Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Since the shooting of Michael Brown, the eyes of the world have turned to St. Louis. Over the last several weeks, associate professor Bob Hansman — one of the area’s most prominent community activists — has quietly ushered hundreds of students through the neighborhoods of north St. Louis, chronicling the racial, social and urban histories that have shaped conditions on the ground.

Today, for the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in cities and urban areas. This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present “Encountering the City: The Urban Experience in Contemporary Art.” The exhibition, which encompasses a wide range of media, explores how artists respond to, and grapple with, our rapidly changing urban landscape.

As chair of the Architectural Association in London, Alvin Boyarsky was among the most influential figures in 20th-century design education. This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present “Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association,” the first public museum exhibition of drawings from Boyarsky’s private collection.

​The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will launch its fall season Friday, Sept. 12, with “Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association,” the first public museum exhibition of drawings from the private collection of one of the 20th century’s most influential design educators. Also opening Sept. 12 will be “Encountering the City: The Urban Experience in Contemporary Art” and “Picturing Narrative: Greek Mythology in the Visual Arts.”

The sukkah is a small temporary dwelling constructed each autumn for the Jewish festival of Sukkot. This fall, the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, in partnership with St. Louis Hillel at Washington University, will sponsor “Sukkah City STL 2014: Between Absence and Presence,” a national design competition and exhibition.

Internationally acclaimed landscape architect Rod Barnett has been appointed chair of the Master of Landscape Architecture program in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. He will join the program Aug. 1.

Washington University alumni thrive in the compelling and competitive art auction business.

Benedict Tranel, AIA, AB ’97 (architecture), senior associate for Gensler, was named to Building Design+Construction’s “40 Under 40” class of 2014 in April 2014. Earlier in 2014, Tranel was also named to ENR California’s “Top 20 Under 40” list. “I am humbled to receive these recognitions for my contributions to the built environment,” Tranel says. […]

Paul Dillinger, BFA ’94, is behind the creation of Levi’s sustainable clothing line Wellthread. He gained inspiration for the line after he saw his alma mater’s push toward sustainability while an artist-in-residence at the Sam Fox School in 2010.

Over the past 35 years, the Bridgewaters have put down strong roots in St. Louis. In the process, they have left an indelible mark on the community and the university, helping educate capable and talented people.