This year the Grand Canyon National Park is celebrating its 100 year anniversary. This exhibit looks at four areas regarding this spacious ecological world wonder: geology, exploration, tourism and other impacts, and the woman “architect,” Mary Colter. 2019 also marks the 150th Anniversary of geologist John Wesley Powell’s remarkable adventure down to and through the Canyon. Curated by Chris Sherratt, Michael Noga, and Kai Alexis Smith, MIT Libraries Exhibit located in the reading room panels and cases.

The design studio “A Theater Without Theater” invited students to explore the architectural potentials of the theatrical. Discovering productive intersections with theater, students acquired a better understanding of architecture and the city. Three historical theaters: Total Theater by Walter Gropius, Rusakov Workers´ Club by Konstantin Melnikov and Anatomical Theater by Paolo Sarpi and Dario Varotari were analyzed and used as raw material for a sequence of three projects where “Performance”, “Stage” and “Spectator” served as gateways to engage with “Program”, “Space/Site” and “User/Citizen”. Spring Semester 2019 Instructor: Cristina Parreño Alonso Teaching Assistant: Jaehun Woo Students: Alicia Nimrick Caroline Rosenzweig Jackie […]

This exhibition is by Boston-based writer and artist and 2007 MIT alumni Will Dowd. These thirteen prints use the paintings of Vermeer—those paragons of visual perfection—to explore issues of sight and optics. By manipulating these iconic artworks, Dowd allows viewers to see through his eyes—and visual impairment—thereby offering a fresh look at an old master.

With a group of active practitioners composing the core of the architecture and design faculty, the coursework on display for this exhibit is centered on contemporary practice, and on the parallel investigation of context, use, form, building methods and materials. Design on Display showcases the different ways in which design can take form, and the different contexts to which design can contribute to. From spatial to product to architectural to interaction design, the exhibition provides a glimpse of the different fields across which our undergraduate students are exposed to deep design explorations. Exhibition Coordination Paul Pettigrew, Director of Undergraduate Recruitment, […]

This exhibit celebrates the centuries-old art of letterpress, brought to new life by members of the MIT community. The collection includes pamphlets written, designed, hand-set, and hand-printed by MIT students on the Beaver Press, a Gutenberg-facsimile machine built on campus in 2016. These pieces join boldly contemporary posters printed in a 2019 MIT workshop at Reflex Letterpress, an independent print shop in Boston. Alongside the prints, the exhibit showcases the tools and processes behind them. The exhibit is made possible by support from the Council for the Arts at MIT, the Concourse First-Year Program, the History Faculty, and the MIT […]

GIS & Data Lab is an exhibit that highlights the new lab space at MIT’s Rotch Library. The new GIS & Data Lab is now open on the 1st floor of Rotch Library and has been expanded to include Data Management Services in addition to Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The exhibit features the staff, services and resources offered in the new space. Resources include virtual reality equipment, drones, GIS, statistical and visualization software packages. Contact: Howard Silver, Head, Data & Specialized Services

Visual Thinking: Six Ways of Picturing Knowledge is a multi-media exhibition by Pantea Karimi at MIT’s Rotch Library. The exhibit features six bodies of works that are inspired by a collection of 19th century books housed at MIT Institute Archives & Special Collections, including The Grammar of Ornament by Owen Jones. Other sources of inspiration come from medieval books in the possession of libraries around the world, including The Canon of Medicine by Avicenna and The Book of Optics by Al-Hazen, among others. There is a reception on Friday Sep 28 from 4:00 to 5:30 pm in the main gallery […]

This exhibit features poster designs from Sonny Oram’s work in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. (June 2016 to present.) Oram’s posters present an eclectic graphic identity that reflects the broad scope of DUSP’s work. Drawing inspiration from good city design, which adapts to the needs of its residents rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, each poster was uniquely created for each event it advertises. Oram’s variation in design is also inspired by the vast array of studies existing at DUSP, which makes room for many schools of thought about urban planning and supports projects spearheaded by individuals throughout the department.