Architecture’s renegades are getting their due in a new exhibit.
Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California highlights the unique contributions of architects led by Bruce Goff and Herb Greene, arguably the godfathers of sustainability. They used discarded materials and championed resourcefulness decades before it was common practice.
The University of Oklahoma spawned a movement through the American School of Architecture in the 1950s and 60s that bucked the era’s obsession with European styles. Instead, the school encouraged students to forge distinct styles that found inspiration in Native American and Asian influences, incorporated natural materials and prioritized harmony with the environment. This unorthodox approach led to iconic structures such as the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Pavilion for Japanese Art in Los Angeles.
The exhibition underscores how bold and uncompromising talents, molded in Oklahoma, left their marks on the architectural landscape of the West Coast. American School architects such as Violeta Autumn, John Marsh Davis, Arthur Dyson, Donald MacDonald and Mickey Muennig created hundreds of distinctive projects throughout California. Their work ranges from museums that showcase organic architecture and stunning multimillion-dollar homes along the coast to innovative and prefabricated housing solutions addressing the state’s housing crisis.
“These renegades, as we’ve come to call them, promoted a radical approach to teaching, centered on contextualism, resourcefulness, and experimentation,” says Angela M. Person, PhD, associate professor of architecture at the University of Oklahoma.
The exhibition features over 200 items, including architectural drawings, photographs, and full-scale models.
Admission to the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center is free through Jan. 27.
