Artists & Scholars in Public Life at the University of Florida and Beyond
UF is proud to be a member-institution of Imagining America (IA), a national consortium committed to using the arts, humanities, and design to enact a more just and liberatory world. Faculty, staff, students, and community partners are invited to join the UF Imagining America Working Group and advance public scholarship through IA gatherings, collaborative projects, and resources.
Announcements:
- Welcome to the new IA@UF website. We’re glad you’re here! Join the UF Imagining America Working Group by signing up for the listserv: UFImaginingAmerica-L@lists.ufl.edu
- Share your project
Recent Projects
2014
The Alachua County African American History Project enables the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program to conduct and transcribe oral histories with African Americans in Alachua County, University of Florida, and surrounding areas who came of age during the final decades of legal segregation. AAHP involves students who conduct oral histories as part of research seminars and community-based internships. These histories are used to establish an archive of black historical narratives on segregation and the civil rights movement. Researchers will explore themes such as landownership, labor, entrepreneurship, civil rights, education, and histories of institutions such as schools, churches and civic organizations.
2014
The Alachua County African American History Project enables the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program to conduct and transcribe oral histories with African Americans in Alachua County, University of Florida, and surrounding areas who came of age during the final decades of legal segregation. AAHP involves students who conduct oral histories as part of research seminars and community-based internships. These histories are used to establish an archive of black historical narratives on segregation and the civil rights movement. Researchers will explore themes such as landownership, labor, entrepreneurship, civil rights, education, and histories of institutions such as schools, churches and civic organizations.
2014
“Sarasota offers unique opportunities for UF students to study architecture and urbanism in a culturally and environmentally rich community that also faces great ecological and infrastructural challenges as it continues to grow,” said Martin Gold, Director of the UF School of Architecture.
The program will focus on issues of emerging technology, culture, and climate responsive architecture drawn from the movement known as the Sarasota School of Architecture, also known as “Sarasota Modern.” This regional style brought the area international recognition from the 1940s through the 1960s for adapting the International Style to the tropical climate.
CityLab-Sarasota was developed through collaboration among the UF School of Architecture, Sarasota County and the newly formed Center for Architecture (CFA).
The CFA, a local nonprofit organization whose leadership is drawn from local citizens, design professionals, stakeholders and community advocates, will curate permanent and visiting exhibits, organize community lectures, seminars and workshops and will liaise with CityLab-Sarasota on projects related to community design.
2014
“Sarasota offers unique opportunities for UF students to study architecture and urbanism in a culturally and environmentally rich community that also faces great ecological and infrastructural challenges as it continues to grow,” said Martin Gold, Director of the UF School of Architecture.
The program will focus on issues of emerging technology, culture, and climate responsive architecture drawn from the movement known as the Sarasota School of Architecture, also known as “Sarasota Modern.” This regional style brought the area international recognition from the 1940s through the 1960s for adapting the International Style to the tropical climate.
CityLab-Sarasota was developed through collaboration among the UF School of Architecture, Sarasota County and the newly formed Center for Architecture (CFA).
The CFA, a local nonprofit organization whose leadership is drawn from local citizens, design professionals, stakeholders and community advocates, will curate permanent and visiting exhibits, organize community lectures, seminars and workshops and will liaise with CityLab-Sarasota on projects related to community design.
2014
Thanks to musician and music educator, David Ford of Tonewood Family Music, Inc., patients of all ages and their families are invited to sing, dance, and play a variety of instruments to express that we all have “Music in Me!”
“Music in Me” is associated with the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital Child Life Program in partnership with Shands Arts in Medicine, and is made possible through the generous support of the Avnee Rawal Fund for Pediatric Health and Community Wellness.
2014
Thanks to musician and music educator, David Ford of Tonewood Family Music, Inc., patients of all ages and their families are invited to sing, dance, and play a variety of instruments to express that we all have “Music in Me!”
“Music in Me” is associated with the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital Child Life Program in partnership with Shands Arts in Medicine, and is made possible through the generous support of the Avnee Rawal Fund for Pediatric Health and Community Wellness.
2014
Four interdisciplinary teams competed March 21-23 for the 2014 Witters Competition. The 48-hour design charrette was led by Tom Smith, SoA senior lecturer, and Ravi Srinivasan, BCN assistant professor.
The project challenge was to develop a proposal for a mixed use, housing project in the downtown area of Gainesville. The proposal would provide a viable alternative development project in comparison to the single-family housing or apartment living buildings that currently make up the area. The challenge also tasked the teams to develop structures that met the Living Building Guidelines (LBC) which includes site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty.
This year’s winning team was Lawrence Zeng, LAE, Alexandra Fasshauer, ARCH, Julie Emminger, IND, and Bethany Mayhew, ARCH. This team was the smallest of the four teams that competed which worked to their advantage.
