“Accentuating Architecture: A Dordt College Architectural Alumni Exhibition”

Photograph by versluis ©2015

Dordt College is hosting its first design show in the Campus Center Art Gallery. The exhibit, titled “Accentuating Architecture: A Dordt College Architectural Alumni Exhibition”, will be displayed October 9 – November 9. Exhibit curator John Den Boer will deliver a gallery talk at 4:00 during the show’s reception from 3:45 to 4:45 p.m. on October 24.

Art Professor David Versluis, advisor for the pre-architecture program and art gallery coordinator, will be arranging the gallery installation. The exhibit will feature the architectural designs of:

• John Den Boer (’00), Tower Pinkster AE, Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Jon Dykstra (’06), Alliiance, Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Kevin Zandberg (’92), MJSA Architects, Salt Lake City, Utah

Versluis says that the role of architects in the design of buildings is mainly “to study, research, imagine, solve problems, and give instructions.” This exhibition focuses on the finished work and shows the final built form with renderings, photographs, and floor plans. Included with each project are didactics describing the project program and design strategy.

The exhibition, celebrating 60 years of Dordt alumni during Dordt’s 60th anniversary year, also aims to help viewers consider why buildings are the way they are. The projects displayed in the exhibition demonstrate architectural design on various levels. Versluis and Den Boer hope the show fosters a deeper appreciation for the built environment and gives viewers a better idea of the role of the architect.

“Architecture means many things to many people,” says Den Boer. “Many see it as the intersection of art and science. It is a profession that concerns itself with community and inspiring people to be the best versions of themselves while simultaneously focusing on getting the smallest of details right. Architects have a duty to design functional, practical, but also beautiful buildings. Likewise, Christian architects have a duty to serve others and glorify God.”

Information taken from the Dordt College News Release.