College of Design

Class takes on challenge of condom design

Bulging bags of used condoms adorned tables less than an hour after students arrived. Comments including “Oh wow, that is really gross, it looks like a worm,” and “That’s, like, no lubrication, it’s already dry” could be heard as forty-five students clustered in small groups, laptops open to spreadsheets, iPhone stopwatches primed, cobalt blue plastic phalluses upright on tables before them.

Paul Buckner remembered as an outstanding teacher and artist

Honored as a man who epitomized the “highest ideal of the word ‘teacher,’ ” Paul Buckner is remembered for his work in stone, metal, and wood and for his legacy of fine arts teaching.

Professor Emeritus Paul Buckner (1933-2014) passed away on Saturday, February 1, of a recently diagnosed illness, ALS. He was an important member of the Department of Art, the school, and the university community.

Art student set to compete in alpine skiing at the Olympics

Student athletes often have to balance their academic course loads with physical activities, and Laurenne Ross, an art major, is no exception.   A long time avid skier, she is getting ready to compete in the downhill skiing portion at the XXII Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.  To get the full story, read about it on Around the O.

‘Monuments Men’ movie has direct link to UO

The movie “Monuments Men,” which opens in theaters across the country Thursday, February 6, has a direct connection to the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts. The movie tells the story of nearly 350 architects, artists, art historians, curators, and museum directors who joined the U.S. military specifically to save cultural treasures from destruction by the Third Reich in the waning days of World War II. Two of these “art heroes” spent significant time in A&AA: Gordon Gilkey, MFA ’36, and Mark Sponenburgh, who taught art at A&AA from 1946-1957.

Artists exchange takes sculptor to U.K.

MFA candidate Stephen Nachtigall is Canadian. He’s also a proficient sculptor. These two concurrent realities meant he could be invited to exhibit his art in Glasgow, Scotland, this winter as part of an exchange between Canadian and Scottish artists. His work was accepted, and in late January Nachtigall was on a flight to Glasgow, his work safely tucked in the overhead bin.

Nachtigall is one of twelve artists participating in a Canadian-Scottish cross-cultural exchange that began in summer 2013.

Ditch Projects takes collaborative show to Portland

The energetic artists of Springfield’s Ditch Projects are exhibiting a collaborative ensemble work called Fontana Mix: Loop at the Portland State University Autzen Gallery, Feb. 6–28. An artists’ talk entitled “The Artist Ran Collaborative…” will take place on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 4 p.m. prior to the opening reception from 5-6 pm. Exhibiting artists include Mike Bray, Isami Ching, Surabhi Ghosh, Donald Morgan, Jack Ryan, Rick Silva, Brandon Siscoe, and Jessie Vala.