Fellowship to fund viz professor's research on iconoclastic architect

The iconoclastic designs of Modern master architect [Victor Lundy] (https://aiahouston.org/v/event-detail/Victor-Lundy-Sculptor-of-Space/hp/) , who is less celebrated than his contemporaries despite a varied, creative body of work, will be researched by Susanneh Bieber, Texas A&M assistant professor of architecture and [visualization] (http://viz.arch.tamu.edu/) with the help of a 2018 grant from the university’s [Arts and Humanities Fellows Program] (https://vpr.tamu.edu/researchdevelopment/funding/internal/arts-and-humanities) .

Lundy’s masterpieces include the [United States Tax Court Building] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Tax_Court_Building) in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, but because he kept his practice small he didn’t produce as many designs as some of his era’s prominent architects.

He also created designs for unique projects, such as a set of “space flowers” for the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and canopies made of red cedar slats that stood at the national mall for 15 years.

Bieber is one of six university faculty members to receive a three-year, $15,000 grant, which support scholarly or creative projects. She plans to publicize her research findings in a series of journal articles and presentations.

The Arts and Humanities Fellowships advance the visibility and vibrancy of arts and humanities research by Texas A&M faculty, said Mark A. Barteau, university vice president for research.

“While it is sometimes easy to be dazzled by the products of science and technology, we must never forget that the arts and humanities are the lifeblood of civilization,” he said.

Fellows are selected by peer reviewers each spring based on proposal merit, originality, clarity and benefit to the public.

Richard Nira
rnira@arch.tamu.edu