ART IN THE AGE OF MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION

BACK 2 SCHOOL: The New Face & Guts of Tyler School of Art

On January 23, Inga Saffron, an architectural critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer, penned an article entitled Changing Skyline: Temple’s Artless New Building. Saffron launched a scathing review of the NEW Tyler School of Art building, the latest addition to Temple University’s Main Campus.  She argues that the placement and design is a true testament to Temple’s “cluelessness”. While careful not to butcher the reputation of Houston-based architect Carlos Jiménez to a bloody pulp, Saffron leaves no holds barred in her commentary on the university’s planners, calling them “lazy” and the project a “failure”.

The response to the article (via online comments) was divided, but characterized by as much fervor as the article itself. There was only one thing left for me to do…Check it out with my very own eyes!

Indeed, it was time to go back to school.

Yesterday, escorted by adjunct Interactive Design professor Sean Jordan, I walked the walk through Tyler’s new corridors for myself. While I will both acknowledge and concede to certain points brought up by Saffron (especially the trailers in the courtyard, difficult to not notice), I firmly disagree with her attitude of aesthetic finger-pointing and tsk-tsk-ing. I would argue that architecture and design must be critiqued through a broader lens that that of pure aesthetic context.

Exterior View: Butting up to the existing Music building, the Tyler building is nestled on a side street off the main drag of Temple’s campus.

Comparison: I couldn’t help but immediately note the building’s similarities to the cantilever-esque design of the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art…

Birds-Eye View of The Lobby: High ceilings and a complete glass facade give the entryway a sprawling, epic feel. Modular lighting fixtures, reminiscent of a DESIGN WITHIN REACH window display, dangle from the ceiling.

The Student Gallery: Totally breathtaking. This space, situated to the right of the lobby, is bursting with potential. The ceiling beams have been reinforced to support hanging installations. I hope that this exhibition space is taken advantage of and used to its full potential.

ENTER THE HALLWAY: Many words and connotations come to mind at the image of this hallway, which may very well become the iconic section of the design. “Mod”…”airport”…”contemporary art museum”…”loft”…to name a few.

Top View: Your voice echoes down this corridor. Very epic. Student groups gather between the pillars for critiques.

The Stair Tower: Very utiliarian. Very taxing to climb, but with well-spaced islands for resting a bit. The elevators are a bit hidden, including a massive freight elevator down the back of the building.

3rd Floor Studios: At this point, the jealousy was welling up inside of me like an unstoppable machine. Hello, sunlight!

The Woodshop: An aspect of this building that I wholeheartedly endorse, is that it houses all of the fine arts facilities under one roof: the woodshop, printmaking studio, kilns, glass blowing studio, photo darkrooms, AND printing labs.

In Progress: The more this building is lived and worked in, the more it will become integrated into the fabric of Temple student life.

THE COLORS! THE COLORS!: Each floor and each wing is painted a different solid, matte color from floor to ceiling. Bruce Nauman, where are you hiding?

Lower Galleries: Currently, a senior thesis jewelry exhibition is housed in the lower floor galleries. Professional track lighting and gorgeous display cases give due credit to hard work.

A Work In Progress: The official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Tyler building is not until March 25 of this year. Furniture and signage are not yet complete. One note I had to make was that there were very few comfy places to sit and rest or eat. I am hoping (and assume it will be) remedied, come March-tide.

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Overall, I was quite impressed. Situated aesthetically and geographically as a museum, I find this structure intriguing, especially as a school facility. The new building should challenge students to rise to this level of “showmanship,” if you will. To work and exhibit in a space such as this would be intimidating, but also a great opportunity. Thinking back to the fervor of being a student, I think I would see the sterility of this space as a personal challenge. Also is the challenge for Tyler students, long-accustomed to life on their remote satellite campus, to integrate into the large liberal arts student body of Temple University. More interest-peaking than the visuals of the building, to me, is the social implications for this endocytotic move for the university and the future students of Tyler School of Art.

“When I walk through this space, I think, ‘What will this school look like in two years?’ I can imagine more and more student projects, installations, public sculpture outside, and who knows what else? It has been a long time in coming, and now just needs to be lived in,” says Sean Jordan.

I couldn’t agree more, and eagerly await the ribbon cutting ceremony, ringing in a new era for Philadelphia art students!