Speak Listen Act
Photos from the exhibit
Speak! Listen! Act!
“Toloudi pushes boundaries. She nurtures explorations and is bold, daring in allowing her students to go to some really interesting places.”
Kim Poliquin, Executive Director SHIFTboston “

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Experiential Course Nurtures Student Exploration of Public Space

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Elli Goudzwaard

Assistant Professor of Studio Art Zenovia Toloudi and her students explored the notion of public space through the lenses of art and architecture in their exhibit “Speak! Listen! Act! A kaleidoscope of architectural elements for public space,” which was on display in the Strauss Gallery at the Hopkins Center for the Arts during the fall term.

  • Speak Listen Act

    Each project in the collection featured the same visual format and emphasized the theme of the exhibit--exploring how "design can...instigate or reinforce for the public a series of actions, such as communication, interaction, playfulness, and empathy." (Photo by Gerald Auten)

The gallery exhibition was part of Toloudi's experiential Studio Arts course, "Architecture, Art, and Public Space in the 21st Century," which also included a class trip to New York. While there, students experienced and documented a variety of public spaces, then participated in a forum co-organized by the American Institute of Architects and the Center for Architecture.

Upon returning to Hanover, students developed projects for the Strauss Gallery exhibit that focused on particular public spaces of their choosing. Each student designed an architectural or artistic intervention aimed to improve the conditions and experiences of that space for relevant communities.

Phoebe Novello ’17, a student in the course, said the content challenged her to “think of public space in a very different way.”

Novello's project design featured a series of layered, interconnected benches forming the shape of in Islamic star. The structure is intended for people to "climb, engage with it, have an experience with it," in a way that influences their perceptions, explains Novello.

Taloudi's course, one of 30 experiential learning projects supported by DCAL, is designed to do much the same thing for its students. 

Read more about Toloudi's work, the course, and the exhibit at The Dartmouth.