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.

This installation is by Syrian artist Issam Kourbaj. It is displayed in conjunction with a symposium sponsored by the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT titled Translating Destruction: Contemporary Art & War in the Middle East (April 27-28 at MIT, Room 6-120). The dates of these art pieces are varied. They are made with different materials in response to the conflict in Iraq and Syria. Click here for the Symposium Poster  

The 2018 Architecture & Design Undergraduate Student Work Exhibit gives prospective students a visual sense of the types of classes and the variety of work they might encounter in the pursuit of an education in architecture, art, or design at MIT. MIT’s undergraduate Architecture Major provides both a deep and broad education in the discipline. The program emphasizes the interconnected relationship between architectural design, building technology, computation, and history, theory, and criticism. The revised 4B Major in Art and Design and Minor in Design (D-Minor) provides a hub at MIT where undergraduate students can learn core principles of design in […]

Computer-generated poetry and fiction has been imagined for decades, even centuries. In recent years, this sort of literary art has not only been produced; it has been edited, typeset, and printed. Author Function presents books, chapbooks, broadsides, and other printed matter from the collection of Professor Nick Montfort, SM ’98. The work featured includes some that is based on language but consists of images, some that is produced by commercial algorithms from our everyday digital environment, and some that results from decades of research. Montfort is an author of computer-generated writing himself, has worked in collaboration with others to produce […]

Treeness. They paint dead tree stumps orange (and also pink). They being some type of public works department and sometimes the trees were already dead and others newly rendered so by their cutting. I noticed this about a year and a half ago and started documenting my finds. Trees are our lifeblood. In 1971, in an act of optimism and curiosity Stuart Roosa flew hundreds of seeds into space with Apollo 14; they were subsequently germinated and planted. In 2017 the US dropped out of the Paris accord. Our lifeblood is thinning. Included are a variety of images and investigations: […]

Durdy Bayramov (1938-2014) grew up in an orphanage in Turkmenistan and overcame the significant challenges of his youth to become an acclaimed Eurasian artist and photographer. Through a prolific career as a painter that spanned more than 55 years, Bayramov was best known for his compelling portraits. His tender approach evokes the special character and qualities within each of his subjects, with whom he shared a deep rapport.   Curated by Sharon C. Smith, Ph.D. With closing reception to be attended by the Turkmenistan Ambassador to USA

The Psychomachia is a late fourth century text by Prudentius, in which the Virtues and Vices battle over man’s soul. These ‘soul battles’ are vividly depicted as nine combats in the medieval tradition. The Psychomachia was often illustrated with ‘tinted drawings,’ a specific form of manuscript illumination characterized by an inner luminosity, due to the translucency of the calfskin vellum surface and the spare handling of paint. Painter Sharon Lacey uses this medieval image cycle as a point of departure for a series of ink and watercolor paintings on full-size calfskins. These ‘tinted drawings,’ like much of her other work, […]