On the Town: Outré West exhibit highlights OU's architectural influence

“ In a spiritual sense, what do you hope to do that you have not yet achieved?” “Do you have a longing from childhood that is unfulfilled?” “What do you need to make your dreams come true?” “What is truly important in your lives?” “List each room that you want in your ideal home. Find words that describe the feelings you desire in these rooms.”

These questions are part of the “Client Preference Questionnaire” that architect Arthur Dyson asks clients when designing a project for them. The questions also are on display as art in a new and remarkable, Oklahoma-connected exhibit at Oklahoma Contemporary “Outr West: The American School of Architecture.”

The exhibit, which opened Thursday [a23], explores the major influence that students of the University of Oklahoma’s American School of Architecture had on California in the mid-20 ^th century.

The questions, projected on the wall next to Dyson’s work I walked through the exhibit, struck me as I explored Outr West and marveled at the innovation in design from the architects who studied at OU under the leadership of Bruce Goff as department chair and under Herb Greene in the 1950s and 1960s.

These OU-educated architects eventually moved to California, including Goff and Greene, and their work is still iconic, including the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the fantastical Pavilion for Japanese Art on the Miracle Mile in Los Angeles. Other artists on display include works by Dyson, Donald MacDonald, Violeta Autumn, John Marsh Davis, and Mickey Muennig.

Goff’s work featured in the exhibit includes the award-winning Bavinger House, which sadly fell into disrepair and collapsed in Norman a few years ago. So is Greene’s work, such as his Prairie House in Norman, often referred to as the “Prairie Chicken House” because it looks a little like the bird with featherlike shingles. I wrote about it for this column; the Prairie House Preservation Trust continues to raise funds for its restoration and hosts public tours.

As press materials for the exhibit state, the American School of Architecture emerged from OU and became known for emphasizing individual creativity and experimentation. Inspiring the students were everyday objects, the natural landscape and the designs of cultures around the world. Many of these architects were early pioneers of today’s sustainable architect movement.

Architect MacDonald was early to the concept of integrating retail and housing spaces in one development, said guest curator Angela M. Person, associate professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma, as she gave a tour during the exhibit’s opening.

“Now we just think of it as good urban planning,” said Person. Person; Stephanie Z. Pilat, OU architecture professor; and Marco Piscitelli, OU lecturer in architecture and interior design, are exhibit guest curators.

The exhibit shows the architects’ prominent works in Oklahoma and California, influence and design styles, media coverage, original drawings, large-scale photographs, renderings and architectural models.

See it through Jan. 27 at Oklahoma Contemporary, 11 NW 11 in Oklahoma City. For information, go to oklahomacontemporary.org .

Have an idea, item or event for On the Town? Email lillie.beth@yahoo.com.

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