-8 p.m. for the opening event.

The exhibition is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Thursday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; and by appointment. Metered parking is available in the immediate vicinity.

The projects examine geographic constraints for newly arrived immigrants seeking health services in Syracuse; the ideal location for a community arts center on the South Side of Syracuse; and safe spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents in the area. Using oral histories, surveys, geographic information systems and other methods, the research teams produced some unexpected findings.

“In the spirit of Chancellor Cantor’s ‘Soul of Syracuse’ mission, the event brings together community needs, student learning and cutting-edge research methods,” says Brown.

SU’s School of Architecture, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the geography and women’s studies departments co-sponsored the course, with support from an SU Vision Fund grant. Professors Brown and Mountz planned the course with the five organizations for a full year leading up to the event. The course was designed to bring students of these programs together and into the city for hands-on experiential learning. Course content included lessons on the architectural design of downtown buildings; the labor histories built into Syracuse’s residential and commercial spaces, such as Carrier Circle; and the geography of the urban region. Students studied Syracuse’s past and present public housing and transportation, as well as the history of SU’s expanding relationship with the city. SU’s Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service, which helped facilitate the planning, believes that the course is a model for future service learning projects.

For more information, contact teaching assistant Eli Moore at (315) 443-2934, (510) 502-6323 orebmoor01@syr.edu.