Tyler Blog

February 25, 2022

Tyler Ray (BS '22) Advocates for Preservation of Historic North Philly Church

Author: Emily Herbein

Lifelong North Philadelphia resident Tyler Ray (BS '22) is determined to use his Community Development degree and certificate in Historic Preservation to uphold one of his neighborhood's most beloved structures, the Church of the Advocate. Ray tells Temple Now that his family have been lifelong members and the church is what initially "nurtured his love of architecture and passion for preservation."  Located at 18th and Diamond Streets, the Church of the Advocate was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1980. It's a prominent example of French Gothic Revival architecture, and one of the most notable examples in the United States. Ray recalls how the structure has been in disrepair for as long as he can remember, which he attributes to inequity between predominately white and Black neighborhoods. That reality pushed him to attend Temple and encouraged him to solve problems that hit close to home. Read More

February 21, 2022

Assistant Professor David Herman Jr. Explores Black Image and Ways of Seeing

Author: Emily Herbein

Assistant Professor of Art Education David Herman Jr., PhD, believes past perceptions shape the way we examine the present. He will explore this theme as part of the Testimony: Visual and Embodied Gateways to Black Histories series, presented by the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University. Herman, a lens-based artist, will give a virtual lecture titled "Witnessing Gestures: Spatial Aspects of Black Visualities in the Cinematic Image" on Wednesday, February 23. In this Q&A, he discusses the influences for his lecture, what he hopes will resonate with the audience, and why social topics like this are relevant and important. Registration information can be found here. How did you choose the topic of your lecture?  Read More

February 21, 2022

Tyler's Urban Workshop Awarded NEA Grant for Upcoming Design Project

Author: Emily Herbein

Architecture professors Sally Harrison, AIA and Ulysses Sean Vance, RA have received a $15,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support an architectural project within Tyler's Urban Workshop. The project, the Living-Learning Cabin Prototype, will generate a design for an innovative structure that is able to adapt to the diverse social, educational and recreational needs of children with disabilities.  Read More

February 18, 2022

Tyler School of Art and Architecture Issues Formal Land Acknowledgment

Author: Emily Herbein

The Collegial Assembly at Tyler School of Art and Architecture recently adopted use of an Indigenous Land Acknowledgment, developed by a faculty committee spearheaded by Art History Chair Jane DeRose Evans, to recognize the history of the native peoples who originally lived on the lands where the school sits.   In practice, the Land Acknowledgment can be voluntarily used before public events held on campus to encourage both event planners and visitors to think deeper about the work that is done both in and out of the classroom and how it is connected to the land that we inhabit.  Read More

February 17, 2022

Art History's Linda Earle Discusses the Importance of Philanthropy and Cultural Equity

Author: Emily Herbein

Fine Arts Management Professor Linda Earle recently spoke with Temple Now about the consequential impact that philanthropy and artists have had on building equitable creative spaces. Earle, also associate graduate director for arts management track of the master's program in Tyler's Art History Department, discusses the need for change on an institutional level, and looks at large-scale "tentpole organizations," like the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and how they plan to address and further implement diversity plans. She also addresses the recent change in how donors and art funders look at where to give and consider the need to look at "the whole field" rather than just the big-name artists and institutions. Read More

February 15, 2022

Temple's Scientista Chapter Shares Collaborative Exhibit

Author: Emily Herbein

Temple’s chapter of Scientista, a national foundation built around empowering women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields, recently curated an open-call exhibition for STEMM-related artwork. For students like Hajra Sohail (CST ‘23), a biology major with an art minor, this project was an eye-opener to the kinds of creative collaboration that non-art disciplines can enjoy. Projects were varied, incorporating an array of mediums like painting, drawing, sculpture, and fibers.  Read More

February 8, 2022

"Crave," A Vibrant GAID Exhibition Now On View in Green Hallway

Author: Emily Herbein

Junior GAID students are displaying their vibrant, interactive kiosk posters as part of the annual restaurant identity project, “Crave.” With brightly colored, engaging imagery, enticing language, and scannable QR codes that lead to video and behind-the-scenes content, “Crave” is a showcase of nearly all the skills cultivated in the GAID program.  Curated by Professor Paul Sheriff, who has been coordinating this assignment for the last 25 years since his time at the original Elkins Park campus, “Crave” has grown and changed over the years to reflect a modern student and creator.   Read More

February 3, 2022

Tyler Faculty Named to AIA Philadelphia Board

Author: Emily Herbein

Two AED faculty members, Fauzia Sadiq Garcia, RA, and Eric Oskey, RA were recently named board Directors of the American Institute of Architects' Philadelphia Chapter. Garcia will serve as the Director of Education, while Oskey will be the Director of Technology and Innovation.   What are your plans for your AIA tenure?  Read More

February 2, 2022

Temple Contemporary Launches Its Seed Packet Project This Spring

Author: Emily Herbein

Allyson Church, graduate assistant with Temple Contemporary and MArch candidate, has been spearheading the gallery’s Seed Packet Project, an initiative to bridge the arts with the built disciplines in a unique and interactive way.   Having initially received her BFA in Printmaking, Church took a gap year between degrees to learn farming methods since she felt like pursuing a career in the fine arts wasn’t necessarily for her. While working at a flower farm in Philadelphia, she learned about land use and regenerative farming.   Read More

January 26, 2022

Shwarga Bhattacharjee (MFA '18) Lets Art Imitate Life in "Excavation Paths" Exhibition

Author: Wanda Motley Odom

Tyler alumnus Shwarga Bhattacharjee (MFA ‘18) has always let lived experience be his muse. His large, lushly layered abstract paintings and collage evoke his cultural background and identity as South Asian as well as the history of his home country, Bangladesh.  Concealed within his use of vivid colors, contorted forms, bold and delicate textures, and broad gestural strokes are references to his Hindu religion and mythological stories, national symbols, verdant geographies, star-packed constellations, demons and goddesses, and the ravages of British colonial rule in India.  Read More

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