“A sustainable society is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
John Portman, “A Constant Vision in a World of Change”
Building on Dana | Patterns in Space explores the building’s past, present, and future through the voices of artists, activists, students, and scholars examining its built environment. This exhibition establishes the significance of the Dana Fine Arts Building in John Portman’s early career and in shifts in the college’s curriculum in the 1960s; it highlights the challenge of access and inclusion in historical design and an evolving cultural context. This exhibition will feature art by Caitlin La Dolce, Roxie Fricton, and Finnegan Shannon. Building on Dana | Patterns in Space is co-curated by Gallery Manager Anna Carnes and Professors Nelly Ruby and Katherine Smith.
Building on Dana | Patterns in Space opens 2.7.25 at 6pm. For more information on the project and for a behind the scene looks check out our project website at buildingondana.design
Special thanks to the Forward Arts Foundation, Portman Archives, James T. and Ella Rather Kirk Fund, Beidler-Neiditz Fund, Jeanne Berry ’55 , Sarah Hamilton Leathers ’53 and Leone Bowers Hamilton ’26 Art Lecture Series Fund, Student Green Fee Fund and our Friends of Art for their support of the Building On Dana project.
