Alumni, emeritus and current faculty were invited to share memories and history of the Rome Program.
This year marked the 25th Anniversary of the Department of Architecture’s Summer Rome Program. A Rome Reunione reception was held Oct. 9 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art to celebrate the alumni and faculty who had lived and worked in the Eternal city since the program’s inception in 1984.
A slideshow digital album featuring photos from past summer study abroad program activities was presented during the reception, as well as the exhibition Giuseppe Vasi’s Rome: Lasting Impressions from the Age of the Grand Tour, curated by university architecture professor James Tice and art history professor James Harper. The current 2010 Rome program students were also present to meet and greet previous alumni and faculty.
“Studying in Rome is important for two reasons,” explains Tice. “Firstly, Rome is the center of Western Civilization; there’s a history of us that goes back to Rome…Secondly, we’re designers, and Rome gives us ideas of what we can do. It’s a critical lens through which we can see our own world.”
The Rome program began in 1984 in a studio near the Pantheon in the Palazzo Pio, located at the Campo dei Fiori. Students today are in the same location and are able to live and study within walking distance to the city’s most famous landmarks.
“Having the opportunity to study in such a historically significant city was wonderful,” says student alumnus Susan Petrus. “We actually got to live and work [in the city] and feel like more than just a tourist.”
The Rome Reunione Reception was held Saturday, Oct. 9 at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Opening remarks and welcome were given by Christine Theodoropoulos and professors Gary Moye (Rome 1984 & 2004), Don Peting (Rome Prize recipient and 1987 Rome program) and James Tice (Rome 1997) spoke about their teaching in Rome. The Rome program offers both undergraduate and graduate studies to students of art history, architecture, interior architecture and landscape architecture.
“Rome has always been intriguing,” says retired university professor and former dean, Bill Gilland, who participated in the 1996 Rome program. “It’s the context of the transformation of a city over centuries with a history that’s important for architects of all ages to know.”
University of Oregon architecture faculty members have led a summer term program in Rome for more than ten years. The twelve-credit program consists of a studio, a media course and a seminar. Rome is the laboratory for each of these courses. In addition to these classes, the Rome program also offers a number of field trips with opportunities to explore other cities in Italy. This program is available to interior architecture and architecture students who have successfully completed at least four design studios.
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Contact: Karen Johnson, AAA Communications, (541) 346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu
Source: Christine Theodoropoulos, Architecture Department Head and Associate Professor, (541) 346-3656, ctheodor@uoregon.edu; James Tice, Architecture Professor, (541) 346-1443, jtice@uoregon.edu
Links: Rome Study Abroad Program
Story by Emily Wilson