Gallery Exhibition Showcases CoA+A Summer 2016 Study Abroad

The Storrs Gallery will present work from College of Arts + Architecture-led summer study tours in the Global Studies Exhibition, August 26-September 9. The College operated study abroad programs in Italy, Brazil, and Korea this summer, with more than 50 students participating.

ROME, ITALY
Based in Palazzo Cenci-Bolognetti, the 2016 Rome Program was led by School of Architecture faculty Jeffrey Balmer, Chris Beorkrem, and Eric Sauda in collaboration with Department of Art & Art History faculty Aspen Hochhalter, Megan Hall, and Jim Frakes. Forty-four students traveled to Rome, where they studied the art, architecture, and urban fabric of the Eternal City. The program included a three-night field trip to Vicenza, Verona, and Venice.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
The Master of Urban Design’s global urbanism program completed its second summer in Brazil in late June, after approximately four weeks of travel in and around Rio de Janeiro. Led by Associate Director of the SoA Jose Gamez, 13 UNC Charlotte students participated, joining with eight students from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro architecture and urbanism program, directed by Dr. Maria Fernanda Lemos. Together they examined a range of development and growth issues in an area known as Barra da Tijuca, which is home to the 2016 Olympic Park.

During the study tour in Rio, the students visited a range of important sites, including the Santa Marta and Vidigal favelas, the redeveloping waterfront, and the city’s legendary beachfront neighborhoods, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. Students also took a weekend field trip to Paraty, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its well-preserved colonial town fabric.

SEOUL, KOREA
Visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture Jeffrey Nesbit led six undergraduate architecture students in the Seoul Studio, housed in an architect’s office in the district of Seongdong on the north bank of the Han River, the site of their urban research. Seoul Studio explored questions concerning the rise of capital development, using public architecture as the focus for evaluation. After being nearly destroyed during the Korean War, Seoul has become a vibrant international city, with projects by leading international architects such as Daniel Libeskind, Mario Botta, and Zaha Hadid built alongside structures by contemporary Korean architects.

The exhibition in Storrs Gallery will also present work from recent independent studies in China, Japan, and England. The show opens Friday, August 26, with a reception from 5:30 to 7:00 pm.

“Study abroad has made me appreciate the vast differences in culture and people in various parts of the world and see things from a new and enlightened perspective, making my world vastly expanded and enriched.”
– Maddie Kiebel, graphic design student, Rome 2016