Books + Bytes with guest presenter Amanda Cachia
Books + Bytes is a discussion series for anyone interested in architecture, art and design research and publishing, hosted by the William R. Jenkins Library and sponsored by the UH Libraries and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design. On February 25th at 1 pm, Amanda Cachia will discuss the research, writing, and publishing of her book, The Agency of Access: Contemporary Disability Art & Institutional Critique.
Dr. Cachia is the Assistant Director of the M.A. Program in Arts Leadership. She also serves the Graduate Certificate in Museum and Gallery Management and the Graduate Certificate in Arts and Health. She is the editor of Curating Access: Disability Art Activism and Creative Accommodation, published in 2022, and the author of the forthcoming Hospitable Aesthetics: Disability, Medicine, Activism.
New exhibit of student artwork on view through January 2025
The William R. Jenkins Library provides exhibit space to University of Houston students who wish to gain experience displaying their work in a public space. In December and January visitors to the library will be able to view “Sapphic Portraits: Reflections of Her,” a series of two-dimensional and three-dimensional pieces by Claire Garza-Gonzalez, a Houston based artist who specializes in acrylic and graphite. She is pursuing her Bachelor’s of Arts at the University of Houston, and hopes to work as an art teacher after graduation. Ms. Garza-Gonzalez reports that she has always had a passion for painting, and loves to incorporate elements of her queerness into her work. “’Sapphic Portraits: Reflections of Her’ is a deeply personal art exhibit that explores the nuances of love through the lens of sapphic relationships,” writes Garza-Gonzalez. “This series features a range of mediums—acrylic, chalk pastel, graphite, ink, marker, and silk screen—to capture the artist’s girlfriend in various moments, emotions, and expressions. The intimacy and liveliness of the portraits aims to celebrate the diverse experiences of love between women. Each piece invites the viewers to admire the breathtaking muse, and the beauty of sapphic love. This series seeks to showcase the artists profound love story, as well as create a dialogue about identity, intimacy, and connection within the sapphic community.” The library will host an opening from 4-5 on Thursday, December 12th.
Artwork by Neha Kulkarni on view through November
There are only a few weeks left to see illustrations by Neha Kulkarni, a sophomore majoring in architecture.
The William R. Jenkins Library exhibits artwork by UH students throughout the year. Ms. Kulkarni’s exhibit, Velvet Interiors, aims to capture ordinary environments through a colorful and exaggerated lens. The artworks ‘A Crisp Morning’ and ‘Over the Hills’ have a very warm, cozy, and inviting atmosphere which were created with prismacolor pencils on paper to optimize the variety of textures ranging from the smooth sofa fabric to the coarseness of a knit throw. The vibrant colors and textures aim to amplify the already existing harmony of details and scenery, transforming mundane rooms and objects into dreamlike landscapes. The generalization of the spaces invites the viewer to seamlessly insert themselves into the art and imagine occupying and interacting with the world around them.
“We often overlook our surroundings and fail to realize just how healing and beautiful these environments can be if we give them a chance,” writes Ms. Kulkarni, “How many times have you slowed down and just taken in, for instance, the beauty of when the light hits an object a certain way? Or how a reflection projects onto a piece of furniture so perfectly? Life comes at us too fast and too aggressively for us to really pause and enjoy these seemingly insignificant details, so I wanted to permanently capture these fleeting moments. My art centers on common interior spaces, focusing on ordinary elements like a regular couch or window. I then transform these objects and their surroundings in a way that entices the viewer to find the space not only attractive, but also wish to be present in that moment to experience it themselves.”
Students who wish to submit work for consideration, may apply: https://libraries.uh.edu/jenkins/student-art-exhibit
Booksgiving 2024!
BOOKSGIVING 2024!
To celebrate the season, we are inviting our patrons to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for particular learning resources with other instructors and students.
Is there a book about art, architecture, or design that you love and would recommend to others? Help us give thanks for those titles by participating in our inaugural Booksgiving event, to be celebrated the week prior to and the week of Thanksgiving.
We ask that you, our patrons, choose one favorite book from our extensive collection and email us the choice (Title and Author, if possible), along with a brief paragraph explaining why you chose the book in question. Please send your choice to the following email address with the subject line “BOOKSGIVING 2024” – archlib@uh.edu .
The choices will be pulled from our shelves and displayed anonymously in our Library, along with the descriptions provided. If the title in question has already been checked out, or is otherwise unavailable, then we will be unable to display it as part of Booksgiving 2024.
We will collect the first 40 submissions we receive and notify you of your pick’s inclusion in our display. Should any of these selections be checked out by our Library Patrons, the person who picked it will receive a Library Gift Bag!
Please provide us with your choice by November 15th at the latest. Any choices received after this date will not qualify. Thanks, and we look forward to receiving your selections!
Recent acquisition in the Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room: Los recintos del espíritu: la biblioteca de Luis Barragán
The Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room holds the only library copy of in the United States, according to WorldCat. The bibliography of books from the library of Mexican architect Luis Barragán features essays by Juan Palomar Verea, Alfonso Alfaro, Álvaro Mutis, Vicente Quirarte, and Jorge Esquinca.
Books and Bytes talk with Rafael Beneytez-Duran
Introducing new staff members Gisella De La Portilla and Roberto Torres-Torres
This semester the William R. Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library welcomes two new colleagues, Library Supervisor Gisella De La Portilla and Library Manager Roberto Torres-Torres.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Houston, Roberto is a graduate of the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art/Painting with a minor in Art History. He worked previously at the MD Anderson Library and the UH Graduate School. Roberto has shown his art in solo and group shows and continues to draw and paint. At our library, Roberto will be managing our service desk, facility maintenance, training the staff and student workers, interlibrary loan and paging, supplies, and budgeting.
Like all members of the department, Gisella and Roberto’s primary tasks will be helping our patrons access information and master research methods.
Provost Chase interviews students Alex and Dave Schuman in the Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room
The William R. Jenkins Architecture, Design, and Art Library was pleased to welcome Provost Diane Z. Chase to the Kenneth Franzheim II Rare Books Room, where she interviewed students of the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design in the latest installment of her Provost Profiles series. The students, Alex and Dave Schuman, are also a father and son. Click here to listen to the interview.