Of the four students, one had competed in the Witters Competition before. “This experience has been extremely positive for me,” says Emminger. “Working in small interdisciplinary teams brings out the creativity in all of us. This is true collaboration and allows us to build holistically, as everyone gets to contribute.”
When asked what advice to give to future Witters Competition team members, Fasshauer says to definitely get involved with the competition and take advantage of working with students from other disciplines. “Seeing what we could produce in a short amount of time made us realize what we are capable of when working in an interdisciplinary team,” states Fasshauer. “We continued to stay open-minded throughout the process and allowed everyone to contribute ideas and thoughts.”
Established in 1993, the Witters Competition is endowed by Arthur G. and Beverley A. Witters for a college-wide interdisciplinary academic competition to foster better understanding among design, construction and planning students.
2014
Four interdisciplinary teams competed March 21-23 for the 2014 Witters Competition. The 48-hour design charrette was led by Tom Smith, SoA senior lecturer, and Ravi Srinivasan, BCN assistant professor.
The project challenge was to develop a proposal for a mixed use, housing project in the downtown area of Gainesville. The proposal would provide a viable alternative development project in comparison to the single-family housing or apartment living buildings that currently make up the area. The challenge also tasked the teams to develop structures that met the Living Building Guidelines (LBC) which includes site, water, energy, health, materials, equity and beauty.
This year’s winning team was Lawrence Zeng, LAE, Alexandra Fasshauer, ARCH, Julie Emminger, IND, and Bethany Mayhew, ARCH. This team was the smallest of the four teams that competed which worked to their advantage.
Of the four students, one had competed in the Witters Competition before. “This experience has been extremely positive for me,” says Emminger. “Working in small interdisciplinary teams brings out the creativity in all of us. This is true collaboration and allows us to build holistically, as everyone gets to contribute.”
When asked what advice to give to future Witters Competition team members, Fasshauer says to definitely get involved with the competition and take advantage of working with students from other disciplines. “Seeing what we could produce in a short amount of time made us realize what we are capable of when working in an interdisciplinary team,” states Fasshauer. “We continued to stay open-minded throughout the process and allowed everyone to contribute ideas and thoughts.”
Established in 1993, the Witters Competition is endowed by Arthur G. and Beverley A. Witters for a college-wide interdisciplinary academic competition to foster better understanding among design, construction and planning students.
2014
Throughout the Spring semester, the studio’s 12 students met with the community and local group Brothers United to discuss the design of the pavilion, which will host musical performances, pageants, outdoor classes and other events. Each year, it will also serve as the centerpiece for the town’s annual Emancipation Day celebration that draws thousands of participants.
The pavilion is adjacent to the now closed Carver School, which is a significant historic site for the African American community. To honor the school’s faculty, the students designed a memorial with teachers’ names placed within the pavilion’s wall that faces the Carver School site.
Breaking ground the week before Spring Break, the students continued to build the project during the rest of the semester. Architecture PhD student Carla Brisotto assisted with studio teaching during the semester. On Wednesday April 29, the community held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the pavilion.
2014
Throughout the Spring semester, the studio’s 12 students met with the community and local group Brothers United to discuss the design of the pavilion, which will host musical performances, pageants, outdoor classes and other events. Each year, it will also serve as the centerpiece for the town’s annual Emancipation Day celebration that draws thousands of participants.
The pavilion is adjacent to the now closed Carver School, which is a significant historic site for the African American community. To honor the school’s faculty, the students designed a memorial with teachers’ names placed within the pavilion’s wall that faces the Carver School site.
Breaking ground the week before Spring Break, the students continued to build the project during the rest of the semester. Architecture PhD student Carla Brisotto assisted with studio teaching during the semester. On Wednesday April 29, the community held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the pavilion.
2014
At this year’s Seventh Annual DCP Research Showcase, faculty, students and industry professionals presented and discussed research on this year’s theme, “Collaborative Community Initiatives.”
In the afternoon, industry professionals participated in the “Collaboration in the Community” panel discussion and UF faculty from other colleges participated in the “Collaboration in the University Community” panel discussion.
The Research Showcase concluded with the keynote address from Dr. David Norton, UF Vice President for Research. Norton presented on the topic, “Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research: Creating New Knowledge at the Interface.”
2014
At this year’s Seventh Annual DCP Research Showcase, faculty, students and industry professionals presented and discussed research on this year’s theme, “Collaborative Community Initiatives.”
In the afternoon, industry professionals participated in the “Collaboration in the Community” panel discussion and UF faculty from other colleges participated in the “Collaboration in the University Community” panel discussion.
The Research Showcase concluded with the keynote address from Dr. David Norton, UF Vice President for Research. Norton presented on the topic, “Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Research: Creating New Knowledge at the Interface.”