Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

New York art collectors and patrons Ann Fertig Freedman and Robert L. Freedman have donated a large-scale mixed-media relief painting.

The new center aims to support the study, research and teaching of ethics in areas ranging from medicine to business to architecture.

In addition, Professor Emeritus Leslie J. Laskey will receive the 2004 Dean’s Medal in recognition of his exceptional dedication and advocacy.

A detail from Mariano Sagasta’s winning conceptual master plan for the west side of Brentwood Boulevard north of Highway 40.New York architect Mariano Sagasta has won Washington University’s 2004 Steedman Fellowship in Architecture International Design Competition. The biennial competition, which is open to young architects from around the world, carries a $30,000 first place award to support study and research abroad — the largest such award in the United States.

The School of Architecture at Washington University in St. Louis will honor five outstanding alumni at its 11th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner April 8.

*Lo Sciocco Senza Paura* (The Fearless Fool) (1984), by Frank StellaNew York art collectors and patrons Ann Fertig Freedman and Robert L. Freedman have donated Lo Sciocco Senza Paura (The Fearless Fool) (1984), a major work by American artist Frank Stella, to Washington University’s Gallery of Art. The piece will be installed prior to Stella’s April 14 keynote address at the groundbreaking of the university’s new Sam Fox Arts Center.

Photo by David Kilper / WUSTL PhotoWashington University’s new Earth & Planetary Sciences Building.Earth Day may arrive each April, but for architecture students and faculty, environmental design is increasingly part of the year-round curriculum. At the same time, a growing number of American universities are challenging themselves to implement green principles on their own campuses. From ivy-covered walls and tree-lined walkways, new ideals are taking shape: highly efficient buildings — constructed of local, sustainable materials — that reduce waste and minimize strain on local infrastructures; a holistic approach that considers operational as well as construction costs; and entire universities that might someday achieve net zero environmental impact.

Bust of NefertitiDuring the Age of Imperialism, historical pieces such as the Bust of Nefertiti were taken from their home countries and installed in major museums throughout the world. Leading academics, authors and curators will examine whether these works of art should be returned to their source nations at the “Imperialism, Art & Restitution” conference March 26-27 at the Washington University School of Law.

Sam and Marilyn Fox, who have donated time and money to a wide range of community and civic groups that touch the lives of many St. Louisans, are being recognized for their extraordinary generosity and leadership with the 2004 Jane and Whitney Harris Saint Louis Community Service Award.

Photo by Joe Angeles / WUSTL PhotoWashington University art students forge common ground with businesspeople.The perception is that art and business speak different languages, inhabit different worlds, and “orbit different suns,” says Jeff Pike, Dean of the School of Art at Washington University in St. Louis. But in reality, the visual arts play an active role in business culture, he says. The Washington University School of Art surveyed how artists and businesspeople view each other and came up with some important insights.